Advice on a home trainer

[RobertL]

I'm planning to ride solo outside for as long as they let us, but if it gets banned I will try to buy a home trainer. So, I'm asking for advice on what I need.

I have a bike, with a power meter, cadence sensor, HR sensor etc. I follow a training plan using TrainingPeaks, with workouts that I can download to my Wahoo bike computer.

Do I need a smart trainer? Can I get by with a dumb trainer? What would you all recommend? I'd prefer a wheel-off model, but I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

[lone rider]

I'm planning to ride solo outside for as long as they let us, but if it gets banned I will try to buy a home trainer. So, I'm asking for advice on what I need.

I have a bike, with a power meter, cadence sensor, HR sensor etc. I follow a training plan using TrainingPeaks, with workouts that I can download to my Wahoo bike computer.

Do I need a smart trainer? Can I get by with a dumb trainer? What would you all recommend? I'd prefer a wheel-off model, but I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

If you just want to stick with doing workouts but now indoors, a dumb trainer combined with your power meter will be fine. If you want to ride around in VR worlds like Zwift or compete in indoor racing a smart trainer is the way to go. For a wheel off your looking at a minimum $1k outlay, 2 weeks ago you could get an Elite Zumo for $700. I think stock will be getting low and manufacturing out of China and Italy would be severely affected so I dont expect any mega discounts to be seen anywhere. I have seen people on gumtree that hire them out if you just want to give it a try before deciding on whats best for your needs.

[RobertL]

I'm planning to ride solo outside for as long as they let us, but if it gets banned I will try to buy a home trainer. So, I'm asking for advice on what I need.

I have a bike, with a power meter, cadence sensor, HR sensor etc. I follow a training plan using TrainingPeaks, with workouts that I can download to my Wahoo bike computer.

Do I need a smart trainer? Can I get by with a dumb trainer? What would you all recommend? I'd prefer a wheel-off model, but I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

If you just want to stick with doing workouts but now indoors, a dumb trainer combined with your power meter will be fine. If you want to ride around in VR worlds like Zwift or compete in indoor racing a smart trainer is the way to go. For a wheel off your looking at a minimum $1k outlay, 2 weeks ago you could get an Elite Zumo for $700. I think stock will be getting low and manufacturing out of China and Italy would be severely affected so I dont expect any mega discounts to be seen anywhere. I have seen people on gumtree that hire them out if you just want to give it a try before deciding on whats best for your needs.

Thanks. I've had a bit of a look online, and there are still some dumb trainers in stock. I might wait for a bit though, and see what happens in general. On the other hand something like $300-500 for a reasonable dumb trainer isn't a bad investment...

[RobertL]

Bought myself a Minoura LR760 Mag Trainer last night. Online through Bike Exchange, so I hope to receive it in a few days.

[trailgumby]

If you have a power meter you don't need a smart trainer, just one with a known resistance curve like a Kurt Kinetic.

I have one, and its for sale, but it's currently spoken for by a young lady who I've pledged to loan it to while she is in self isolation afterreturning from overseas.

I've just upgraded to a Wahoo Kickr. I just need to be more disciplined in getting out of bed on time to put a session in before starting work at my desk a couple of feet away.

[trailgumby]

Oh, one more thing. You will need a decent industrial fan from Bunnings and a couple of towels down on the floor or you will die from heatsoak and leave a massive wet patch on the carpet.

[g-boaf]

Things you'll need:

Something to protect your floors/carpets:
https://www.bunnings.com.au/ultimate-fl ... t_p4490365
https://www.bunnings.com.au/bayliss-80- ... t_p4490353

I have the second one, they are pretty rugged and are easy to clean. Heavy enough also that they won't move easily as well. Two of those are enough.

Fans:
https://www.bunnings.com.au/dynabreeze- ... n_p4447810 or
https://www.bunnings.com.au/dynabreeze- ... n_p4448701

The remote control Arlec fans seem to be gone now. I have the 450mm one above and the 750mm Arlec remote control fan. The big one sits in the corner of the room out of the way (it doesn't take up as much room as you think) and the 450mm one right in front of the bicycle front wheel.

Normal home fans are just useless, you overheat far too quickly.

For the laptop computer - at least a small one - IKEA SVARTÅSEN was a very good choice, height adjustable and a perfect size. Unfortunately it has disappeared from the IKEA line up.

