My daughter is hoping for some kind of indoor trainer for Christmas.
I don't really know about these things.
Wind trainer? Something else? Brand? Anybody have something usable and used?

Kurt Kinetic trainers are nice. They make a "rock and roller" that supposedly simulates being on the road more than a stationary trainer does, but being me, I doubt it's worth the added cost.

The cheapest option would be a wind trainer. That generates resistance from a fan and it's very loud. I would recommend staying away from these because of the noise. I have a magnetic trainer - it's much more quiet and you can vary the resistance a lot. That lets you simulate hills, etc. The newer, better models are liquid. They have hydraulic fluid to generate resistance. I think these are quieter still and offer resistance that is closer to what you feel riding on the road. These are also the most expensive.

Kurt, CyclOps and Blackburn are all good brands. Most local bike shops will sell these, and Trek dealers will have Trek branded trainers as well. I have not seen too many of these selling used on CL, but I bet if you put a WTB ad out there, you might get something.

It's nice to have a stand for the front wheel to keep the bike level when it's on the trainer, by the way. Those are over priced for what you get (a piece of plastic with a logo on it) but it makes the ride a lot better.

That's about all I know. Hope it helps!

And local. Learned that last week.

I have an inexpensive Mag trainer. I can't remember the brand. It has a cable with a switch to set the resistance level. I really like that, but my wife doesn't use that feature at all. She just changes gears. I've never tried a fluid trainer so I don't know if those are worth the extra $$. I use it less since I got studded tires and spend more time on the paths in the winter. They really do work, though. You do the trainer a couple of times a week and you don't lose anything over the winter.

One weirdness is that you never really coast or come off the saddle with the trainer so the constant sitting tends to be a little rougher on your ass than just riding. You don't realize how often you post up in the course of normal riding until you sit on the trainer for 30 minutes!

This is kind of like what I have:
http://www.roadbikeoutlet.com/bike-part ... ifter.html

+1 on Kurt Kinetic fluid... but they are spendy. The cool thing about the rock and rollers is that you can lean to one side or the other. I heard once that's better for carbon frames as it strains them less, or something, but I feel like that's probably bunk or I wouldn't know a bajillion people that stick their carbon frames in expensive, but non-rock and roller trainers.

I've also heard really good things about the Blackburn Trakstand magnetic trainer.

The U of M cycling team just got sponsored by Kurt Kinetic, so it's possible that some of them are looking to sell their old trainers... I will post this thread over on their facebook page.

Dibs!

I have a travel trac fluid trainer from performance bike. It works but occasionally hits resistant patches where it's harder to pedal for a short time.

I have a Cycle Ops magnetic trainer. I use it to adjust the drivetrain, shifting, on my bikes, things you really need to be "riding" to adjust.
But I never use it as a trainer. While it's a fairly high end trainer, it's kinda loud and very boring.
I just ride outside on my bike. Way more fun.
Get your daughter studded tires instead.
Bill.

Which is why I have an 80's Fuji Supreme that does permanent duty on the trainer!

Thank you all for your input. I hope christmas doesn't suck!