Talk to me about smart bike trainers
October 18, 2020 7:21 PM Subscribe
I *think* I want to expand my range of indoor/dark exercise options and am considering getting a smart trainer for my road bike. Should I? If so, what should I get?
I have a road bike and an indoor (carpeted, if that matters) space in a spare bedroom I could dedicate to it. I do a little of everything outside in all seasons (road/mountain/snow bike, running, hiking, skiing) but we run out of daylight quickly in Alaska and my usual reliable winter dark/truly oppressive cold option (weight training at the gym) is out for...who knows how long. I’m not a super serious athlete training for anything in particular, but I am reasonably fit and looking for fun ways to continue to stay that way. I have a few friends who use Zwift and it would be fun to ride with them.
Do you use and love your trainer? What should I be looking for? The price spread is impressive; is this one of those things where you absolutely get what you pay for and I’ll regret cheaping out, or is there a quality mid-range option that might work? Tell me what you know.
I have a road bike and an indoor (carpeted, if that matters) space in a spare bedroom I could dedicate to it. I do a little of everything outside in all seasons (road/mountain/snow bike, running, hiking, skiing) but we run out of daylight quickly in Alaska and my usual reliable winter dark/truly oppressive cold option (weight training at the gym) is out for...who knows how long. I’m not a super serious athlete training for anything in particular, but I am reasonably fit and looking for fun ways to continue to stay that way. I have a few friends who use Zwift and it would be fun to ride with them.
Do you use and love your trainer? What should I be looking for? The price spread is impressive; is this one of those things where you absolutely get what you pay for and I’ll regret cheaping out, or is there a quality mid-range option that might work? Tell me what you know.
Best answer: I have a Saris M2. It was the cheapest readily available option, and it has been working more or less for the past year.
If all goes according to plan, I'll upgrade to a Kickr Core soon. The Core should be:
- quieter (I can barely hear anything over the M2, and my neighbors probably hate it)
- require less calibration (I pump the tires and calibrate the M2 every ride)
- more responsive (the M2 cannot ramp fast enough for 10 second sprints)
- compatible with a rocker plate (E-Flex)
If I spent more money, the additional features don't seem to be worth it to me:
- require zero calibration
- larger flywheel
- rocking but considerably less than a separate rocker plate
- adjustable height
- includes an incompatible cassette
- higher wattage limit and grade simulation
posted by meowzilla at 9:24 PM on October 18, 2020
If all goes according to plan, I'll upgrade to a Kickr Core soon. The Core should be:
- quieter (I can barely hear anything over the M2, and my neighbors probably hate it)
- require less calibration (I pump the tires and calibrate the M2 every ride)
- more responsive (the M2 cannot ramp fast enough for 10 second sprints)
- compatible with a rocker plate (E-Flex)
If I spent more money, the additional features don't seem to be worth it to me:
- require zero calibration
- larger flywheel
- rocking but considerably less than a separate rocker plate
- adjustable height
- includes an incompatible cassette
- higher wattage limit and grade simulation
posted by meowzilla at 9:24 PM on October 18, 2020
DC Rainmaker's Smart Trainer guide might be of interest.
I got a Tacx Neo 2T just before COVID shut the world down. The other option I considered was a Kickr Core, I've got friends on both and everyone seems happy. I've found Zwift significantly more fun and entertaining than I ever thought I would pre-COVID and have ridden more this winter than ever before, the ease of just jumping on the bike is fantastic. (Discord for voice chat when we're doing social rides, I'm impressed people manage to use the in-game chat while riding with any intensity.)
Calibration/spin-down isn't a big deal on a Kick Core you do it once a week or so at the end of a ride by pushing a button. On the Neo 2T you do nothing.
If you're big and strong, you may care about the upper watt limit, but, probably not.
I got the expensive option, because I was cancelling my gym fees and figured the money was already budgeted for, and I also assume this unit is going to last for years and years.
The only firm suggestion I'd make is that you definitely want a direct drive trainer, and not one where you leave the rear wheel attached to the bike. They're no good.
- Get a good fan or two, you'll get very hot.
- Get a mat and/or towels to protect the carpet, you'll sweat a lot.
posted by Suspicious Ninja at 9:58 PM on October 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
I got a Tacx Neo 2T just before COVID shut the world down. The other option I considered was a Kickr Core, I've got friends on both and everyone seems happy. I've found Zwift significantly more fun and entertaining than I ever thought I would pre-COVID and have ridden more this winter than ever before, the ease of just jumping on the bike is fantastic. (Discord for voice chat when we're doing social rides, I'm impressed people manage to use the in-game chat while riding with any intensity.)
