Budget turbo trainer - Zwift compatible

[Xenoous]

Hi all.

I'm looking to get fit, and the only thing I seem to enjoy exercise wise is cycling. However that's not really that enjoyable over winter. I was thinking about getting a cheap turbo trainer and signing up to Zwift that I can hook my road bike up to over Winter.

Any suggestions on cheap trainers? Budget of £150 max. Second hand is an option.

The Wiggle lifeline trainer with cadence and speed Bluetooth sensors to make it work with Zwift seems OK, but thought I'd get real advice.

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-tt-01-turbo-trai...

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-speed-cadence-wi...

Cheers
Xenoous

[defblade]

It's only very recently we've had posh smart trainers available, and many people have managed to train indoors for many years before!

A dumb trainer will mean you miss out on the "realism" (ie, work harder to go up hills) that a smart trainer provides, and some of the data (such as proper power measurement), but it's still fine. Zwift is just a way of finding a reason to work hard to go nowhere! And make it that bit less boring

Might be worth checking if Zwift list the trainer you fancy as one that they have a resistance curve for within the game - you'll get (a bit) more accurate power estimates then. But it doesn't really matter at the end of the day unless you want to start racing.

[Xenoous]

defblade said:

It's only very recently we've had posh smart trainers available, and many people have managed to train indoors for many years before!

A dumb trainer will mean you miss out on the "realism" (ie, work harder to go up hills) that a smart trainer provides, and some of the data (such as proper power measurement), but it's still fine. Zwift is just a way of finding a reason to work hard to go nowhere! And make it that bit less boring

Might be worth checking if Zwift list the trainer you fancy as one that they have a resistance curve for within the game - you'll get (a bit) more accurate power estimates then. But it doesn't really matter at the end of the day unless you want to start racing.

Thabks Thanks the response. I think my issue is I get bored easily. Using Zwift will keep things interesting, at least for a few months.

The trainer is listed, but non of the features are ticked, which is to be expected, being a dumb trainer with added sensors.

[Matt_N]

I think the cheapest smart trainers for Zwift are the Tacx Flow Smart or Elite Nuovo Smart, both around £250. See if you can search out a code to get a bit extra off.

[defblade]

Xenoous said:

The trainer is listed, but non of the features are ticked, which is to be expected, being a dumb trainer with added sensors.

You'll be fine, then, as you'll get at-least-fairly-consistent-to-you ballpark figures when you ride... if you ever swap to a smart trainer, you may be pleasantly surprised or unpleasantly dismayed by a major change in your measured power... or more likely, find it wasn't too far out in the first place

[JayRidesBikes]

My first trainer was a TacX Flow, I really liked it, the only downside is gradients are limited to around 6% I believe, but it was more than fine for Zwift. It was only £175 brand new from Halfords, it appears the prices have shot right up now though.

[james0]

I'd not buy another Tacx flow. On Zwift mine seems to overheat and shutdown at certain power/cadence. Around 300w for a long period, say up the Alpe and it starts dropping to zero. Particularly annoying catching a rider in a race, passing them then the power dropping to zero.

[snotrag]

I used a 2nd hand Tacx Vortex (flow) bought for £130 for 2 years on Zwift and it was absolutely fine.

I'd definitely keep a look out for one. Theres a budget Halfords only Elite model that works too.

You MUST get one with ERG mode in my opinion, that what 'unlocks' the potential when using zwift etc.

[mie1972]

Yeah my Tacx Flow died mid ride too - was fine for about 3 years - then just stopped sending power data across.
2nd hand would be a bit of a risk. But its a cheap intro to using Zwift etc.

Now got an Elite Diretto which has been brilliant for past 18 months - bought a few months before the Covid price rises.
DD trainers are way more fun for Zwift etc - all the realism/ERG mode simulating climbs makes it easy to keep riding.

if you know you will use one regularly through winter then definitely worth the investment of a direct drive.

A massive fan and disco lights are essentials too IMO :-)

[Dan_1981]

I picked up a 2nd hand Vortex at the start of lockdown or just before think it cost me about £200

Seem you can pick one up from facebook marketplace for a little under that at the moment.

Recognising there are risks with buying 2nd hand.

[chinnyman]

I connected my wattbike trainer to Zwift. It seems a little pointless as you have to manually alter the effort for gradients etc.

[Xenoous]

Gonna go down the second hand route and get myself a Vortex. No point getting something else if it requires manual intervention, takes away the immersion which is what I wanted in the first place. Fingers crossed I bag one soon...

[Thisonepotato]

Hope it is ok to piggy back on this thread.

I currently use a Lifeline TT02 with a XOSS cadence and XOSS speed sensor on Zwift.

Looking at the Tacx Flow. If using this with swift would it mean I would feel resistance on climbs etc.

[JayRidesBikes]

Thisonepotato said:

Hope it is ok to piggy back on this thread.

I currently use a Lifeline TT02 with a XOSS cadence and XOSS speed sensor on Zwift.

Looking at the Tacx Flow. If using this with swift would it mean I would feel resistance on climbs etc.

Yes - but only to a point. I think it maxes out resistance at 6 or 8%. Some gradients in Zwift are over 12% as far as I know, maybe higher.

[Thisonepotato]

JayRidesBikes said:

Yes - but only to a point. I think it maxes out resistance at 6 or 8%. Some gradients in Zwift are over 12% as far as I know, maybe higher.

Thanks so I guess an overall better experience than a classic dumb trainer.

[JayRidesBikes]

Thisonepotato said:

Thanks so I guess an overall better experience than a classic dumb trainer.

Yep, I thought the Flow was a pretty good smart trainer, easy to set up and just did it's job. I didn't even bother putting on a trainer tyre and didn't have any issues with tyre wear either.

[Xenoous]

Managed to pick up a Tacx Vortex in great condition for £150, with training tyre, tablet holder and sweat catcher. Looks unused, thankfully. Will be giving it a bit of a blast tonight, see if it's any good.

I very nearly bit the bullet and got a new Tacx Flow, but wanted to save a little. Managed to get everything in my original budget which I'm pretty chuffed about.