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Turbo trainer recommendations

by sergius
Mon, Dec 18, 2017 17:10
13

I had my second and third ice related crashes on Saturday, having come off in January due to black ice and fracturing both wrists.  Luckily both were low speed this time around, so I'm fine other than a few sprains/bruises.

 

Turbo trainers have always been a point of contention in my house, my wife is (was) adament that I'm not allowed to bring bikes inside, and I've no suitable outside area like a garage for turbo usage.

After some "discussions" when I got home, I've got tentative go-ahead to pick up a turbo for when it's cold/miserable out - rather than having to brave the elements.   This has been fairly heavily caveated however so I've got some semi-specific requirements to try to meet:

Set in stone:

- No bikes living inside the house over the winter, I'll have to set it up each time I want to use it and then put it away again after.  Therefore something that is relatively easy to put up/down (no indexing deraileurs etc).

- Support for disc brakes (all my bikes have discs) - most likely I'll use a 2017 Canyon Inflite for this though.

- Support for long-cage rear deraileurs (both bikes have 11-32 cassettes fitted)

 

Nice to haves:

- A smart trainer (if i'm going to buy one, it may as well have the power measurements and automatic resistance adjustment capabilities to get the most out of something like Zwift)

- Support for both thru-axles and QR

- Support for a MacBook (my PCs aren't really located in a suitable place to use with a turbo)

 

Other considerations:

- Minimal disruption to my bikes, i.e. I'd prefer not to have to remove mudguards from my Canyon for example, so I can use it again outside without having to faff around too much.  Not the end of the world if I forego the outside world for a few months over the winter - but I'd prefer to have easy options.  I may find that I don't use my winter bike in mudguard conditions if I get on with the turbo.

 

 

I know a lot of these are pointing towards a turbo that uses the existing rear wheel rather than a direct drive one - but everything I read suggests the direct drive ones are much "better".  While cost is a consideration (as I've no idea whether I'll get on with it yet!), it's not my main deciding factor.  I could even pick up a cheap btwin bike for £2-300 if I had to as a permanent turbo bike - but again would prefer not too.

Suggestions welcome...

 

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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13 comments

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Rapha Nadal | 7 years ago
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I'd swap your wife rather than look for a turbo.  She sounds like a right drag.

Wahoo Kickr Snap is what I'm using at the moment.  It's very good and you can fold it up - although it stays out all year in our house 3

It's quiet, can take a large amount of watts through it without complaint, and is compatible with all of the Zwift/Trainer Road type platforms.

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CXR94Di2 | 7 years ago
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I would say that wheel on is slightly quicker to setup, but you will need to do a spin down test and check tyre pressure each ride to be consistent.

Direct drive, don't need to have a regular spin down or worry about tyre pressures.

The Kickr folds away into narrow unit.

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sergius | 7 years ago
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Yeah looks like I was getting confused between the Kickr Snap and the Kickr.

 

 

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IngloriousLou | 7 years ago
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The kickr is direct drive, no tyre involved.

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PRSboy | 7 years ago
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Not sure how hard on tyres the Kickr is, but I've been using a set of Conti 4 Seasons on my bike for years for lots of Elite fluid turbo use and outdoors.  Wear is not unduly bad, certainly not bad enough to bother faffing with turbo tyres or a turbo wheel.

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ibr17xvii | 7 years ago
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Depending on your budget & although I don't own either I think I'd be looking at the Direto or the Kickr based on the fact they fold up unlike the the Neo & Flux.

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IngloriousLou replied to ibr17xvii | 7 years ago
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ibr17xvii wrote:

Depending on your budget & although I don't own either I think I'd be looking at the Direto or the Kickr based on the fact they fold up unlike the the Neo & Flux.

I have a Neo. It folds up, but is still reasonably bulky.

Mine stays set up in the garage with screen, speakers, bike, fan and towels.

I'm lucky that I can set the space aside, it means I can jump on and do an hour workout with very little faffing before or after.

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srchar | 7 years ago
1 like

Ha. Just had to have the opposite conversation with Mrs Srchar after an off on black ice this morning. She's adamant that I should buy a trainer and come indoors for the winter. I'm adamant that training indoors is mind-numbingly dull.

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beezus fufoon replied to srchar | 7 years ago
1 like

srchar wrote:

Ha. Just had to have the opposite conversation with Mrs Srchar after an off on black ice this morning. She's adamant that I should buy a trainer and come indoors for the winter. I'm adamant that training indoors is mind-numbingly dull.

maybe you could be a gent and offer to swap wives with Sergius?

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CXR94Di2 | 7 years ago
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So where do you.put bikes if they are not allowed in house, small shed?

I have a Wahoo Kickr, it is one of the best on the market, solidly built, reliable and works on all platforms with no issues

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sergius replied to CXR94Di2 | 7 years ago
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CXR94Di2 wrote:

So where do you.put bikes if they are not allowed in house, small shed? I have a Wahoo Kickr, it is one of the best on the market, solidly built, reliable and works on all platforms with no issues

Bikes live outside in a couple of Asgards.

I've been looking at the Kickr, it seems to tick most of my boxes.  How long does it take to put a bike in the trainer? Is there any adjustment/calibration required each time you set it up?

Is it worth swapping out the Conti tyres on my bike for something cheaper when using this?

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IngloriousLou replied to sergius | 7 years ago
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sergius wrote:

Bikes live outside in a couple of Asgards.

I've been looking at the Kickr, it seems to tick most of my boxes.  How long does it take to put a bike in the trainer? Is there any adjustment/calibration required each time you set it up?

Is it worth swapping out the Conti tyres on my bike for something cheaper when using this?

It's direct drive, so you take the wheel off to mount, same for neo and flux and other direct drive.

I'd say that you'd be looking at about 10 mins to get a session started, by the time you've got the bike in position, removed wheel and hooked it up. Started whatever app you're using to train with, got the fan, towel and drinks ready and got changed. No cal or adjustment needed.

I wouldn't recommend any smart trainer that doesn't have erg mode. If no erg, buy a simple £50 wheel on trainer and train to heart rate, not power

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Argos74 | 7 years ago
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http://www.halfords.com/cycling/turbo-trainers/trainers/elite-turbo-muin...

£290, direct drive. Folds up to fit into a cupboard, although it's a bit of a lump, 20 odd kilos.  Quiet - the drive train is louder than the turbo itself. QR compatible, which rules out the Canyon, although there is a thru axle version which is more expensive (€382 from bike-discount.de). If you go for this option, you can get an adaptor to let you use your QR bike on a thru axle trainer. Supports most major third party applications.

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