I have recently bought myself a second hand road bike and hooked it up to a turbo trainer. I have been following the gcn workouts but I have no way of knowing my rpm and I would also like to map my distance converted ect. Wondering what the best cycle computer for me to monitor cadence, distance, calories burnt ect. I am very much in the dark with all this as it’s my first roadie. Any help appreciated

If all you want is cadence* then any old cheap computer that has a cadence function will do it (Sigma, Cateye etc, I found the sigma ones better TBH but it’s probably personal preference).

BUT……. a GPS computer is so much more useful as they allow uploading to strava etc. Particularly the dual bluetooth/ANT+ ones. If you get a garmin with a cadence, speed and HR sensors, you can then use virtual power on apps like sufferfest, trainerroad, zwift etc.

OR, get bluetooth sensors and use those apps on your phone.

*distance covered on a turbo is meaningless as it takes no account of weight or aerodynamics. i.e. a heavy person will ride further on a turbo than a racing snake if they’re of a similar speed on a real road ride.

Hey there!

At TrainerRoad our favorite sensor is the Wahoo SC Sensor:

We find the magnet-based setup to work very consistently and the fact that it is ANT+ and Bluetooth enabled means that it will pair with both your Phone and ANT+ Head Unit.

Welcome to the world of indoor training 🙂

Yeah I’d suggest the sensors and then pair it with Trainer Road/Sufferfest/Swift etc for some structure