Indoor bike trainer

[Aab]

Hej everyone.
3-4 months and the winter is here so I'd like to prepare proprly this winter season. I'm interrested in trying out indoor trainer. Requirements:

1) entry level incl pricing
2) has some sort of speedometer that you can have on the handlbar
3) can simulate inclines

Will appreciate any comments and gladly listen to personal experiencess. Anything else to be consider before buying one? Thankks!

[Zviedrs]

(08-21-2019, 07:41 AM)Aab Wrote:  Hej everyone.
3-4 months and the winter is here so I'd like to prepare proprly this winter season. I'm interrested in trying out indoor trainer. Requirements:

1) entry level incl pricing
2) has some sort of speedometer that you can have on the handlbar
3) can simulate inclines

Will appreciate any comments and gladly listen to personal experiencess. Anything else to be consider before buying one? Thankks!

I used to have Tacx Flow T2200 which thicks all the boxes in my opinion, perhaps not the cheapest though. However, I'm not sure if they sell these anymore ...

[BRMatt]

I'll second the recommendation for Tacx being solid trainers. They previously had more distribution in Europe (Dutch company), but they were recently bought by U.S. company Garmin, so their presence in the U.S. will likely grow.

I'm currently using a Kurt Kinetic trainer set up for Zwift. If you have the budget, go for a trainer that works with an interactive program you can run on a computer or tablet such as Zwift or Trainer Road. For me and a lot of others, it makes indoor training not only bearable, but even fun.

If you want to get started with Zwift, you can buy a truly compatible trainer (one that doesn't use an erratic and inaccurate speed sensor) for about $400 USD at the lower end. I bought mine used from someone who was upgrading to a rear cassette mount trainer (like the Wahoo Kickr or LeMond Revolution) for about half that. It works great and suits my needs, but if you want more accurate climb simulation and power data gathering, the rear cassette mount trainers are the way to go. Expect to spend some $$$ for them, however.

Coming soon, we'll have product reviews of bike and gear here at BikeRide.com that will help you make your purchasing decisions. Hopefully we'll have a guide to trainers before the winter hits!