This has probably been done to death so apologies. I’ve never really been that interested in turbos, bought a cheapo one once but only used it a few times.

I now want a smart turbo, because, well, zwift makes fitness, fun!…

I’d really like a direct drive one but can’t really afford/justify £500+ uses I can find a ‘bargain’ on ebay.

So can any one recommend a smart turbo trainer for less than £300. Two way smart so I get full use of apps like zwift or something and will take a bolt through as well as qr.

Cheers.

I bought an Acer noza s for a £599 (not £300 I know) a few months ago. I think I made a good choice. I’d say that I would of been disappointed with a cheaper trainer with less gradient and power range. My road bike is now attached to the trainer and I ride it more now than what I would of ridden the road bike outdoors. The money I spend on zwift also seems good value compared to the price of a pint.

Yeah think I’m gonna keep checking eBay for a bit as I’d really like a direct drive on.

Halfords were advertising some cheaper smart turbos. Or they do interest free if you want the higher spec models. We bought a direto a couple of years back and like it

Stock is still a problem, which knocks on to used prices. Over the summer, when there was nothing in stock anywhere, ebay prices for used trainers went higher than the price of new ones for several weeks. It’s got better. I’ve not looked closely but I still think it might be a while yet before used prices return to normal.

Elite Zumo (back in stock now exclusive to Halfords) is usually the cheapest direct drive new. But they are charging £479 now. Wiggle have slashed the price of the whisperdrive mk2 to £449. That might be a bargain. Or there might be a good reason for the price drop! I genuinely don’t know.

So unless used prices settle down, £300 for a direct-drive is a big ask. Your best best is probably getting lucky and someone selling “collection only” near enough for you to go get it.

Wheel-on on the other hand is easy at that budget: elite novo smart from halfords (stock still an issue?) or tacx flow from elsewhere.

Even before covid, you’d have struggled to find a direct drive for £300.

Kinetic Smart Trainer at CRC

Any use to you?

Its wheel on but smart, Kinetic trainers are pretty well regarded.

Tacx flow, you’ll pick up a nearly new one for £200ish on Facebook marketplace

I have an Elite Muin B+ there is no cassette but has the quick release skewer.Looking for £200 Ono plus postage.I have taken the average price that they are going for on Ebay. For information I live in West Yorkshire

I am only selling as I have upgraded to a full elite smart turbo. I have used this every day using Fulgaz with really authentic rides, have also used it on Zwift. This and runs smooth and quite. I do have the original box but it is a bit tatty.

Here is the information The Elite Turbo Muin Smart Turbo Trainer is a direct transmission home bike trainer with integrated fluid resistance and one-way smart technology. The perfect combination of realistic feel, interactivity with your favourite training apps and high power to motivate you to push your training to the next level.

Remove your rear wheel & connect your bike directly to the trainer. Direct drive provides the most realistic experience by transmitting drive directly from the chain to the trainer. This also makes the trainer quieter than a conventional ‘wheel on’ trainer. Turbo Muin Smart B+ is compatible with Shimano 9/10/11 speed cassettes (& other brands using the Shimano standard).

The 6kg internal flywheel spins in silicone oil providing a wide range of self-adjusting resistance levels that gradually increase with speed, simulating the air resistance experienced on the road. Use higher gears for power based training up to 2,700 watts at 60km/h and lower gears for base level and rpm training. Fluid resistance on the Elite Turbo Muin Smart Turbo Trainer is also incredibly smooth & quiet.

Be cautious of the Tacx wheel ons – there are some £5 parts that are prone to fail which are no longer available for sale (Garmin are holding them for warranty jobs). The metal roller sleeves are also prone to detached, there are hacks out there to fix but it isn’t ideal.

There are also some Elite wheel ons which cannot be calibrated, if you are racing or training this could be an issue. That said wheel on trainers can be tricky to get repeatable power from (I managed it to 5% variance off a power meter, through setting it up after 30 mins riding then matching the precise psi in the tyre, but as soon as ambient temp changed it would shift back to 10%+ variance until I worked a new calibration.

Thanks the reply’s. Yeah didn’t think I’d get direct drive for 300, especially not new. That was more for recommedations for wheel types I suppose. I’m watching a few DD ones on ebay so will see how they go. Although might stump up for an Elite zumo if I can get a Halfords discount.

Thanks for the offer dufour, but I want some thing with automatic resistance adjustment.

I bought a tacx flow after borrowing one from a mate and reading dc rainmakers review. Works well enough with zwift.

I use mine in the garage so not bothered about noise and never tried a more expensive dd so wouldn’t know what I was missing anyway.