the 'what turbo trainer' thread Vs riding outside

[ambuletz]

No doubt we're going to get many questions frrom people speculating purchasing a turbo trainer to ride indoors recently instead of going outside. I figure this might be a good thread to make for

- people who might have no knowledge of turbo trainers and are willing to share (i don't)
- people wanting to get one (state your budget)
- people with whatever goal (state the goal)
- people with current experience of using a turbo trainer, that can compare it to riding outside



I'm in the position where i'm working frrom home, living in london. I could ride outside as normal. but I can't help but think of the idea of getting a TT.

usesage- i don't need it for intense traning sessions, just something just to break a sweat and do so for 1hour a day.
budget- I'm looking at something at the low end of the market.. sub £100 as I'm new to the idea. Once gyms open up I probably wont use it.
I'm currently eyeing up this frrom wiggle/lifeline

for me noise isn't an issue, ill have headphones on and watch something while doing it.

[Fastpedeller]

I bought a turbo trainer a few years ago and use it when the outside temp is 5C or below. I also wanted a sub £100 purchase. After doing some online 'research' I found several reports of fluid trainers leaking after a while, although reviewers said they were more of a uniform action and some magnetic trainers were 'jerky'. Put off by the 'leaking fluid reports' I took the plunge and bought a 'just above basic' magnetic model (ie one with a load control lever which attaches to the handlebars). It cost IIRC £60 from Machine Mart (best deal I found at the time). Out of curiosity I recently looked on Ebay and they are available for under £40 now. They appear to be generic, from China, and the same as others with a 'brand name' label. The 'load control' is handy (I use a single-speed bike on it), but not essential if you use a geared bike because changing gear will also vary the effort required. I've found it good (and not at all jerky). One thing- there are TT specific tyres available (as you can imagine a heavily treaded tyre won't last well on a turbo), but I've got by with slicks no problem.

[Chicken Chaser]

Tacx Neo. Had a dumb Kurt Kinetic before this which was pretty good but the Neo combined with Zwift moves the game on so much further. It's cycling outdoors, indoors. You are never going to get the sense of freedom that outdoors gives but if you're a number cruncher, want a consistent training enviroment want to raise your performance outside in poor weather it's unbelievable.

[ambuletz]

Chicken Chaser said:

Tacx Neo. Had a dumb Kurt Kinetic before this which was pretty good but the Neo combined with Zwift moves the game on so much further. It's cycling outdoors, indoors. You are never going to get the sense of freedom that outdoors gives but if you're a number cruncher, want a consistent training enviroment want to raise your performance outside in poor weather it's unbelievable.

I'm sure thats good for people who are dedicated competition cyclists, but no good for me.

At £1000 that's 10x beyond my budget. I'm after something that i can use which will be better than budget consumer 'exercise bikes'. this is merely a tool for raising heart rate, creating a sweat, burning calories, losing body fat. for that money i would spend it on a power rack and weights as that's more important to me. (but i dont want to spend that much)

[Chicken Chaser]

Look for a Kurt Kinetic road machine. They're excellent and fairly cheap now. They are fluid and have a good road feel about them. Much better than the Cycleops equivalent.

[R1gtr]

ambuletz said:

I'm sure thats good for people who are dedicated competition cyclists, but no good for me.

At £1000 that's 10x beyond my budget. I'm after something that i can use which will be better than budget consumer 'exercise bikes'. this is merely a tool for raising heart rate, creating a sweat, burning calories, losing body fat. for that money i would spend it on a power rack and weights as that's more important to me. (but i dont want to spend that much)

Sport pursuit have deals on Cyclops. This seems good value

[lufbramatt]

Worth a read:

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/10/the-smart-trai...

FWIW I went down the dumb trainer (KK road machine) with a power meter on the bike route rather than a smart trainer, as then you have power on the road too, if I had the money I'd get both though Also I don't have an internet connection in my garage and my ipad is only an old 32 bit one so Zwift won't run, no issues with Trainerroad running offline though.

I have the extra flywheel on the Road machine and think it feels pretty realistic in terms of inertia on the road, without the extra flywheel feels more like mountain biking. obviously the bike is fixed so its a very different experience overall. Don't forget to back indoor work up with some weights and core strength work so you're not a wet noodle when you get back outside.

