QUESTION: Are smart bike trainers worth it? They are all pretty expensive, but you can get a regular trainer dirt cheap, especially used. – Patrick M
RBR REPLIES: As a cyclist who has ridden both rollers and regular trainers as far back as the late 80s and who found them so terrible and mind-numbingly boring that I’d rather not ride at all than ride on them again, I would say that smart trainers are definitely worth the money. They are worlds apart when it comes to making training on an indoor bike bearable. I’d go so far as to even say that using a smart trainer is actually fun.
In fact, I would argue that having previous experience riding on a traditional trainer might be the biggest reason why some riders wouldn’t consider buying a smart trainer and why they think that apps like Zwift or TrainerRoad are ridiculous and stupid. If you’ve only experienced a “dumb” trainer, it’s hard to imagine that using and app and seeing and controlling your wattage would make it much better.
I started out with a Wahoo KICKR smart trainer and liked it so much that I ended up buying a dedicated Stages SB20 smart bike. With a smart bike, I wouldn’t have to put my bike on the trainer and take it back off all the time. The adjustable fit of the smart bike made it possible for my wife to use it too, since she didn’t even own a bike that would fit on a smart trainer. After riding that smart bike for four years, I upgraded again and bought a Wahoo KICKR Bike version 2. All of those options have been money well spent.
Zwift is probably the most popular smart trainer app, with the highest number of other users and the most options. You can just free ride around the Zwift worlds along with other riders, you can do group rides and races, and you can complete structured workouts and even entire training plans. If you find that you’re not liking a particular app, try a different one and it might make all the difference in the world for you. I personally kept coming back to Zwift because I enjoy the online racing, which helps me push myself harder than when I’m just doing structured workouts alone.
My typical riding on Zwift consists of paced rides, where you’re in a big group with other online riders and a pacing robot that keeps a steady pace of a certain watts per kilogram. I’ll typically choose a pace that’s just a little bit higher than my usual outdoor ride and ride that for an hour or so. If I ride on weekends, I typically race an online race on Saturday and also on Sunday. At this point I’ve raced more than 350 races, and I still enjoy them. Over the years, Zwift has gotten better and better about filtering out any cheaters, preventing people from sandbagging into easier categories and putting you in a category that’s challenging, but not demoralizing.
One final tip is to make sure you that also plan for enough money in your budget to spend on at least one high quality fan if you’re going to start riding on a smart trainer, and possibly even multiple fans. We covered some of the top fans that other cyclists have recommended. It’s incredible how much heat and sweat you can generate riding in place with no wind, which you generate automatically riding outside, so you’ll definitely need a fan.
yes
Smart bikes are a great training tool! I also have the Stages SB20 and use Rouvy.
Smart trainers are far more affordable now than 5 years ago and there are more options. Are use the Whoo Kickr Snap and bought that nearly 6 years ago at $600 and it’s still going strong after 12,000 Zwift miles. Of course, on sale the Snap is about $300 now. I ride outside as much as possible so it doesn’t get as used as much as some, but it’s a worthy investment. Though most of my miles are outside I wouldn’t want to be without it.
I have a Kurt Kinetic “dumb trainer” currently. In the 60s and 70s I had one that turned fans that blew air thru a tube to cool my face and chest. When it is too cold or wet outside, I have an iPad in front of the handlebars and watch a cyclocross or replay of the TdF, Giro, etc. When the weather is OK in winter, I ride my 2004 Santa Cruz Blur because the weight makes it less susceptible to cross winds and the wide knobbies give better traction in the leaves and sticks that winter brings. My summer bike, now on the trainer is a 2004 Litespeed Vortex. At 80, I don’t know how much more I will be able to ride and medication limits my heart rate, so need to go “all out” because that is about 125 BPM.
I definitely vote *yes* to smart trainers. Whatever can help with motivation is a boon. Those folks who watch movies or read a book while training indoors are not really getting a workout, they are just kidding themselves because their legs are moving. My first was the Tacx Excel, nearly 20 years ago, and because it had pre-set training routes built in or ones that you design yourself, I found it not only got me through cold or bad weather periods, but I also used it to check on my fitness progress in summer on occasion.! later, at my wife’s urging (because I thought it was too gimmicky) I upgraded to the Tacx Fortius, which connected the bike’s resistance to actual videos of all my favorite climbs in Europe – the Alps, Pyrenees and Dolomites. Hah, once I was due to go on a trip including a mountain I had never climbed before, The Madonna del Ghissalo, but it was on my training video and I rode it many times. By the time I got there, I knew every bend and crack in the road !!