Calibration/spin-down isn't a big deal on a Kick Core you do it once a week or so at the end of a ride by pushing a button. On the Neo 2T you do nothing.
If you're big and strong, you may care about the upper watt limit, but, probably not.
I got the expensive option, because I was cancelling my gym fees and figured the money was already budgeted for, and I also assume this unit is going to last for years and years.
The only firm suggestion I'd make is that you definitely want a direct drive trainer, and not one where you leave the rear wheel attached to the bike. They're no good.
- Get a good fan or two, you'll get very hot.
- Get a mat and/or towels to protect the carpet, you'll sweat a lot.
posted by Suspicious Ninja at 9:58 PM on October 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: I am...not particularly big and strong. That guide is helpful, thank you Suspicious Ninja.
posted by charmedimsure at 1:07 AM on October 19, 2020
posted by charmedimsure at 1:07 AM on October 19, 2020
I use an old yoga mat to protect the floor from sweat. It's grippy and can be wiped down easily. My road speed/cadence sensor talk to the laptop through a dirt-cheap Ant+ USB receiver dongle.
posted by k3ninho at 1:13 AM on October 19, 2020
posted by k3ninho at 1:13 AM on October 19, 2020
I've had a Kickr Core for the last 2 winters and apart from an initial problem with a loud clicking which meant replacing the unit (which was done fairly painlessly) I've been very happy with it.
Bear in mind, beyond the good advice above, if you are going the direct trainer route, you will need to buy a separate cassette to put on the trainer. Zwift sell one in either 10 or 11 speed, to match what you have on the bike or you will need to buy the same one that you have on your bike (Shimano 105 or whatever, so that your gear changes work correctly).
You then either need to get that fitted or buy the cassette lockring tool to fit it (and a chain whip if you ever want to take it off).
Despite all this, once it's all set up, Zwift is great, with plenty of variety to keep you interested. The training plans are good to get you motivated to ride regularly and you should take an FTP test early on so they are set at a suitable level. After a few weeks you should see your FTP increasing, which in turn increases the motivation.
Enjoy and Ride On!
posted by jontyjago at 1:28 AM on October 19, 2020
Bear in mind, beyond the good advice above, if you are going the direct trainer route, you will need to buy a separate cassette to put on the trainer. Zwift sell one in either 10 or 11 speed, to match what you have on the bike or you will need to buy the same one that you have on your bike (Shimano 105 or whatever, so that your gear changes work correctly).
You then either need to get that fitted or buy the cassette lockring tool to fit it (and a chain whip if you ever want to take it off).
Despite all this, once it's all set up, Zwift is great, with plenty of variety to keep you interested. The training plans are good to get you motivated to ride regularly and you should take an FTP test early on so they are set at a suitable level. After a few weeks you should see your FTP increasing, which in turn increases the motivation.
Enjoy and Ride On!
posted by jontyjago at 1:28 AM on October 19, 2020
Response by poster: Hmmmm. I am very sure I want a direct trainer. If I am not anywhere close to a self-sufficient bike mechanic (I can change a tube, that’s it), how painful is setup going to be? My road bike is a Trek Silque.
posted by charmedimsure at 1:51 AM on October 19, 2020
posted by charmedimsure at 1:51 AM on October 19, 2020
If you can change a rear tyre then you'll be fine to attach the bike to a trainer, you just end up moving the bike onto the cassette attached to the trainer rather than moving the wheel onto the bike as it were.
My solution for attaching the cassette was to have the local bike shop where I ordered my trainer from attach it for me. (It looks simple, but I don't have the tools). They did it for free as they'd got the sale of a big trainer, plus a cassette out of me :)
Eventually you'll need to replace the cassette (it will wear down, just like out on the road), when that happens I'll be taking mine back to the shop to buy another cassette.
NB: The trainers can be pretty heavy, probably too heavy to walk/ride to the shop with, I borrowed a car to pick mine up.
posted by Suspicious Ninja at 3:32 AM on October 19, 2020
My solution for attaching the cassette was to have the local bike shop where I ordered my trainer from attach it for me. (It looks simple, but I don't have the tools). They did it for free as they'd got the sale of a big trainer, plus a cassette out of me :)
Eventually you'll need to replace the cassette (it will wear down, just like out on the road), when that happens I'll be taking mine back to the shop to buy another cassette.
