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Jet Black Fluid Trainer Review219

As the weather dips towards the “it takes longer to get dressed and undressed for a ride, than I actually spend riding” category, and daylight becomes a valuable commodity, many of us will retreat to the basement to hammer out the miles in solitude. As one of the newer names in trainers, JetBlack is an Australian company that was founded in 1996 with a growing list of parts – though their trainers are their self proclaimed “heart and soul of the company. As their flagship model, the JetBlack Z1 fluid trainer has all the features you expect from a high end trainer, and maybe more.

Already an International IF Design and Innovation award winner at the 2012 Taipei Cycle show, see what’s up with the orange roller after the break.

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Coming completely assembled right out of the box, the Z1 fluid is at the top of a full line of trainers down to the $134.99 S1 Sport Trainer. Of course, as a top tier product, the Z1 is quite a bit more expensive, but at $329.99 it’s still very competitive with other trainers at the same level.

Like any good trainer, the Z1 has a heavy duty steel A-frame construction that will stand up to full on sprints.

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The JetBlack trainer mat and riser block aren’t included with the trainer, but as with any trainer purchase are a very good idea for protecting your floors from damage, sweat, and absorbing noise.

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Only found on their higher end trainers, the Z1 includes JetBlack’s SRS or Smart Release System. Basically a fancy name for a quick release lever, once the trainer is adjusted to fit your bike with the standard dial on the right side, the quick release lever securely clamps your bike into place. The lever has a lot of power, and is fairly easy to use.

Jet Black Fluid Trainer Review213 Jet Black Fluid Trainer Review218

Jet Black Fluid Trainer Review214

Maybe the most interesting part of the Z1 is the orange Hydrogel Roller. Instead of using a metal roller as found on many trainers, JetBlack claims the Hydrogel roller reduces noise by 55% and tire wear by 25-30%. Because of the unique properties of the roller, each trainer comes with an instructional tag specifying 1.5 turns of the resistance dial once it makes contact with the tire. The resistance unit itself is a fluid unit which offers progressive resistance up to 900 watts and a 2kg flywheel for lifelike road feel.

The photo at the top right shows the Z1’s adjustable feet that ensure a stable base.

Jet Black Fluid Trainer Review220

Included with the trainer is a steel trainer skewer, and JetBlack’s No Time To Burn Training CD. The CD includes a coaching session designed by an olympic level coach with additional training sessions available for download. We’re already putting the hours in on the Z1, and will report back with our final thoughts on the Z1, though first impressions are quite good. In the mean time, JetBlack trainers are available in the US through QBP and Hawley.

 

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pornitswhatlwouldratherbmaking
pornitswhatlwouldratherbmaking
10 years ago

l like the colors!

Scott
Scott
10 years ago

Have they updated these since last year or 2012 ? We got some on a deal from a distributor, i returned them all. They were terrible, especially the fluid. I threw my bike on it and it was something ludicrous like 400 watts just to turn the thing at a normal speed, and super choppy. The flywheel is also too light and too small in diameter.

I look forward to an actual review of these 2 years later.

iM uNSURE
iM uNSURE
10 years ago

“2kg flywheel for lifelike road feel”.

I have never read this before as though it was fact instead of just an advert

Even basic mag trainers have 5kg flywheel.

Scott this is where that horrid choppy feeling comes from.
You are not alone in returning them.

steve
10 years ago

Wow we got some from a distributor at our shop and we returned all of ours too. They were the worst trainers I have ever seen. The roller was so small that the tire would slip every time I tried to accelerate , if I tightened the contact knob then is was supper choppy, we couldnt sell them I was sooo glad the distributor actually took them back, I gladly paid the shipping so I wasnt stuck with them. dont waste your money on one of these things with a flywheel so small it cant even hold a coast down for more than 2 seconds…

Steve
Steve
9 years ago

Got mine August 2014. Works fine but is not quiet at all. If you want to watch TV or listen to music whilst using it you will need to turn up the volume a lot more than normal. If I didn’t buy it on ebay I would have returned it and bought an excercise bike instead.

Johnny
Johnny
6 years ago

I live in Melbourne Australia and would like to make a comment about the poor quality and extremely poor service from the Jetblack Australian representatives in this country. Here is my comment:

As the owner of a Jetblack Z1 fluid trainer I am extemely unhappy, saddened, no just really unhappy re the followup service, warranty, and response from Jetblack Australia, regarding my purchase.
After a couple of years of very light use, the roller jammed or seized. Not through overuse or abuse. I am not technically savvy in regards fixing this, so I decided to contact JetBlack Australia themselves, after all there is a lifetime warranty, haha, . Unfortuneately due to a couple of house moves, I had lost my original receipt. No amount of arguing, too and fro emails etc, would change JetBlacks mind regarding the actual liability of fixing the trainer. Without my original receipt I might have just been some idiot on the street, or a homeless person, that’s how they treated me. I was treated so badly I feel quite traumatised. Avoid their obligations at any cost, yes Sir!! Sadly their view was your problem, your fix, not our problem any more. Disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful for something that is supposed to have a lifetime warranty, and that cost a reasonable sum of money in the first instance. Not happy and would never buy another JetBlack product again. Never…

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