A big thumbs up to smart trainers – get the best your budget can afford.
NK
not really agree with your idea that watching something on the TV is wasting time.. its just your opinion not a fact. have being riding indoors for a wile and every time i do my training i have something on TV. i can do laps around you so yes it works!
I’ll just say if you think you can train better or harder by yourself than with others you are mistaken. Unless you’re just a naturally gifted athlete then maybe so. I second all the positive comment above for smart trainers. I regularly ride 2 – 3 hrs. sometimes longer on my Wahoo KickR Core. No way could I ride like that on my Kurt Kenetic old dumb trainer. Granted it is a winter time tool I use during the short weekday daylight hrs. and when weather is too bad to get out on weekend. I don’t like riding in the dark, to many dangers.
“Those folks who watch movies or read a book while training indoors are not really getting a workout, they are just kidding themselves because their legs are moving. ” . . .
Really?? The common theory regarding cycling training is to spend roughly 80% of ones riding in zone 2, and maybe 20% in zone 5+…which translates to maybe 4 out of five hours on the bike (trainer, whatever) spent “watching a movie or reading a book”.
After using and wearing out dumb trainer over the past 40 yrs I bought a smart trainer. I have been using the Tacx software as I prefer the great selection of real on road videos, no cartoons for me. I have the route running on my tablet and something with action like a hockey game on TV. Biggest decision is where I want to ride (virtually that is).
I’ve always been a fan of exertainment. Had an early ‘smart’ or at least interactive trainer. Think it was a Tacx Grand Excel. Compared to today it was pretty crude and expensive. But it made the indoor season a bit more bearable. It died a few seasons later. Replaced it with a CycleOps fluid trainer an early pre-Saris leaky version. Downloaded Sufferfest videos. Remember those? Added the Trainer Road overlays a few seasons later. Became a Zwift beta tester too. Preferred Sufferfest so dropped Zwift. Then everything went online. As I got older needed more recovery days after a Sufferfest pounding. .Picked up a Concept 2 erg (rower). Started liking the rowing sessions better. Second replacement CycleOps sprung a leak. Gave up indoor bike for a few years About four years ago wife gifted me a Kickr and Zwift subscription. Total game changer. Chasing my fat cartoon over imaginary worlds made it bearable.
Not a fan of smart trainers, including those with video or ‘group ride’ ride options. It’s still just lipstick on indoor riding- which I deeply and truly hate. I do ride a standard trainer in winter when I can’t get outdoors, and in better weather for certain structured workouts (hard to do uninterrupted 20-30+min TT rides on my local roads). But ~1hr on a trainer (any trainer) is about all my psyche can take. In winter I much prefer to recharge the mind (and body) by cross-training.
I am currently using a Kurt Kinetic dumb trainer with Zwift. The Zwift experience is definitely a step up from just putting in time or watching videos while indoor training. I’m thinking of upgrading to a smart trainer and looking for tangible reasons to make the change. One person here said they can spend more time on the smart trainer. Why would that be?
I should add that Zwift has built-in power curve for my Kurt fluid trainer, so I have power numbers. But don’t have feedback from the trainer whether the road is going up or down. And don’t have instant feedback from Zwift for changes in speed and cadence. These things seem to make it a little more challenging to ride and keep pace with others, but it might just be my perception that a smart trainer would be a bunch better. Your thoughts? thanks
I cannot imagine training on a dumb trainer. I have my ELITE SUITO-T used with Rouvy and cannot be satisfied more. It is great to visit places right from your living room and climb the famous hills, and not just staring at the wall.
I’m using “My Whoosh” and cutting out the cost of Zwift. Works well for me. I run it on an iPhone 14 which I hook into a tv. Using an old frame on a Wahoo Kickr 5. and Kickr fan.
I am curious for those that have used a Peloton bike and a smart trainer: is there a preference and why? Is it worth it to upgrade from a Peloton to a smart trainer?
Started riding a smart trainer on Zwift in 2017 and am still on it. Have an annual subscription which costs less than a monthly sub, although the monthly sub can be paused and re-started seamlessly. I like the variety of cycling options from group rides, races, paced rides, workouts, and multi-day tours with different distances/elevation for different groups. Helps get through the winter doldrums.
I use Wahoo Kickr Core 2 trainer and just purchased the Zwift cog ($50) that enables electronic shifting on Zwift without the need for a cassette–reviews say it is a bit quieter, although in most gears the cassette is not loud. Haven’t installed it yet but looking forward to trying another new cycling innovation from Zwift.