[queequeg]

Oh, one more thing. You will need a decent industrial fan from Bunnings and a couple of towels down on the floor or you will die from heatsoak and leave a massive wet patch on the carpet.

Bunnings also has gym floor tiles for about $30 each (1mx1m each). These are made from recycled tyres and will stop the floor getting covered in sweat or damage from the trainer/fan. They can be taken outside and hosed off too.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/ultimate-fl ... k_p4490356

or some creative use of mats designed for utes etc

https://www.bunnings.com.au/ultimate-fl ... t_p6100432

[lone rider]

You can get yoga mats from clark rubber for $25 which will be the right size, Wiggle sell the Lifeline branded trainer mats for $40 but looks like they are out of stock. I know people use the EVA foam tiles without the holes in them which would fine, not sure how many you would need.

I second the floor fan over a pedestal fan recomendation. I have something like this https://www.catch.com.au/product/heller ... TWEALw_wcB
with a power point remote to turn it on/off once warmed up, I have a ceiling fan going as well in hot weather but shouldnt need that for a while. Target used to sell a similar fan for a bit cheaper but its no longer on their website. You need a pretty big pedestal fan to get the same air flow as these floor ones and positioned sort of beneath the bike has a much better effect when in a riding position and you will need it because you will ride harder on here than outdoors.

[g-boaf]

Oh, one more thing. You will need a decent industrial fan from Bunnings and a couple of towels down on the floor or you will die from heatsoak and leave a massive wet patch on the carpet.

Bunnings also has gym floor tiles for about $30 each (1mx1m each). These are made from recycled tyres and will stop the floor getting covered in sweat or damage from the trainer/fan. They can be taken outside and hosed off too.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/ultimate-fl ... k_p4490356

or some creative use of mats designed for utes etc

https://www.bunnings.com.au/ultimate-fl ... t_p6100432

I might have a look for some of those tiles, they might be a bit better size than what I''ve got now.

I think those are better than yoga mats because they are heavy duty.

I tried out the smaller 450mm fan this morning, it works well positioned just in front of the bike and I didn't end up sweating heavily nor overheating.

[queequeg]

I might have a look for some of those tiles, they might be a bit better size than what I''ve got now.

I think those are better than yoga mats because they are heavy duty.

I tried out the smaller 450mm fan this morning, it works well positioned just in front of the bike and I didn't end up sweating heavily nor overheating.

I did a trip to Bunnings today to redo my trainer setup. They were out of the Home Gym Tiles, but guess what...go to the Playground Equipment section and they have the exact same mats for the exact same price in a variety of colours, except they are labelled as "soft fall playground tiles" or something to that effect. They are identical in all other aspects. Funnily enough, while putting them onto my trolley, I found a secret stash of the Home Gym Tiles under the rack. The guy who tipped me off to the PLayground Mats then comes up and I pointed them out to him and he says to me "the computer said we had some left, and we haven't been able to find them anywhere!".

I also picked up one of the $76 Dynabreeze Fans. One of them just isn't enough. I climbed Mont Ventoux on RGT Cycling tonight and I was soaked to the bone by the end. My feet were sweating so much that I had left two trails of water behind the trainer. I am now seriously thinking of grabbing a least one more to direct air directly over my feet.
I moved my trainer onto the back deck where I have the big TV. RGT Cycling is free for the duration of the COVID-19 situation. It's less social than Zwift, but you can still chat and organise races/group rides. It just doesn't have as much variety in the standard rides, but functionally it does the job and has workouts. I am yet to reactivate my Zwift Memership as I have Fulgaz on a 30 day free trial and RGT is free. I have a Rouvy AR account setup and ready to go as well.

[g-boaf]

Even if I want to get Zwift my old laptop (it’s a very small one) won’t run it. So I can save money that way.

I’m still trying to ride for real when I can.

[queequeg]

Even if I want to get Zwift my old laptop (it’s a very small one) won’t run it. So I can save money that way.

I’m still trying to ride for real when I can.

AppleTV is the cheapest way to get up and running with Zwift, Fulgaz, RGT etc. Plus, pretty sure you get 12 months of free AppleTV+ with all new purchases at moment, and there are some good series on there to get you through the next few weeks

[g-boaf]

Even if I want to get Zwift my old laptop (it’s a very small one) won’t run it. So I can save money that way.

I’m still trying to ride for real when I can.

