Best (not most expensive) turbo trainer

[Nebulous]

Just noticed this thread and your reply,looking at the same myself Tacx Flux from Halfords but pretty new to the smart trainer stuff, does it auto adjust if you go uphill on a course and is it worth buying any good, thanks

I'm very happy so far, but I have nothing to compare it with. Zwift is a bit cartoonish, and has been a bit of a learning curve, but the trainer has been all I expected. I've been on it more in two weeks than I normally would in a month, which is the important thing. I'm going to do some of the training plans, which will provide more structured training than I usually do.

It does increase resistance on hills. Unlike some of the more expensive ones it doesn't have a motor to make it freewheel when you are going down.

ERG mode is a bit strange. It should provide a constant power output regardless of gear or cadence. However I like to overshoot. So in the past if my target was 180 watts I'll go for around 185-190. Erg will see the level sit around 177-180. I'll crank faster to try to go over the 180 and end up with higher cadence and still recording 177. So I have often found myself running at a higher cadence than I prefer. I'm learning I can back-off a bit and still get the same result, but it has taken a bit of time.

 

[gmw492]

I'm very happy so far, but I have nothing to compare it with. Zwift is a bit cartoonish, and has been a bit of a learning curve, but the trainer has been all I expected. I've been on it more in two weeks than I normally would in a month, which is the important thing. I'm going to do some of the training plans, which will provide more structured training than I usually do.

It does increase resistance on hills. Unlike some of the more expensive ones it doesn't have a motor to make it freewheel when you are going down.

ERG mode is a bit strange. It should provide a constant power output regardless of gear or cadence. However I like to overshoot. So in the past if my target was 180 watts I'll go for around 185-190. Erg will see the level sit around 177-180. I'll crank faster to try to go over the 180 and end up with higher cadence and still recording 177. So I have often found myself running at a higher cadence than I prefer. I'm learning I can back-off a bit and still get the same result, but it has taken a bit of time.

Sounds good, is all the training a subscription fee ? I know Zwift is payable and Tacx premium but does it let you have basic training free, Tacx premium looks similar to Zwift or is Zwift better

 

[Nebulous]

I haven't looked at tacx at all. Just went straight to Zwift. You get a week free, and then start to pay after that..

Edited to add:- I've just found a voucher in the box for a month free of tacx premium. I might try that after Christmas. At the moment I've enough on trying to learn zwift.

 

[gmw492]

I haven't looked at tacx at all. Just went straight to Zwift. You get a week free, and then start to pay after that..

Edited to add:- I've just found a voucher in the box for a month free of tacx premium. I might try that after Christmas. At the moment I've enough on trying to learn zwift.

Yes did a bit of research on it last night both look similar and the free trial on both will help decide, just ordering it now still on offer plus hopefully 10% discount , look forward to training on it , thanks

 

[Mattk50]

Hi,

I been reading this thread with interest. My budget is about £!50, something for the winter at beginner entry level. Fluid seems best for me as it'll be quieter in our small house (?). Need something to work with Strava. Advice welcome?

Matt

P.S. Can I add I live near a Halfords, not sure how they rate with cyclists?

 

[Ohthehills]

Oh no - why did you tell me that?? I've been contemplating at £450, but that extra £50 has swung the balance. I'm not at home, but my local Halfords has one in stock and I've ordered one. Will collect tomorrow evening when I get home. Hopefully I'll get another 10% with British Cycling, taking it to £360 - well into the territory for the better wheel-on turbos.

I did the same as you just be warned you will have to buy a different axil if your bike has a though axle you can get one for about 35 pounds I was gutted when I got mine home to set it up and couldn't put bike on it lol got mine from rutlands https://www.rutlandcycling.com/

 

[Nebulous]

I did the same as you just be warned you will have to buy a different axil if your bike has a though axle you can get one for about 35 pounds I was gutted when I got mine home to set it up and couldn't put bike on it lol got mine from rutlands https://www.rutlandcycling.com/

The bike on my turbo has a quick release. My turbo came with an adapter for a mountain bike, but not for a thru axle. The problem may be that there isn't a common standard for thru axles yet.

My only bike with a thru axle has guards on it and is in use on the road.

 

[Jimidh]

If you want to maintain fitness over the winter then a proper structured training plan incorporating some indoor training will do you wonders.

I’ve used trainer road over last two years in conjunction with a Wahoo Kickr and results have Ben very good. I also like Sufferfest videos but didn’t take to Zwift but i’ve Got friends who love it.

