First time indoor trainer

Welcome to the world of indoor training. I don't really like the look of the way that skewer attaches to your bike. When it comes to introductory trainers the connection that the bike has to the trainer and the sturdiness of the trainer are probably going to be your most important. If you are just looking for the best value try to find a brand that has been around for a while and has a solid build to it. I know that you are worried about price which is definitely important but you want to be safe. Some of the cycleops classic trainers (not smart versions) can be a great value. The stand and skewer are amazingly sturdy. I have the magnus which is a smart version of their magnetic trainer and I weigh 190lbs and put that through some tough intervals, so I can vouch for the cyclops base. Right now you can get 20% any trainer with the code winter18.

https://www.cycleops.com/catalog/trainers-rollers#f176

The rabbit hole can get much deeper when you start looking into riding on different platforms i.e. zwift vs trainer road vs rouvy vs.......
So, if you are looking into some of those you will also need to have a speed cadence sensor with one of the basic trainers or look into a smart trainer.

Oh boy, I remember shopping for a trainer. It can get frustrating. Analysis Paralysis is a real thing. You compare so much that you're not sure what to do.

FWIW, I owned the trainer you linked to on amazon and had no issues with it. I included it in a package deal when I sold a bike and upgraded to a used Kurt Kinetic Rock N Roll trainer. I paid $150 used for the Kurt Kinetic and would gladly pay that again.

I would suggest going with a reputable brand such as cycleops or kurt kinetic, especially a fluid trainer. I believe they warranty their fluid trainers for life. Fluid trainers offer a better "feel" than magnetic trainers.

Check craigslist and Facebook marketplace for deals. Right now there are plenty of good fluid trainers within 2 hours of my house for under $200 on craigslist.

That being said, you are shopping at the right time. Lots of good deals going on for black friday.

I would also add to look at purchasing a speed and cadence sensor so you have some data for your rides. With a bluetooth speed and cadence sensory, such as the wahoo blue, you can use Zwift and other training apps.


TLDR: try to find a good deal on a reputable fluid trainer and pair that with a bluetooth speed and cadence sensor and training app of your choosing. This will get you going for your first winter. If you make it to next year and want to upgrade, then you can look at splurging.

That trainer should work great for a beginner and even an intermediate can get some good work on it.
I wrote up several sample plans that utilize a non-smart trainer. You can make it as hard or easy as you want.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRFMlblb1yqKn9H8OctU3i7S...

Feel free to poke around and soak up some of the bike workouts.

Utilizing ANY indoor trainer will put you miles ahead coming out of winter for sure.

I think I'm in a similar place as you, I've been doing sprints and want to do an Olympic this coming season.
I bought a used Cycleops mag last year, its bomb proof. Even watching a movie/TV show riding on a trainer is mind numbingly boring to me, but it's better than nothing. Too wet/cold/windy to ride outside? Jump on the trainer. Want to do a set workout without hills interrupting? Jump on the trainer. Wife is working late and I'm "watching" the kids? Jump on the trainer.
The mag resistance isn't very much, even at the highest setting it's like riding on a flat road. I'm keeping an eye out for a used fluid trainer to upgrade to.
My suggestion is best bang for your buck, look for a good used trainer (fluid if you can find one) rather than a cheap new one.

Edited by riles32807 2018-11-15 11:01 PM

How about the best "smart trainer" under $500?

Or is it better to spend a little more for a direct drive?

i'm going shopping for a fluid trainer this weekend. the mag trainer that I have is too loud I guess. My ex used to complain about it and recently my downstairs neighbor came up to complain that there was a 'roaring' sound. I was super embarrassed. hopefully the fluid trainer will be a lot quieter.
I generally ride in the living room, but recently moved out to the balcony to ride. That sucks though because it's been in the 30s in the morning and i'd much rather ride in the nice 72 degrees of my living room.

It depends on what you mean by “smart trainer” if you want one that automatically adjusts resistance, then the tacx satori or vortex would be a good place to start at the sub $500 range. A used Wahoo KICKR snap can be had for less than $500 as well and would be my top pick. If you simply want a trainer that will keep up with watts then the options open up quite a bit.

My Kurt kinetic fluid trainer is fairly quiet. I can ride it without waking up my twin boys. I believe direct drive trainers are the quietest but are a good bit more expensive.

I'd also recommend the Cycleops or KK fluid trainers. They are quieter and smoother in my experience. As others have mentioned, you can often find them used.

BT has a free 16-week Winter Cycling Training plan that I've used. It can be used with power, heart rate or perceived effort. If you can do power or hr, it has a zone calculator.

On a somewhat related not... I'm wondering if you have a non-smart trainer with a power meter... is that pretty much the same as a smart trainer? Like if you get on swift?

A non smart trainer paired with a power meter will give you accurate power numbers but will not give you the same experience as a smart trainer. A true smart trainer will adjust resistance automatically depending on your workout or terrain on an app such as zwift.

DC Rainmaker has an excellent guide that walks you through the available trainer market from cheap to super expensive. That should give you some good ideas.

-Mark