Quiet bike and smart trainer

[83dons]

I like the look of the rouvy app and want to start cycle training in my second floor flat. I want to keep weight and mainly noise down to a minimum but have the realism of the augmented reality app on the TV.

I have identified the stac zero halcyon as a noise free smart trainer for about £700 and it seemingly works with rouvy. Now I need a bike to use with it. I don't intend using it on the road outside. Looking something economical but most importantly very quiet. What would you recommend?

No expert but I guess a bike that has quiet gear changes and doesn't click much while cruising not peddling be best?!

 

[HLaB]

I'm no expert on Smart trainers as mine is only semi smart but I would go for direct drive. I live in a flat also and those were reviewed to be quietest and the reviews were right (Ive got a Elite Turbo Muin btw).

 

[83dons]

Thanks the one I mention above is zero noise as there is no friction. Nearer £600 seemingly. Its the bike itself I will need to limit the noise on. Not a clue what to go for. Given I won't use it outside it just needs to be comfortable to sit on and not noisy. Don't mind getting second hand.

 

[fossyant]

They aren't loud - I train in my garage as the house is far too warm - currently not much above freezing in the garage, but still need two fans to cool me, and I'm using a micro-fibre towel as well.... cooling is a big issue. My laptop speakers are enough to hear music/zwift. I do use an old pc for streamed music with small speakers - it's enough.

 

[HLaB]

Looks potentially a faff but DC Rainmaker gives the Stac a good review:

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2018/05/hands-on-stac-zero-halcyon-smart-totally-silenttrainer.html

 

[JhnBssll]

A bike's drivetrain is never going to be completely silent but you can get it pretty close if it's well maintained and by that I mean clean, well lubricated and properly adjusted. When I was looking for a dedicated turbo bike I wanted something similar in setup to my road bikes in geometry and gears (number and ratios) first and foremost. I ended up winning a second hand Giant SCR 2.0 on eBay that I then built up to fit my requirements, it set me back maybe £300 all in I would think but I had a few of the parts kicking about already. The one area I am still struggling on is the saddle; consider you'll be sat stationary for sometimes over an hour pedalling non-stop with little option to shift your weight around. Getting the right saddle and properly adjusted is really important. I am now on the 5th trial saddle from my lbs and I think this is finally a keeper - none of the saddles I use on my other bikes were any good on the turbo despite them being comfortable for 6hrs + on the road

 

[83dons]

Yes comfort of saddle important too I was thinking. Going to head along the local student bike service as they build bikes to order from second hand parts. The above trainer needs a particular wheel rim for optimum effect with the magnets seemingly.

 

[83dons]

Is it best to set the seat lower as the rear wheel is raised in the trainer? Also is it best to raise the front wheel to level with back wheel for realism or have bike tilted forwards?

 

[CXRAndy]

The quietest trainer is the Neo, Added if you use a training platform that has ERG mode, you don't change gear at all, just pedal to different wattage resistance. A clean oiled chain which isn't cross chaining in position will be very quiet, especially on the inner ring

 

[JhnBssll]

Is it best to set the seat lower as the rear wheel is raised in the trainer? Also is it best to raise the front wheel to level with back wheel for realism or have bike tilted forwards?

You want the saddle at the height you would normally set it, it's the distance from saddle to pedals that is important not saddle to floor

Regarding raising the front wheel often a trainer will come with a front wheel block for just this purpose - check if yours does and if not order one, you'll want the bike fairly level but a degree or two here or there isn't going to make a massive difference

 

[Velochris]

If this is your first venture into indoor training I would also think long term.

You will either soon get sick of it or (like me) love it and find your fitness hardly slips over the winter.

If you hate it you will end up selling the kit. I thought I knew a fair but about indoor training but had never heard of that trainer. As good as it may be it will not hold a great resell value.

If you love the training you will begin to wonder how good the big brands are.

The original Tacx Neo is currently around £860, more than than your original budget. However if you love training you will be pleased you got it. If you hate training and look after it and the box, you would get about £650, if not more for it on ebay.

I say this having never used a Neo and being a (currently severely frustrated ) Kickr owner. So many own and love Neos they must be just as good.

As said, you can never overcome the noise of the drive train. If you are going to race you will be snapping down the gears whilst pedaling hard. My stuff is Ultegra and clean as it is only used indoors. That makes more noise than the trainer. Remember a continual low hum is probably easier for a neighbour to tolerate than sporadic high pitched gear changes.

 

[ColinJ]

You want the saddle at the height you would normally set it, it's the distance from saddle to pedals that is important not saddle to floor

True, but don't make the mistake that I made which was to try to simply dismount the usual way. After a tiring TT session. I lifted myself out of the saddle, unclipped my left foot, put my foot down ...





... and toppled sideways when my foot failed to find the floor! Fortunately, I managed to break my fall so no damage was done to me or the bike.

I now have wooden blocks both sides of the TT to mount and dismount from.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

True, but don't make the mistake that I made which was to try to simply dismount the usual way. After a tiring TT session. I lifted myself out of the saddle, unclipped my left foot, put my foot down ...
... and toppled sideways when my foot failed to find the floor!

If I was going to bolt a bike to a trainer, I think I'd try to find a secondhand womens framed one that was large enough to fit me at least with a tolerable level of comfort. That would solve the dismount problems. For some reason they also often appear to be cheaper used than mens frames when it comes to the old-school steel variety.
Given that some trainers allow all sorts of load variations, why do you need gears on a trainer bike anyway? Surely a single speed could perform the task and that would be significantly quieter than any multi-geared bike!

 

[83dons]

Good idea I'll check if a geared bike is even required. Probably not given the trainer uses magnets and the wheel rim to vary the tension. My main interest is how quiet it is and I won't be using the bike out on the road. So quietness then comfort and probably don't want to pay much for the bike given the trainer is quite expensive.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

I would keep your options open. Using ERG mode doesn’t require gears, but it does require the RIGHT gear. You may also want to have a low cadence option for Out Of The Saddle (OOS) work and an option for high cadence sprinting.

Through the repetitive and dull nature of turbo training, I switch between ERG and RESISTANCE mode just to mix the sessions up and stimulate interest.

Like said upthread, keep your drivetrain lubed and adjusted properly, you aren’t going to get anymore noise than single speed. Dry lube is a perfect choice for indoor trainers. Wet lube can spray about if you use too much.