MemRiverman

Looking for recommendations on an indoor trainer. I am 68, hybrid, ~60-75 miles/wk. I have been riding for about 7 months. I feel great and have lost some weight. I want something to use this winter, or when it is 100 degrees or raining. I ride for excise and enjoyment. It needs to be reasonably priced but I don't want to buy something and decide I should have spent more money. Suggestions?

GlennR

Do you want a "smart" trainer that connects to online apps like Zwift?

MemRiverman

I don't think so--just a good solid --quiet trainer.

BkSaGo

I have a predecessor model to the current Kirk Kinetic Road Machine Smart 2 and it does what I need for "off season" training. (OK, I live it SoCal and we don't really have a "off season". Indoor training is more of a non-Daylight Savings Time thing for me when I can't get out in the daylight, and riding in the dark doesn't seem very safe traffic-wise around here.)

Mine isn't "smart" like the current model, so I'm not sure how useful those features are. My Garmin with speed and cadence sensors provides enough smarts for training.
Don't bother with the riser block - a 2x4 under the front wheel is enough.
You should look into a training tire since the trainer does wear rear tires pretty quickly.

canklecat

Check Craigslist, Facebook market and other used ads. Plain trainers (no connectivity) sell pretty cheaply, often, when the novelty wears off. I've seen 'em for less than $100.

I have a Cycleops trainer, a gift from a friend who hadn't used it in years. He gave it to me a couple of years ago when I was recovering from being hit by a car, then cancer. Got me through most of 2018 when I couldn't ride outdoors. It works fine for basic fitness.

I still use it when the weather is bad or when I need an easy "recovery" ride or base miles. My heart rate spikes really easily so I can't do genuine recovery rides, base miles or zone 1/2 rides outdoors. So I do those indoors, usually while watching movies or TV. I can put in 2 or more hours doing that at an easy pace. Then I do my "serious" riding outdoors.

Barry2 

You did mention not wanting to buy twice!
Now I'm riding a Smart Trainer, I could not go back to a basic one.

The Smarts provide a completely different experience.
I find mine so immersive that on occasion I stop peddling on sharp corners and try to lean the indoor bike.
There are several software programs that Smart Trainers can interface with, all offering different features.

There are cartoon riders in virtual worlds. You can ride around with your friends.
There are semi-realistic virtual worlds.
My favorite, 4K videos of real life rides from many countries all over the world, all filmed in realtime by a cyclist.

All of these programs make the time spent indoors on a Smart trainer much more fun.
Now if I could just get the wife to stop complaining about my loud music.

All the best

Barry

jadocs

I'm going to throw this in here because it is what kept my love of riding alive....indoors.

Smart rollers - the joy of riding your bike is kept alive indoors, because that is exactly what you are doing...riding your bike, not just pedaling. Smart technology makes it even better because you get all the benefits of automatic control from apps like Zwift. I still look forward to riding my rollers when I cant get outside. You will look forward to it. It's fun and it's not a mindless activity where your bike is locked in. There are always ways to challenge yourself such as riding out of the saddle, changing your positions, taking a drink <- LOL. I am never left "wanting" when riding my smart rollers. All your gains from riding indoors on these rollers are directly transferable outside because there is no artificiality with application of power or power output as a result of a locked in bike. You get the same leverage as riding outdoors.

The rollers I recommend are www.insideride.com E- Motion Smart rollers. The E-motion technology takes riding rollers to another level because the bike is allowed to move forward and back under you, making riding indoors even more realistic than plane jane rollers. The rollers come in two configurations, first configuration is just the rollers without smart technology, and second rollers with smart technology. You want the one with smart technology. The E-Motion technology makes learning a lot easier. I'm in my mid 50's and had no issue. My buddy who is a little older than me learned literally in 15 minutes. YMMV, but you will have no problem if you stick with it. When I say 15 min, I'm not joking, he went from riding with the fork attachment to standing out of the saddle.

Mulberry20

IMO, a spin bike is a much more useful tool for indoor training and this one is a favorite. My GF has one and it is wonderful.

https://www.nordictrack.com/exercise...xoCi_gQAvD_BwE

tsmith41094

Get a smart trainer. You will not regret it.

For me, spinning on a "dumb" trainer sounded like a decent alternative to outside riding, in theory. Then I did it a few times and found few things more tedious. Even running on a treadmill was somewhat more tolerable.

However, once I went to a smart trainer and got it hooked up to Zwift, not only could I tolerated it, but actually started to enjoy it. I now put at least a couple thousand miles on the thing a year and am perfectly happy doing it. Much more immersive experience with huge variety of ride styles (e.g., races, group rides, workouts, etc.) and goals to go after.

