Newbie help please re trainer

[Kbrook]

After a nasty accident, which I’ve still not fully recovered from, I’ve decided that I’m not going to brave the winter snow and ice this year. I’m currently now looking for my first ever smart trainer hopefully wheel off. I’ve got a few in mind, but I may well be buying a Saris H3 as I’ve spotted one at a reasonable price and it seems to get good reviews.
I only possess an iPad and Im told that this really isn’t going to be good enough for for viewing so what I’d like to know is what do I need to watch whatever app I decide to use on a larger screen, I don’t want to go to huge expense so any advice will be welcome and also any thoughts on alternative trainers I might want to consider. I’m giving myself a budget of about £400 for the trainer, then extra if I need to buy a TV.. Many thanks in advance.

 

[bridgy]

After a nasty accident, which I’ve still not fully recovered from, I’ve decided that I’m not going to brave the winter snow and ice this year. I’m currently now looking for my first ever smart trainer hopefully wheel off. I’ve got a few in mind, but I may well be buying a Saris H3 as I’ve spotted one at a reasonable price and it seems to get good reviews.
I only possess an iPad and Im told that this really isn’t going to be good enough for for viewing so what I’d like to know is what do I need to watch whatever app I decide to use on a larger screen, I don’t want to go to huge expense so any advice will be welcome and also any thoughts on alternative trainers I might want to consider. I’m giving myself a budget of about £400 for the trainer, then extra if I need to buy a TV.. Many thanks in advance.

Many people do use an ipad quite happily for Zwift and similar apps. I started off with a pretty basic laptop which was fine for me for years, although I do now run Zwift on a dedicated PC and monitor.

Obviously a bigger screen is more immersive and with the right hardware you can get better graphics but it's more of a nice to have rather than essential I'd say so maybe start with the ipad and check you get on with indoor cycling OK before upgrading if you want to later?

You can get clip-on ipad holders for your handlebars or specific indoor trainer tables like this https://planetx.co.uk/products/planet-x-laptop-trainer-table-1 which I'd recommend (it's a cheaper copy of a much more expensive Wahoo table)

Assuming you would be running Zwift or whatever app you use on your ipad and are looking at just viewing that on a connected larger screen, you could use either a TV or computer monitor via the appropriate HDMI cable. I used to use an old flat screen TV but now use a monitor that my son no longer wanted - the monitor is better graphics to be honest - but some TVs will be better than others.

If youw ant to get really nerdy about getting the best possible graphics there's a really good Facebook group called ZPCMR - Zwift PC Masters & Riders which has loads of advice on spec requirements etc for both PC's and monitors/TVs for running Zwift (I assume the advice would apply to other apps if you use something other than Zwift though)

 

[Dogtrousers]

If you have a Garmin GPS you can use it to control your trainer for workouts from that (same undoubtedly true of Wahoo and other brands)
Or you could use tablet like an IPAD and run whatever app you are using (Zwift, Rouvy etc ...) on that.
Or you could get a laptop with a bigger screen
Or you could get a ginormous telly

My point is, it's up to you whether you want a teeny GPS screen or a whacking great telly, with all variants in between.
Me, I use a laptop for long workouts, Garmin because it's so easy for short ones.

 

[Venod]

You can probably cast from your ipad to a larger screen.

 

[CXRAndy]

I progressed from a basic laptop in the early days, then a mid powered NUC PC with a 32" TV.

Over the years I've upgraded my whole setup, better trainer, big fan, rocker board, virtual shifting and now 4k resolution large TV with fast PC and decent graphics.

I record my races, for fun as many other do.

Start simple, then if the indoor training/racing bug gets you, start to upgrade your kit . Some love indoor, some hate it.

I would say better graphics, larger screen and fast Internet connection 50mb or more really enhance the experience

 

[oldandslow]

I ran Zwift for several years on a small Android tablet (something like 8.5" diagonal screen). Finally replacing it had more to do with the software needing a bit more power and memory than the screen size. I don't see screen size as an issue - for one thing, the tablet is nearer than a large, wall-mounted screen would be, which helps quite a bit.

But then my whole set-up is pretty low-end. This is what I do in winter when I can't (or choose not to) get out, so not something into which I'm going to pour cash.

 

[OldShep]

I started off connecting IPhone/pad with HDMI to old TVs off Fb marketplace. Using FulGaz I quickly bought a s/h Apple TV box which handled FulGaz superbly with no problems. Only got a year or so with old tTVs ( maybe they don’t like my shed) so bought a monitor.
I’ve switched last year to Kinomap which doesn’t have a suitable ATV app so I now screen mirror to the monitor through the box.

 

[si_c]

Running on an iPad seems fine to me - you're there to exercise not for the cinematic experience.

I'd get the trainer, decide on which app you want to use and then when you've had a few rides under your belt then decide what, if anything, you want to upgrade/change.

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

I replaced an original realease model of the Elite Direto (Xmas '17?) with a Saris H3 around Easter '22.

The H3 is great for ERG workouts, it matches resistance so you do the required Watts from the workout pretty quickly.

The H3 seems to require more frequent calibrations on the Saris app, at least once monthly and also when the room temp has shifted (a cold spell, or multi day heatwave).

I used to regularly turbo (and still do sometimes) using my Android mobiles (Xiaomi Mi A2 and Poco F3) to to run the Zwift app itself, rather than using either to run the Zwift Companion app, using a mobile mount on the bike stem. These days, I usually run the Zwift app on our old Surface Pro 4, basic graphics detail but otherwise fine... Besides being quite slow to load up Zwift and change worlds!

 

[Dogtrousers]

Running on an iPad seems fine to me - you're there to exercise not for the cinematic experience.

I'd get the trainer, decide on which app you want to use and then when you've had a few rides under your belt then decide what, if anything, you want to upgrade/change.

Absolutely this.

If you find that the iPad is limiting then it's easy to upgrade, but don't just take it on trust when someone says that an iPad won't be good enough.

Get settled in with your favoured app first.

 

[Legs]

I’ve got a big telly in the Zwifting Suite -it’s a Polaroid TV from Asda and it’s really good considering how cheap it was. If I’m doing a race, I’ll HDMI the laptop screen to the telly so that I can see the fine detail clearer. Otherwise, I’ll run Zwift on the laptop screen and watch a film or something on the telly - particularly if I’m doing a long constant-power erg-mode workout.

I’ve watched and re-watched some absolute classic fillums over time…

 

[OldShep]

Running on an iPad seems fine to me - you're there to exercise not for the cinematic experience.

I'd get the trainer, decide on which app you want to use and then when you've had a few rides under your belt then decide what, if anything, you want to upgrade/change.

Yes I think it depends on your purpose.
I don’t enjoy cartoon racing where an IPad is sufficient. I enjoy riding all over the world. Appreciating as you say the cinematic experience.
I’ve always been impressed especially on FulGaz how real the experience feels. Once rode the same bit of road virtually and in real life. Over 5 miles there was only one minute difference in time.