UPDATE – It’s official – Nancy Toby is a genius and she knows everything. Her comment to this post was “I know some of these Performance trainers were recalled because of problems with the attachment for the axle ” so I looked it up via Google and found:
Fall Hazard Prompts Performance Inc. to Recall Bicycle Resistance Trainers for Repair
My exact model is on the list and what’s worse is I’m pretty sure they sold it to me AFTER that recall notice came out. For once I wish I had kept the receipt forever. In fact, I probably JUST threw it away a couple of weeks ago.
If you have a problem just ask Nancy. I’m pretty sure she can fix it!
— Original Post —-
Today I went and swam my usual 2100 yards. It actually wasn’t quite the usual as we did ‘monthly 200s’ where you swim 4 200s descending (those are yards, not meters) with your starting 200 at the pace of your #2 200 from last month (the coaches keep your times which you record in pencil on a tile). It’s hard and I don’t do ‘descending’ but today I did! 3:55, 3:50, 3:47 and then the coach let us off the hook – huzzah! So I’m slow but whatever. I got it done.
When I got home I was very proud of myself for popping in a Spinervals DVD and getting on the trainer. It is a DVD with 3 short routines, the first of which is 90 second interval training. During interval 2 my trainer fell over and I ended up under my bike. “DAMNIT!”, I thought, “I was sure I had the thing kicked out all the way and stable. I got up, put the bike back in the trainer, got it all nice and stable and started again. Right after interval 5 as I was cooling down – BAM! there I was on my side again.
WTF??? Why is my trainer doing that? It was beyond annoying and I quit, 4 intervals short of a full load.
So – Shelly, TriMama, Carrie, Momo, anyone??? I know all of you ladies use your trainers a lot as do some of you gents out there. Do YOU ever just fall over? What am I doing wrong?
I have one of these
A Centruy Fluid Trainer from Performance Bikes.
21st-century-mom.com 
I use my trainer, but I have a CycleOps, which has two legs (I can’t describe it, it’s just different), and I have not had that happen to me (how frustrating that must be!). I won’t be much help here, but what kind of surface are you training on? Could you set yourself up on a yoga mat or something non-slippy?
Mine is similar to yours and i’ve never fallen over, are you 100% sure you are clamped in tightly on the skewers??? Make sure it’s “locked” in there before you get on..that’s the only thing I can think of!! Be careful girl!!
How are you falling over? I know some of these Performance trainers were recalled because of problems with the attachment for the axle – is your bike coming off the trainer?? That definitely should NOT happen!!
i have the cycleops, too, like pirate, and that has not happened to me. is the frame collapsing or is your bike falling out of the trainer?
I’ll save this post to show my kids when they’re older and they become convinced that I know nothing!! LOL!
Just hope you didn’t get hurt! Sounds kind of traumatic to me!!
wow I am glad you are alright, that sounds really freaky! Hope you get it figured out.
2100 yards huh, that is a darn good swim, you rock.
oh man – good to know you’re not crazy, eh?
I mean, we kinda knew that anyway. But really. You’re vindicated!
Do you have a stand for your front wheel? I have a star shaped stand that my front wheel sits in, it has three ht levels, one in each line of the star, depending on the size of your bike. I’m guessing if you haven’t fully stabilized your front wheel it is slipping allowing your bike to kick out from under you. I crashed one time on the trainer but that was due to not pulling one leg out securely–I have a cylcle ops as well. Other reasons for crashing are not securing your skewer in tightly enough, but if you went over with the trainer I’m guessing it’s the front wheel. I hate to crash, even if it’s at 0mph-blah. btw- I was reading the Wildflower course description and there’s an aid station every 6-9 miles-that makes the course so much easier-it breaks it down-just ride stop to stop- You’ll be just fine!
i would think that if it is the Performance Bike brand, and you don’t have a receipt, but bring it back, they would honor it!
That is odd indeed. Make sure you’re clamped in there well. It doesn’t have to be tight, tight, but it needs to be secure tight.
Also, do you have a trainer specific skewer for you rear wheel? If you’re using one that came with the wheelset and not a trainer specific one, you might not be getting a good fit when you go to place your bike inside the trainer? Just a thought.
Nevermind… I read a cached version of this post. I didn’t realize there was a recall until it refreshed!