I still get outside over the winter but a few hours of proper internal training is excellent.

If you find training on a Turbo boring then I would suggest your not doing it hard enough.

 

[nickAKA]

Hi,

I been reading this thread with interest. My budget is about £!50, something for the winter at beginner entry level. Fluid seems best for me as it'll be quieter in our small house (?). Need something to work with Strava. Advice welcome?

Matt

P.S. Can I add I live near a Halfords, not sure how they rate with cyclists?

For £100-£150 you're going to get a decent wheel-on 'dumb' fluid trainer. If you want to track your effort in Strava you'll need to budget for a bluetooth speed & cadence sensor for your bike, and, I'd suggest a heart rate monitor too, which is taking you closer to £200-£250 which puts you into 'cheap smart trainer' territory. It's a no-brainer in that respect, go smart.
As regards noise, wheel-on trainers are noisy (relatively speaking), best not to delude yourself that any one type is significantly better/quieter than another.
If you want genuinely quiet, you're looking at significantly more money than your current budget.
All that said a cheap dumb trainer can be as good for your fitness as a tacx neo if you're motivated enough to use it correctly; smart trainers just help take some of the tedium out of it and can draw you into the more social / racing aspect of indoor training.

 

[Mattk50]

For £100-£150 you're going to get a decent wheel-on 'dumb' fluid trainer. If you want to track your effort in Strava you'll need to budget for a bluetooth speed & cadence sensor for your bike, and, I'd suggest a heart rate monitor too, which is taking you closer to £200-£250 which puts you into 'cheap smart trainer' territory. It's a no-brainer in that respect, go smart..

Can you recommend something then in that £200-£250 bracket for strava?

Thanks for your help btw.

 

[nickAKA]

Can you recommend something then in that £200-£250 bracket for strava?

Thanks for your help btw.

I've been using an elite qubo digital smart b+ for 12 months, they're solid & for £250ish RRP they're good value. There were loads available used on ebay last time I looked and there are probably other / better / newer options around now at this price point, but I'll leave that one open to anyone who's bought more recently than me!

Regarding Strava - you use apps bundled with a smart trainer or third party apps like zwift for workouts / training etc, you then upload the data it records during the workout to Strava.

 

[Mattk50]

Thanks Nick, I'm going to look for my xmas present this weekend ;-)

 

[Mattk50]

I managed to get a trainer second hand for 50 quid. Just set it up and used it, bit boring but better than a -20c wind blowing in your face I guess. Two questions, what's the point of a resistance 'thingie' with 5 settings when my bike has gears? And also, it's not smart, how can I incorporate some stats then into my strava on my phone, do I use Zwift as above? I think it's this one I have;

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/elite-super...BOHTxt88bk72bq-huET1wwnjSFX5yMyBoCdvAQAvD_BwE

 

[nickAKA]

I managed to get a trainer second hand for 50 quid. Just set it up and used it, bit boring but better than a -20c wind blowing in your face I guess. Two questions, what's the point of a resistance 'thingie' with 5 settings when my bike has gears? And also, it's not smart, how can I incorporate some stats then into my strava on my phone, do I use Zwift as above? I think it's this one I have;

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/elite-super...BOHTxt88bk72bq-huET1wwnjSFX5yMyBoCdvAQAvD_BwE

The resistance lever - not really much point to it if you've got gears, handy if you haven't I suppose...
For recording data you'll need some sensors fitting on your bike. There are a couple of different types, the wahoo ones are solid :

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/wahoo-blue-sc-speed-cadence-sensor-with-ble-ant/

these are the 'old fashioned' type, the sensors use magnets to measure rotation, a bit cheaper but I've found them hit & miss on reliability.

Best type (IMO) are these:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/wahoo-rpm-speed-cadence-with-bluetooth-40-and-ant/
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/wahoo-rpm-speed-cadence-with-bluetooth-40-and-ant/
You fix the speed sensor on the rear wheel hub & the cadence on the left pedal crank, they measure rotation using magic & voodoo...
I've selected the wahoo versions because they're as reliable as any, cheap ones are a leap into the unknown.

You then need to pair them to your phone and run an app of some description to log the data. I've heard a rumour that you can do it all within strava, but cards on the table, I've never had it working successfully indoors.

 

[Mattk50]

Thank you. I'll look at those sensors tomorrow. A quick question though, you've confirmed what I thought about the resistance lever though. Can you disconnect it as it's a bit annoying? I felt the urge to snip it in an instance but figured it'd render the resale value worthless!