Edited by lufbramatt on Monday 23 March 09:13

[mikees]

ambuletz said:

Chicken Chaser said:

Tacx Neo. Had a dumb Kurt Kinetic before this which was pretty good but the Neo combined with Zwift moves the game on so much further. It's cycling outdoors, indoors. You are never going to get the sense of freedom that outdoors gives but if you're a number cruncher, want a consistent training enviroment want to raise your performance outside in poor weather it's unbelievable.

I'm sure thats good for people who are dedicated competition cyclists, but no good for me.

At £1000 that's 10x beyond my budget. I'm after something that i can use which will be better than budget consumer 'exercise bikes'. this is merely a tool for raising heart rate, creating a sweat, burning calories, losing body fat. for that money i would spend it on a power rack and weights as that's more important to me. (but i dont want to spend that much)

There are 100's on ebay from 30 quid. Have a look

[PushedDover]

Great thread for me to watch, thank you.

I was looking at the B'Twin... https://www.decathlon.co.uk/inride-100-turbo-train...


https://www.coachmag.co.uk/cycling-gear/7030/the-b...

[lufbramatt]

Magnetic ones are cheap but feel like riding though sand. try to get a fluid one if you can get one for your budget.

[Fastpedeller]

lufbramatt said:

Magnetic ones are cheap but feel like riding though sand. try to get a fluid one if you can get one for your budget.

is that so bad - I'd expect it to be good training!

[lufbramatt]

Not really as it will just make you hate the thing and not use it. You can still get the same level of resistance on a fluid trainer it just feels better.

[PushedDover]

Thanks Matt, the kind of info I am wanting on here.

[mike80]

I've got one of these. https://www.halfords.com/cycling/turbo-trainers/st...

Doesn't do anything fancy, but I watch something or listen to music when I'm on it, and it's OK for a half decent workout. I like the idea of Zwift etc., but don't (or didn't!) really have the time or money.

[Chicken Chaser]

Unless you want to dread you going on it, don't buy a magnetic one. Always get a fluid. Setup some headphones laptop or tv and try and follow a programme or use the music like a spinning class. Otherwise you'll just churn out minutes on it and wish it was over before you started.

[lufbramatt]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Probably won't be long before that's not an option though, hence the OP making this thread. If all the idiots insist on congregating in tourist areas and going for group rides etc. it wont be long before we are in the same situation as Italy and Spain.

[Wonderman]

lufbramatt said:

Magnetic ones are cheap but feel like riding though sand. try to get a fluid one if you can get one for your budget.

I just got a Cyclops magneto pro (ordered pre virus) as a first TT, it feels smooth enough to me. Was hoping to use it plus booked outside events to build cycle fitness for RideLondon. I'm happy with a dumb trainer that folds away/ doesn't need power etc.

From my experience so far:
If thinking of a particular app check compatibility with sensors (bluetooth v ant+ etc) or smart trainer.

Peleton looks like an expensive waste of money to me

There is definetly more sweat drip inside so make sure you plan accordingly.

[stuarthat]

Buy a second hand tacx vortex connect it to zwift or what you fancy cheapish and very good .

[Fastpedeller]

Wonderman said:

lufbramatt said:

Magnetic ones are cheap but feel like riding though sand. try to get a fluid one if you can get one for your budget.

I just got a Cyclops magneto pro (ordered pre virus) as a first TT, it feels smooth enough to me. Was hoping to use it plus booked outside events to build cycle fitness for RideLondon. I'm happy with a dumb trainer that folds away/ doesn't need power etc.

From my experience so far:
If thinking of a particular app check compatibility with sensors (bluetooth v ant+ etc) or smart trainer.

Peleton looks like an expensive waste of money to me

There is definetly more sweat drip inside so make sure you plan accordingly.

I think my generic magnetic one is good also - I suspect some like to say "more expensive is better" like they do with a lot of things.

[smn159]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

What are you looking to achieve with it? Zwift is actually pretty good for structured training, but you may prefer something like Rouvy which is more visually realistic