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The first thing that struck me was how wide the base of this trainer is.  Then I saw someone riding on one and they were rocking back and forth, standing up and crankin’ it.  That’s the secret of the Rock ‘n’ Roll fluid trainer from Kurt Kinetic, a $560 to $670 trainer that uses elastomers between the plates under the flywheel (read “more” for detail pics).   There’s a lockout option to keep it stable like a traditional trainer, and you can buy just the base ($336) to if you already have a KK trainer.  The legs are removeable for storage and it comes with a lifetime guarantee.

They also had a cool electric generator attachment that lets you generate power while you ride, read “more” for pics and deets…

The rocking motion helps strengthen core muscles, too, while giving a much more realistic feel for climbing and out of the saddle efforts.  The “Road” model comes with a 6.25lb flywheel and the “Pro” model has an 18lb flywheel for a full 60 second coast down from 25mph.  Their website shows demo Road models for $299 (gray color), so if you’re interested, that’s basically half-off.

Another important aspect of this trainer is they claim it causes no frame fatigue.  I know when my bike is in my trainer, it tends to tweak just ever so slightly, which surely isn’t good for anything.  With the Rock ‘n’ Roll, it moves with you and the bike, so there’s no undue stress on the frame.  The folks working booth claim that Kestrel has specifically recommended this model for their bikes.

A cool accessory they offer is the Turntable front wheel holder that turns like a lazy susan to make the motion even more realistic.  I suppose, though, if you weren’t paying attention and took one hand off the bar, it could potentially turn quickly and throw you off balance.  It looked cool, though, and retails for $40.

The Kinetic “Energy” (aka “911 Trainer”) is a unit or add-on that sends power through a 12-volt car adapter cord into the power charger of your choice.  Full specs are on the pic below (click to enlarge), but the gist is you can charge up power for future use or keep a few small things running during a blackout.  Their rep said this is great for third world countries, but personally, I don’t know how they could afford this.  MSRP is expected to be $500 for the complete unit or $300 for just the resistance unit head.  My friend Eddie happened by the booth while I was there and said he’d use it for 24 hour races.  I think he meant to say his support crew would use it during 24 hour races.