Alfster 

I'm wanting to replace my old Fluid 2 trainer with a smart trainer that works well with Zwift. Which one do you guys recommend?

I'll be using a 2007 Orbea Onix with a Shimano RD 6600 10 speed cassette.

srode1

What's your budget? Wheel on trainers are in the $500 range, wheel off trainers are more like $1000 on average. Wheel on trainers are better generally if you don't mind spending the money. My advice would be check out DCRainmaker reviews and comparisons of trainers on the market, he does a great job.

rubiksoval

I went from a Cycleops Fluid to a generic fluid along with rollers at times to a Tacx Flux to a replacement Tacx Flux. Replacement has worked well over the last few months of hardish riding. Both Flux models I've had consistently report 10% less power across the board, from z2 to max sprints. A massive problem for Zwift, but easily alleviated by using my own power meter. If you don't have a power meter, though, and want to do a lot of group rides/races on Zwift, I would not recommend this trainer.

Everything else on it works well so far. Connects quickly, dropouts are rare.

Alfster 

I'm willing to spend a bit to get a decent trainer. I was checking out the Wahoo Fitness Kickr Power Trainer. I think it's their latest 2018 model. It seems to get decent reviews. I'll check out DCRainmaker's reviews. Thanks.

srode1

i haven an Elite Drivo, have had it for over 2 years - very happy with it. I had a Cyclops wheel on smart trainer before the Drivo and returned it - it would get very inaccurate in the middle of hard workouts.

zacster

I have the Kickr Core and I'm happy with it. My prior trainer was also the Fluid 2. If you don't already have a power meter and can see real power readings, be prepared for a disappointment when you see your real power. I dropped about 40 watts compared to the "virtual" power.

Alfster 

Ha, I definitely won't be disappointed to see a drop in my power reading. I have nothing to compare it too. I'm just starting to get back into some kind of shape after 10 years of sloth. I'm considering a smart trainer for two reasons: To avoid the boredom of my old Fluid trainer by taking advantage of Zwift, and to be able to track my fitness progress, where yes, power readings will start to become important. For now I'm just riding the fluid trainer until I decide which one to purchase.

redlude97

If you have a PM and plan to use it for powermatch, then any smart trainer will be good. If not, then a direct drive will require less calibration, wheel on trainers should be calibrated each ride after a warmup to maintain accuracy.

Genaro

I am still wating for my fluid 2 to give out so I can upgrade to a smart trainer. Using it with my power meter has worked perfectly. I'm afraid of automatic resistance... Hopefully its not much of a shock

srode1

You might never get a smart trainer then.

kcjc

? As long as the unit support Ant+ FE-C prototol it'll work with Zwift. Check Zwift for trainer BLE compatibility. If you are using Apple to run Zwift, you're stuck with BLE for the most part. Windows, Ant+ FE-C. As far as trainer response, Zwift was developed with Wahoo and Apple in mind initially so older Wahoo Kickr have the advantage when compared to later crops (gen 1 Drivo, Hammer, Neo, etc). If the reviews can be trusted, the gap are non-existing for gen 2 (haven't seen any review of Kurt Kinetic or Hammer 2). It wans't that big of a difference in the first place (i.e. 1 sec vs 2-3 sec response to change of slope, resistance, etc). I have a Drivo (gen 1, >2 years old) and are partial to my inital selection. If I was to do it again, I'll probably take a harder look at Neo (Neo wasn't shipping yet when I bought the Drivo, same with the Hammer). I ranked accuracy and repeatability of power measurement, reliability, and QA/QC (Drivo) over program response (Wahoo, note this aspect wasn't in the initial determination but acknowledgement after extensive use on Zwift). I would not bother with a wheel-on trainer.

Alfster 

Thanks for the reply kcjc. After doing some much needed research on the various smart trainers, I've decided to go with the one I believe will give me the best experience with Zwift ... the Wahoo Fitness Kickr Power Trainer. Although not fully compatible out of the box with my current road bike, I can easily switch out the 11 speed cassette with a 10 speed.

Thanks for all the other replies. Much appreciated. As some of you may have seen in the 'Fifties Plus' forum, I'm busy renovating my exercise room. Once I'm done I'll be purchasing a new trainer.

obit

jadocs

Smart rollers, specifically from InsideRide. IMO there is nothing more realistic than that with Zwift.

SCTinkering

As of current firmware and zwift software, NOT the Kinetic R1. I got one when they were being offered for $699 w/ free shipping. I spent another $125 or so on things to make it work, Powered USB 3.0 hub with 3m cable to reach from my tablet to near the trainer, ANT+ dongle so I could use my Garmin cadence and HR strap, then when that wasn't working a Bluetooth cadence sensor & hr strap. Even if I stayed with my almost 20 year old Cyclops Fluid+ I would have gotten the tablet holder, so I won't count that $40.

From what I understand Kinetic was both late to the smart trainer game and tried to write their own protocol over BT instead of licensing what's been working for everyone else (Saris, Trax, Wahoo, etc.) It set them a LONG way behind on the "Smart" portion of the trainer.

That all said, it does work VERY well with Trainer Road. Zwift being more social with some training available vs Trainer Road is about training. period.

So if you want a smart trainer to workout of the box with a minimum amount of fuss, Wahoo has their act together, but it will cost. If you want to play less and are willing to be a beta tester, the Kinetic R1 hasn't really been full price since I started looking at them about 4 months ago. Either way do the math and make sure you're budgeting for EVERYTHING you'll need, not just the trainer.

sdmc530

I have the kurt kinetic smart trainer and its been awesome. 4 years, no complaints. Its a wheel on trainer I wasn't willing to go wheel off trainer money but I am not disappointed at all. Been a great winter training tool for me. I only use Zwift with it.

Just my opinion of course....

OBoile

I also have a kickr core. I've never used another direct drive trainer so I can't compare to those, but I'm glad I made the upgrade from a wheel on trainer.