AppleTV is the cheapest way to get up and running with Zwift, Fulgaz, RGT etc. Plus, pretty sure you get 12 months of free AppleTV+ with all new purchases at moment, and there are some good series on there to get you through the next few weeks

Potentially thinking of one of these:
https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/laptops/th ... /customize

Or this:
https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macb ... ssor-512gb

Depends on if I'm going over to HR Alps 2020 this year or not. I was booked long ago, but I have no flights booked just yet which seems fortunate given the Covid-19 catastrophe. I'm not even sure if they'll go ahead with it. I usually fly business class over there and use points on the way back to get it.

[queequeg]

Potentially thinking of one of these:
https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/laptops/th ... /customize

Or this:
https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macb ... ssor-512gb

Depends on if I'm going over to HR Alps 2020 this year or not. I was booked long ago, but I have no flights booked just yet which seems fortunate given the Covid-19 catastrophe. I'm not even sure if they'll go ahead with it. I usually fly business class over there and use points on the way back to get it.

If you need a new computer, then the laptop is the way to go. But a 4K 64Gb AppleTV for $279 is a steal if all you want to do is run some Trainer Apps.

I can’t see how they’ll be running the HR this year. I was only an outside chance this year, but have been slowly working my way back to be ready. With the Olympics pushed to next year, I’m now thinking 2022. My 2020 Audax plans are shot to pieces as Audax has suspended all rides and yearly awards, so there goes the consecutive months award (again).
I’m guessing this will be back to square one for many people. Summer racing will be interesting...the divide between those who stayed fit indoors and those who didn’t (not that I race anymore, or ever have plans to race again), but I was toying with the idea of some gran fondos, but I can’t see any of them happening this side of October

[MichaelB]

Even if I want to get Zwift my old laptop (it’s a very small one) won’t run it. So I can save money that way.

I’m still trying to ride for real when I can.

I'm in that boat, ride outdoors whilst I still can.

Couldn't afford (and didn't really want to) those whizz bang smart trainers, but grabbed a set of Elite Parabolic rollers as a just in case.

And then remembered this thread, Roll your own (Motion rollers) inspired by CoffsGal A bit of DIY and roller improvement

Lets hope lockdown doesn't happen, but semi-prepared (need to get the wood and bearings !!)

[g-boaf]

Even if I want to get Zwift my old laptop (it’s a very small one) won’t run it. So I can save money that way.

I’m still trying to ride for real when I can.

I'm in that boat, ride outdoors whilst I still can.

Couldn't afford (and didn't really want to) those whizz bang smart trainers, but grabbed a set of Elite Parabolic rollers as a just in case.

And then remembered this thread, Roll your own (Motion rollers) inspired by CoffsGal A bit of DIY and roller improvement

Lets hope lockdown doesn't happen, but semi-prepared (need to get the wood and bearings !!)

I have a proper trainer setup which I gradually improved over some years, but I enjoy riding for real. Zwift is the only thing I don't have, but I don't really need it anyway. The only thing I don't get is the fancy 3D world and the online-aspect of other people from around the world.

I'm still riding outside because I ride to and from work, where I'm in a bit of a lock-down with a small team. The rest are off-site. So far it's working okay.

[g-boaf]

Even if I want to get Zwift my old laptop (it’s a very small one) won’t run it. So I can save money that way.

I’m still trying to ride for real when I can.

I'm in that boat, ride outdoors whilst I still can.

Couldn't afford (and didn't really want to) those whizz bang smart trainers, but grabbed a set of Elite Parabolic rollers as a just in case.

And then remembered this thread, Roll your own (Motion rollers) inspired by CoffsGal A bit of DIY and roller improvement

Lets hope lockdown doesn't happen, but semi-prepared (need to get the wood and bearings !!)

I got Apple TV 4K and out of interest did put Zwift on it. It works reasonably fast but the menu UI is a catastrophe as it always has been. They should make the menus cleaner and more crisp.

If someone has a low powered laptop then the Apple TV 4K is a good (cheap) solution.

The more powerful gaming laptops are in the $5K range these days, that’s very expensive.

[MichaelB]

And the rollers that I bought in case of a lockdown are still in the box .....

[g-boaf]

And the rollers that I bought in case of a lockdown are still in the box .....

We aren’t out of the woods just yet, if they ease up the lockdown too soon we could be back where we started. Fingers crossed that doesn’t happen.

I’m not entirely happy with Zwift on Apple TV, it is better than the PC version in some ways but it also seems to freeze up randomly in the menus and the menu to choose the course/world sometimes just won’t appear at all, or swiping up and down on the remote randomly makes it appear. They really should throw away that menu system and do something more intuitive.

