indoor training......power meter options?
 

Once winter hits im going to ride indoors on the trainer again this year using Zwift. I have a Kurt Kenetic....non smart trainer.

I have heard it is probably better to invest in a power meter than to go up to a smart trainer like the Tacx etc.

My issue is i ride an old bianchi from the mid 80s and i cant get off of it. I have never had a bike feel so well.

That said....what options to do i have for power meters? I know recently it sounded like the options were getting more plentiful with various inventions and smart phones etc but not sure as i have no experience with any kind of power meter.

If i went smart trainer id have to buy that plus the cost to gear it to a 7speed (i know that cassette is probably cheap) and that is an additional cost.

I want to invest a bit of money to keep my cycling in check over the winter months and i want to do it where it makes sense.

Any advice here? Any recommends on power meters or tech i could use to get accurate power numbers?

You only need to do anything about the gearing if you buy the kind of smart trainer that has you remove your back tire. If you get one that keeps your back tire, this isn't necessary. If you are concerned about the tread of your tire, you can put a training tire on the wheel you have for pretty cheap money. Just a thought.

Zwift is able to calculate power for some trainers. My son has been using it with his Elite trainer without any need for a power meter. For his trainer, Zwift knows the power values for a given cadence and speed, no need for a power meter. I wouldn't be surprised if your trainer can be used as well