Smart trainers for the win!
Although I prefer riding outdoors, my schedule and other circumstances usually limit that to weekends. On the days I can’t get outside, I’m on my Wahoo Kickr Core riding a route on Rouvy. I was a longtime Zwift subscriber, but I’ve come to prefer Rouvy’s more realistic experience over Zwift’s fantasy environments. My pace and distances on Rouvy also match real life far better—Zwift consistently had me riding faster and farther than I could manage on the road.
If it wasn’t for a smart trainer, I wouldn’t ride indoors at all, as it’s just plain boring. They’ve been on the market for quite a while now, and if you look around, you should be able to find a used one at a reasonable price.
I have a TACX Neo 1 that I use with Rouvy. The trainer is great and with Rouvy, you’re riding actually recorded routes in locations around the world, which I find more interesting than the “video game” apps like Zwift. You’re virtually exploring as you ride. I haven’t raced in a long time and I’m not interested in online racing, but Rouvy provides virtual “companions” to ride/compete with and you can do group rides with friends (I haven’t tried that yet). You can also see other riders who are riding your route and informally “compete” with them.
I made a couple of simple upgrades to my trainer that improve comfort and the overall experience. First, I mounted the front wheel block on a lazy-Susan, so the bars aren’t held rigidly in place. It’s really surprising how much of a difference it makes. Recently, I put 6″ inflatable “balance pods” under the trainer itself, which allows it to move around a bit and cushions the ride somewhat. Again, it’s a simple, inexpensive change that makes a significant difference. It’s still not like riding the road, but it’s closer to it.
As for the rest of my setup, I picked up a 24″ all-in-one computer at an estate sale – for cheap – and attached some computer speakers I had on-hand. A couple of fans keep me cool enough to be comfortable for an hour or more.
The one downside to Rouvy is that there’s no sound, so I either play downloaded nature sounds on the computer or listen to the radio. I do most of my outdoor riding alone, so the nature sounds are somewhat reflective of what I typically experience on real-world rides.
Overall, this has made indoor riding not only tolerable, but actually enjoyable!
If it wasn’t for a smart trainer, I wouldn’t ride indoors at all, as it’s just plain boring. They’ve been on the market for quite a while now, and if you look around, you should be able to find a used one at a reasonable price.
I have a TACX Neo 1 that I use with Rouvy. The trainer is great and with Rouvy, you’re riding actually recorded routes in locations around the world, which I find more interesting than the “video game” apps like Zwift. You’re virtually exploring as you ride. I haven’t raced in a long time and I’m not interested in online racing, but Rouvy provides virtual “companions” to ride/compete with and you can do group rides with friends (I haven’t tried that yet). You can also see other riders who are riding your route and informally “compete” with them.
I made a couple of simple upgrades to my trainer that improve comfort and the overall experience. First, I mounted the front wheel block on a lazy-Susan, so the bars aren’t held rigidly in place. It’s really surprising how much of a difference it makes. Recently, I put 6″ inflatable “balance pods” under the trainer itself, which allows it to move around a bit and cushions the ride somewhat. Again, it’s a simple, inexpensive change that makes a significant difference. It’s still not like riding the road, but it’s closer to it.
As for the rest of my setup, I picked up a 24″ all-in-one computer at an estate sale – for cheap – and attached some computer speakers I had on-hand. A couple of fans keep me cool enough to be comfortable for an hour or more.
The one downside to Rouvy is that there’s no sound, so I either play downloaded nature sounds on the computer or listen to the radio. I do most of my outdoor riding alone, so the nature sounds are somewhat reflective of what I typically experience on real-world rides.
Overall, this has made indoor riding not only tolerable, but actually enjoyable!
I am a weather wimp and don’t like to ride outside when it’s cold, rainy, or super windy, so for me, a Smart trainer is a must. I have a Tacx Neo 2T, and it performs flawlessly. I use the FulGaz app, as I don’t want to race, but I do want to enjoy beautiful scenery from all over the world and challenge myself to ride in varying terrain. Since I ride an e-road bike outdoors, my trainer workouts are harder than my outdoor rides, and really kick my butt! Before purchasing this Smart trainer, I had a dumb trainer and road with Youtube cycling videos. The videos were great, but it was up to me to make the ride more difficult. With the Smart trainer, that is done for you. It’s a completely different experience, much more challenging and realistic, and I would never go back to a dumb trainer.
And if you really want to simulate the great outdoors then do yourself a favor and get a Training Peaks premium account and ride on Trainpeaks Virtual. The physics are amazing!