Best (not most expensive) turbo trainer

[Skibird]

Hi Guys,

All this rain is really getting me down as I can't (won't) go out with heavy rain/wind together, but don't want to lose the strengh I've built up from going out every other day.

I'm looking for something mainly for a mountain bike and it will get used on a regular basis, so it needs to be well built. There are so many out there (even Aldi has one for £50), I'm hoping with all your combined experience, someone will point me in the direction of a decent one.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Globalti]

How long is a piece of string? Loads of retailers sell fan trainers for £50 to £100, even Machine Mart. They work fine but they are noisy and you need to set yourself targets. Next step up is a smart trainer and you will be paying anything from £300 up I guess but they can give you virtual rides.

The basic fan type is fine as you'll cimb off absolutely beasted especially if you use a HRM to gauge your effort.

 

[CXRAndy]

look on YouTube at Zwift races and see if it interests you. That will help whether dumb or smart trainer is what you need

 

[fossyant]

If you can get a Smart Trainer. Best for price is the Tacx Flow T2240. I got mine for about £160

 

[Skibird]

Thanks for the advice guys

 

[JtB]

The smart trainers are electromagnetic so you can vary the amount of resistance. I wasn’t interested in a smart trainer myself, so I went with a fluid trainer. Of the 3 types of resistance (i.e. fan, electromagnetic and fluid), fluid are probably the smoothest and quietest.

 

[MrGrumpy]

Hi Guys,

All this rain is really getting me down as I can't (won't) go out with heavy rain/wind together, but don't want to lose the strengh I've built up from going out every other day.

I'm looking for something mainly for a mountain bike and it will get used on a regular basis, so it needs to be well built. There are so many out there (even Aldi has one for £50), I'm hoping with all your combined experience, someone will point me in the direction of a decent one.

Thanks in advance.

Dont know where you live (Western Isles Excepted) but its hardly rain and wind for the whole of winter ! Turbos/trainers would bore me senseless , think your missing out on a lot riding staying indoors !

 

[Milkfloat]

I would counter that direct drive electromagnetic are quietest. Especially the Tacx Neo - but that is not cheap at all. In my view a dumb trainer gets boring very quickly.

 

[Skibird]

Dont know where you live (Western Isles Excepted) but its hardly rain and wind for the whole of winter ! Turbos/trainers would bore me senseless , think your missing out on a lot riding staying indoors !

It's only as a last resort, for the past 8 days it has been raining, including hail and wind, pretty much non stop (lovely and clear today so I have just done 18 miles), I just want something I can use if the weather is too bad. I'm only 5'3" and a small size 8 (don't know what I weigh as I never weigh myself), so very strong wind can take my bike from under me.

 

[CXRAndy]

Indoor training came as a revelation to me, helping me recover from serious foot injury. Since then ive been hooked. For the last four winters, i stay indoors from September till March.. I train upto 10 hours a week, using Trainer Road and Zwift. I race, have a structured training plan with TR. I treat my self with a week abroad somewhere warm to test out my legs cycling. Then return back to regular, warm, dry and very effective training on my Kickr

 

[Heltor Chasca]

I’m an outdoorsman. Work and personal lifestyle. I always was critical of everyone who spent time in gyms, pools or even squash courts. I didn’t get it.

Fast forward and a major shift in attitude and here I am having nearly done a full year on a smart trainer. (Wahoo Kickr Snap) It is genuinely a revelation and an addiction. I am 44 and probably as fit as I was when I was fully trained for a sailing world championship when I was 15.

(Also a TrainerRoad user)

 

[Globalti]

If your goal is only fitness a trainer is excellent but if, like me, you enjoy being out and pitting yourself and your bike against weather and terrain, winter can be a challenging time to ride, especially at night.

I'm not cycling at the moment thanks to injury and am spending very little money because when I'm cycling most of my regular weekly cash is spent in cafes or pubs.

 

[wonderloaf]

If you can get a Smart Trainer. Best for price is the Tacx Flow T2240. I got mine for about £160

I don't know what others experience with the Tacx Flow is, but I've had a couple of problems with both the trainer and the app.

On the trainer the metal casing around the plastic roller started clicking, an internet search showed up a fix using super glue which was easy to apply and still working a year later. Then the casing around the electronics fell apart so is now held together with gaffer tape.

Also getting the apps to connect with my Android smartphone or tablet can be a frustrating experience (using either bluetooth or ant+), although I get there in the end. Getting your workouts uploaded to your webpage used to be a hit and miss affair, but last night after using the trainer and app for the first time this year pleased to report that this seems to have been fixed so Tacx have made some progress.

I primarily bought the Flow to use interactively with the Tacx films but find myself mostly using it with Youtube cycling videos, some of which are really good.

 

[BrookeK]

I went for the Elite Novo Force Turbo Trainer after reading a guide and would highly recommend if you are on a budget. The days are for too short at the moment to be able to cycle in the evenings.

 

[JtB]

Congratulations, now you need to sort out something to keep the motivation going after the novilty wears off.

I think there are some good training videos here: CTXC