NB: The trainers can be pretty heavy, probably too heavy to walk/ride to the shop with, I borrowed a car to pick mine up.
posted by Suspicious Ninja at 3:32 AM on October 19, 2020
I've been very happy with my Elite Suito. It's a notch or two below the Kickr and Neo level, but that's perfectly fine for a casual like me (in fact it's a bit of overkill). Very easy to set up (it comes with a cassette attached!) and performs very well with Trainer Road and Zwift.
Also, when I was riding on carpet, I ended up picking up a big panel of plywood to put under the trainer to give myself a little more coverage for sweat/water bottle spills/etc. and to provide a more stable platform for the trainer.
posted by sinfony at 6:34 AM on October 19, 2020
Also, when I was riding on carpet, I ended up picking up a big panel of plywood to put under the trainer to give myself a little more coverage for sweat/water bottle spills/etc. and to provide a more stable platform for the trainer.
posted by sinfony at 6:34 AM on October 19, 2020
I have a Cycleops (now Saris) H1. This is a wheel-off trainer. It's fine. It doesn't respond as quickly to power changes as I'd like, but from what I understand, it's one of the more responsive ones out there, so I guess I can't complain.
I subscribe to Rouvy. 99% of the time I use it to ride intervals or steady-state rides; I don't have any friends on Rouvy (or other services, AFAIK) that I could race against, and I'm not particularly interested in virtual racing anyhow. Sometimes I ride hillclimb routes. Subscribing to a service just for riding intervals is kind of silly, but I couldn't find any "freestanding" iOS apps that would control the trainer (I could use my laptop with Golden Cheetah for that purpose, I suppose).
My trainer is kind of loud, but it lives on my screened-in porch and I always have earbuds in when I'm on it, so it doesn't really bother me or my neighbors. There is one trainer that is completely silent by nature.
I also bought a beater bike that lives on the trainer full-time. If you're using your "good" bike, you'll need to wipe it down after every ride—the damage that sweat can do to aluminum parts is impressive. I'm incredibly lazy and decided that a sacrificial bike would be worth it. Some of the major smart-trainer makers are now making full exercise bikes, but these are quite expensive.
You can get special desks to use with your trainer (if you're using Golden Cheetah, for example), and you can also get handlebar clips for tablets. I have one of the latter and recommend something like that. I've been streaming a lot of dumb TV during my steady-state rides.
One of the benefits of a smart trainer is that it lets you precisely target different systems (power, VO2max, etc). This is a deep rabbit hole, but you might want to learn about some of that stuff.
posted by adamrice at 7:04 AM on October 19, 2020
I subscribe to Rouvy. 99% of the time I use it to ride intervals or steady-state rides; I don't have any friends on Rouvy (or other services, AFAIK) that I could race against, and I'm not particularly interested in virtual racing anyhow. Sometimes I ride hillclimb routes. Subscribing to a service just for riding intervals is kind of silly, but I couldn't find any "freestanding" iOS apps that would control the trainer (I could use my laptop with Golden Cheetah for that purpose, I suppose).
My trainer is kind of loud, but it lives on my screened-in porch and I always have earbuds in when I'm on it, so it doesn't really bother me or my neighbors. There is one trainer that is completely silent by nature.
I also bought a beater bike that lives on the trainer full-time. If you're using your "good" bike, you'll need to wipe it down after every ride—the damage that sweat can do to aluminum parts is impressive. I'm incredibly lazy and decided that a sacrificial bike would be worth it. Some of the major smart-trainer makers are now making full exercise bikes, but these are quite expensive.
You can get special desks to use with your trainer (if you're using Golden Cheetah, for example), and you can also get handlebar clips for tablets. I have one of the latter and recommend something like that. I've been streaming a lot of dumb TV during my steady-state rides.
One of the benefits of a smart trainer is that it lets you precisely target different systems (power, VO2max, etc). This is a deep rabbit hole, but you might want to learn about some of that stuff.
posted by adamrice at 7:04 AM on October 19, 2020
Response by poster: Final update: I have ridden about 1000 miles on my Kickr Core and love it a lot.
posted by charmedimsure at 1:02 AM on May 9, 2021
posted by charmedimsure at 1:02 AM on May 9, 2021
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posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 8:07 PM on October 18, 2020 [2 favorites]