I've been a Wahoo Kickr (direct-drive trainer) fan but there a so many great roller trainers out there at pretty reasonable prices.

Barry2 

Without mentioning any brands...
I tell anyone if you are looking at purchasing a complete Indoor Bike/Trainer (No Outdoor bike required) be sure you evaluate the software the bike supports.
Some of these well known brands only support their own brand of subscription based training classes and software.
Other brands follow open communication standards and support many different types and providers of training software.
In the interest of "no free lunch", many of these software products are still subscription based, but there is competition if are not married to single provider hardware (bike).

Barry

BTW, I don't know of a single Outdoor Bike Smart Trainer that fails to support multiple software providers. This limitation appears to be limited to some one piece indoor bike brands.

MemRiverman

my bike cost less than $1000 so I don't want to spend a fortune. I want to be able to train 1-1 1/2 hrs prob when weather is bad. Hopefully one that is quiet enough I can watch tv while riding.

spank226

Just look on craigslist and buy someone's old Cyclops or fluid or magnetic trainer that supports the rear wheel. It'll run you around $60. If you decide you don't like it, you can always resell it for the $60 you paid. Not the case with most smart trainers.

The tire you use on the rear will also help determine the noise level. Smoother is quieter.

I do not recommend rollers if you want to watch TV or otherwise don't want to have to focus intently on what you are doing.

topflightpro

This.

Find a used Kurt Kinetic Road Machine or CycleOps Fluid 2 trainer. They should cost about $100 at this point in good shape. There are lots of people getting rid of them since switching to a smart trainer. I have one of each, and a smart trainer, and I have uses for all of them. And if you don't see one listed, put out a Want to Buy ad. Someone will reply.

If you really find you like riding indoors and want to get into Zwift, then you can upgrade to a much more expensive smart trainer. But for now, a $100 fluid trainer from KK or CO, will suit your needs just fine.

MemRiverman

Nothing for sale in Memphis area. Good idea on posting "request to buy". Hopefully will get some response. If not, has anyone any experience with the Sportneer Fluid Bike Trainer? $199 on amazon with good reviews.

topflightpro

Be a little patient and wait for a Kinetic or CycleOps Fluid trainer. It will be cheaper and better quality. And as someone who has ridden cheap trainers and expensive ones, the more expensive ones are worth it.

spank226

There's a cylcops magneto trainer not super far from me for $25. If you want, I can grab it (or some other one you may like) and mail it to you if you can't find one more local to you.

I imagine shipping won't be cheap, but probably around the $60 to-your-door or close

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/...178623907.html

or here's a kinetic for more $ https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/...176876257.html

coffeesnob

Mulberry, is this a magnetic resistance bike? If so how do you like the tension adjustment? I have an echelon which I really like except that the tension is not consistent, for example. Say I want a heavy resistance so I turn the knob lets say 4 complete turns then, when I want to recover you would think going 4 turns in the opposite direction would put me where I started but it doesn't. The same when I want the heavy resistance again not repeatable. Its not that big a deal but sometimes when the instructor says stand up my adjustment takes a little longer than I like. Thanks

Mulberry20

Oh, this is the amazing thing. The trainer controls resistance and the incline. I guess you can too but I let them do it and yes it is magnetic resistance. It is light years ahead any studio bike.

It is expensive but you really will enjoy it.

coffeesnob

by trainer controlling resistance do you mean using. The monitor to change resistance ?

Barry2 

You think that's cool.
I change the Wattage on my Wahoo Bolt bike computer.... and the ERG wattage on the Wahoo Bike follows along.
I can even load my own custom ERG files on the Bolt, and ride those.

Cool, yes!
Cheap, No!

Barry

Mulberry20

No, the instructor running the online class does all the controlling, live. Resistance and incline. Hopefully you keep up. 🤣🤣🤣

Mulberry20

but is there a really hot chick on the screen? 🤣🤣🤣

Barry2 

Doh, you win !

Now I have to sell a used Kickr bike.

Barry

MemRiverman

Thanks to spank226! He found me a used kinetic in Memphis. I appreciate everyone help. This is a great group!

alcjphil

Just an aside. It is possible to use Zwift with a "dumb" trainer if it is one of the ones whose resistance profile is known to the app. My son used Zwift for several years using an Elite fluid trainer that was listed on the app. Using a trainer this way doesn't give the full interactive experience, but the app can estimate wattage based on the known resistance provided by the trainer at a given speed. You do have to have speed and cadence sensors that transmit their readings to whatever device you use to connect to Zwift. My son used ANT+ sensors and an ANT+ dongle connected to his computer