Smart trainer advice

He's just done his annual round up.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/10/annual-trainer-recommendations.html

From my experience no issues hooking my Ribble R872 to the turbo all winter for the last couple of years. I use an old bent wheel with a trainer tyre on it.  Probably wouldn't recomended my Tacx Vortex Smart - thought it was great until I got an actual power meter - the output seems to change markedly during workouts and Trainerroad's power match feature seems to struggle to cope.

Get a really big fan to help you keep cool and sweat slightly less I invested in a 36" floor mounted fan, to cool me all over

I think it depends on how much you sweat more than the strain on where the bike is clamped in the stays. Sweat finds its way into headset bearings even if you use towels, turbo trainer sweat guards.... The bike I've had on the turbo permanently for about 3 years now....after less than a year the paint on both frame and forks was flaking, the lacquer on the brake levers is flaking, bottle cage bosses are rusting, chainring bolts rusted.

I use my best bike now and again for the odd session but if you are going to put yours on it a lot you'd want to be absolutely fastidious to make sure it wasn't a corroded wreck come the end of winter....

Check out dc Rainmaker and his site - very tecchy - knows all there is to know about turbos.

I'd happily leave the best bike on the turbo - that's what I do with my TT bike. 

If that's from athlete shop have a look down the board at another smart trainer post (or was it a thread on 'best indoor trainers' from an article.

Anyway, I believe athlete shop isn't a UK site, the item says it's not in stock for a month and they often take money and then it takes forever to get the goods... 

Can't see why putting your best bike on the turbo is going to do anything to it.

I bought a Tacx Smart Flow last year, which was a big improvement from the Tacx Flow even though this used the great VR video rides. But a smart trainer is much more fun. I've tried Zwift and currently using Bkool.

I'm hoping to upgrade to. Tacx Flux or Elite Director direct drive soon, as smart trainers are the future

I dropped an email to Jamis customer services and they said Mt bike would be fine on a trainer. OK it's one of them new fangled gravel things (renegade expert) but they said it was fine.
Drop em a line see what they say.
My mate puts his Cervello on a tacx Neo.. No problem

I'm at work, should I really put "Big Ring VR" into Google?

Yorkshire, you need better locks, or a dog!

FWIW i've been using my 2012 Wilier Izoard XP on the trainer for the last 3 years with regular use - KKRM at first, Tacx Genius last 20 months or so - no worries here, but i'm no monster sprinter either.

I'd also definitely second what CXR94Di2 said.

I had that house-yours, garage-mine deal. What happens is the house is continuously rejigged and all the mess gets dumped in the garage, so in reality I have a clear garage about 1/4 of the time.

I have secured a Zwifting corner now the treadmill is gone and I'm not moving!

Unless you're a recently retired full back, I find it hard to believe that a few hours a week will do any damage to your best bike.  That's going to be my approach anyway once the weather / daylight really goes, best bike on the trainer and second best bike with 'guards for outdoor duties.

In theory I can see how the loading on the stays will be different to the loading from a wheel (no 'give' from the trainer), so maybe resist the urge to throw the bike around when things get steep on Zwift.  But in practice there should be a good margin of safety in all that 'laterally stiff' bottom bracket carbon.

I can however see the convenience of having a bike permanently fixed to the trainer.  If you're after the cheaper Tacx version (Flux?) then you'll have  plenty of change from your £1000 to go hunting on ebay.

Buy a decent direct drive trainer first.  If you can find a cheap bike with 10/11 speed then get one of these and just leave it fitted to trainer.

Try out

Trainer Road-very structured workouts $99 for the year

Zwift great for racing and social riding, hundreds on it all the time, races every hour of the day. £8/month

Big Ring VR HD quaility video of iconic climbs from around the world- growing quickly with new routes added often.  Currently free in Beta.