Once it is working, it is decent enough.

[LateStarter]

So I got a "smart"* trainer (Tacx Flow) a few months ago and have been very pleased with it, more than I expected and have to ensure I remember to actually ride outside too. The "feel" on the Flow is reasonably realistic compared to my old very dumb trainer that was more like cycling through mud.

I haven't got into any of the VR stuff (no wifi in garage) but have been riding courses with my Garmin 530 controlling the trainer resistance including the PBP 1200 route that I have split into shorter bits that each take a couple of pleasant hours in the French countryside, at least I can dream a bit of possibilities in 2023. Have also been re-riding some local previous routes and climbs which poses a question. Amazing how watching a little triangle move on a map or a little dot inching up a slope can keep me entertained! but judging from the torrent of water on the garage floor after it must be doing some good?

I am not all that fast in the wild but the trainer fairly well matches my outside "performance" on the flat but it flatters me on the climbs by 30%+. Some of this is that the Flow maxs out at 6% grade but even when I do climbs that keep at or below this I am still faster on the trainer than in the wild.

What is your experience when comparing to known routes you have done before, does your trainer match your real performance or is there a consistent difference? I have seen videos (GPLama) that say they can match very closely.

Time for me to shoot up Macquarie Pass again.

*no genius but good enough

[g-boaf]

So I got a "smart"* trainer (Tacx Flow) a few months ago and have been very pleased with it, more than I expected and have to ensure I remember to actually ride outside too. The "feel" on the Flow is reasonably realistic compared to my old very dumb trainer that was more like cycling through mud.

I haven't got into any of the VR stuff (no wifi in garage) but have been riding courses with my Garmin 530 controlling the trainer resistance including the PBP 1200 route that I have split into shorter bits that each take a couple of pleasant hours in the French countryside, at least I can dream a bit of possibilities in 2023. Have also been re-riding some local previous routes and climbs which poses a question. Amazing how watching a little triangle move on a map or a little dot inching up a slope can keep me entertained! but judging from the torrent of water on the garage floor after it must be doing some good?

I am not all that fast in the wild but the trainer fairly well matches my outside "performance" on the flat but it flatters me on the climbs by 30%+. Some of this is that the Flow maxs out at 6% grade but even when I do climbs that keep at or below this I am still faster on the trainer than in the wild.

What is your experience when comparing to known routes you have done before, does your trainer match your real performance or is there a consistent difference? I have seen videos (GPLama) that say they can match very closely.

Time for me to shoot up Macquarie Pass again.

*no genius but good enough

I have a smart trainer so it’s maybe different for me.

I’ve only done Col de la Madeleine, Wurzjoch and the Saisies climbs in real life and on the trainer.

On the trainer was worse because I had the wrong gearing and was struggling on the bits above 10%. I used PerfPRO Studio and imported the climb from a route I created in strava.

In Zwift I notice I never spin that quickly, yet on the real bike I always pedal at 95-100rpm. Zwift always seems harder.

[LateStarter]

I have been mostly doing climbing simulation on the trainer as that's my weakest , unlike the more expensive trainers I get no gravity assist on the downhills so the better than real uphill might balance out the not so good down. More training needed so I can duplicate the trainer climbing in the wild too.

[g-boaf]

I have been mostly doing climbing simulation on the trainer as that's my weakest , unlike the more expensive trainers I get no gravity assist on the downhills so the better than real uphill might balance out the not so good down. More training needed so I can duplicate the trainer climbing in the wild too.

I don't get gravity assistance on the downhills either! But I get it easier going uphill.

You can really go create whatever routes you want using Strava routes and the download them as a GPX and give them a go.

In reality however you don't even need to do anything that complicated, you could set fixed gradients and ride up that fixed grade (say 6%) for 10 minutes, do that four times and keep your cadence lower (say 65rpm). That's all I used to do. Sure it's not a "real" climb simulated but it works and it is simple.

[cyclotaur]

Slight thread hijack.

I understand generally how the world of smart trainers works, but I’m currently using a dumb trainer and my own power meter/hrm to try to follow simple workouts, mostly in Sufferfest. I would consider following pre-loaded routes on say Fulgaz as well if I had a smart trainer.

I have the opportunity to acquire a barely used WahooKickr Gen 1 for around $700. Is this a good buy or should i consider something else around that price ?

Interested in views....
Thanks.