Stable turbo trainer

[Morty1]

Hi,

I have used a Taxc satori smart for the last few years, it's done a good job but the general poor road feel and lack of stability have become more annoying. It was difficult to do harder sessions on it.

I recently got a second hand Elite muin b+, this has been a massive step forward in stability and ride feel, it's like being on a Watt bike for a fraction of the cost! However I like to train to power on Trainer Road and while the taxc was reasonable accurate the muin is not.

Now I am in 2 minds if I should stick with the muin and try to adjust belts etc and get it more accurate or sell it and upgrade again to something like the elite zumo (I could budget up to £450). However I don't want to spend loads of £ and loose that stability.

I don't use Zwift but would like to do so in the future. Also I currently do most of my riding indoors as it's more convenient for me with 2 young kid's, so my turbo gets alot of use!

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[okgo]

Buy a power meter seems to be the obvious answer.

[Morty1]

Yes I have been thinking that.

They are so expensive for what they are though! However I think they are eligible for 'bike to work'(obviously knowing you power is critical on the commute😂). It would need to be a pedal one so I could swap between bikes.

Would the muin + a power meter work well for zwift?

[anonymous-user]

If you do most of your riding indoors, I'd say a smart trainer beats a power meter. It gives you ERG mode for instance, which is generally a big benefit for power based training

Have you got a bike shop nearby that demo's trainers? e.g as listed here https://zwift.com/zed

[Morty1]

I think I am going to go for a proper smart turbo. While getting a power meter does make sense I think I will get more benefit more of the time from the smart trainer.

I am deciding between the Elite zumo, direto or tacx flux s. The Elite drivo is also on sale but by looking at the design it looks unstable. Any recommendations welcome.

Thanks

[Matt_N]

4iiii 105 power meter crank arms are on sale for £205 at the mo, if you use 172.5mm?

https://www.probikekit.co.uk/cycling-power-meters/...

Will solve your problem on the turbo and give you a power meter for outdoor use.

[WestyCarl]

Morty1 said:

I think I am going to go for a proper smart turbo. While getting a power meter does make sense I think I will get more benefit more of the time from the smart trainer.

I am deciding between the Elite zumo, direto or tacx flux s. The Elite drivo is also on sale but by looking at the design it looks unstable. Any recommendations welcome.

Thanks

I have the Elite Direto and it's been great. Worked out of the box, stayed in calibration (should do with internal power meter) and is very stable.

The only critism I've seen of it is that it in Erg mode it can take 2-3 seconds to reach the new power in case of a big jump (+50%), for me it's not a worry but if you are doing 10 second sprints I can see why it would be a pain.

[mie1972]

Don’t buy the flux or flux s, lots of problems with them. I know 5 people in my bike club who got them, all have gone back. The only Tacx to buy is the Neo/Neo 2.

I’ve bought the Direto 2 weeks ago, Was gonna go for the Zumo but Direto has built in power meter, seems worth the £100 more. Zumo still too new to decide if reliable enough yet, although price is very good.

Several rides so far with directo - really like it. Direct drive trainers are a massive step up from the wheel on ones 👍

[ED209]

Tacx neo - had one 3 years. Expensive but one of best things I have ever bought. How good it is means it gets used more. Worth every penny.