I want one of these, need to get more miles in than I have time for…so need to do it when kids are in bed/before school etc.

The choice baffles me. Magnetic, fluid, power…

Any recommendations for one that will be easy to use between two different road bikes? Any great deals out there? Any to avoid?

I have place a WTD ad just in case

Cheers

Any recommendations for one that will be easy to use between two different road bikes?

Not quite sure why you need one to work with two different bikes, but they’re all easy to attach and detach, so swapping wouldn’t be a problem. Although I’d recommend getting a spare wheel, to avoid ruining some decent tyres.

It will be used by both me and my wife…

Don’t really want to buy 2 new wheels, perhaps I’ll keep changing tyres over.

Don’t really want to buy 2 new wheels, perhaps I’ll keep changing tyres over

You only need one, you swap the whole wheel. Assuming both bikes have the same size rear wheels, of course.

Showing my ignorance….mine is 10 speed, hers is 9… Will that make a difference?

Yes, you’ll need one with a 9 speed cassette and one with a 10 speed cassette 🙂

I got a magnetic type Turbo trainer and it’s reasonably quiet. Especially so with a ‘Turbo Trainer Tyre’

Right. Turbo trainer tyre that we can share seems doable!

for ease of swopping between 2 bikes would rollers be a better option ?

I have never used them and when I had a turbo it bored me…

Showing my ignorance….mine is 10 speed, hers is 9… Will that make a difference?

In that case, yes. But swapping tyres will be a pain, and one more excuse not to use the turbo. And it’s dull enough as is 🙂

If the budget and space allow I’d also consider a spinning bike, they’re easily adjustable (for you + wife) and a lot quieter.

Perhaps rollers may be better? Take it I can use the same wheels etc?

I’ve got a Tacx Blue Motion which seems good- miles quieter than the Cyclops I used before.

If you’ve got the space, getting a cheap bike to stick on it permanently might make sense- it can become a final resting place for worn out or upgraded parts, and doesn’t really need to be any good at all- just needs a good saddle and a couple of working gears really! Saves wear and tear on the good bikes but mostly, having it ready to go means I use the thing much more, any excuse not to get on it is all I need…

It is orrible, frankly, there’s very little redeeming features. I’m using mine for low/medium intensity currently so I watch TV at the same time, passed the time far better. Doing high intensity stops me from doing anything else apart from feeling miserable.

You clearly need one of these – best turbo-trainer around 🙂

Cheers, Rich

Perhaps rollers may be better? Take it I can use the same wheels etc?

Yeah just plonk your bike down and pedal, tire wear is a lot less on rollers so no real need to run special ones. Assuming we’re talking road rubber here as using MTB tires, whilst OK to warm up on before races is probably not a good idea.

Two cheapo wheels with trainer tyres, two ANT+ cadence/speed sensors, HRM, dongle and a subscription to TrainerRoad, sorted..

e2a: If you’re using it in the gym then noise will be less of an issue?

sc-xc, just responded to your ad as I am thinking of selling mine for one of those ^^^ kickrs.

Some things to consider as I am in a very similar position to you in terms of requirements.

Might want to consider one with a wide range of resistance if you are sharing with the wife. I had an old Tacx fixed one that didn’t really go low enough to allow mrs blobby to get in an easy recovery ride (she’s only little and doesn’t put out big watts.) And I also wanted one that would allow me to do some high power low cadence stuff. The Minoura LR760 does the job for us as it’s got a very wide range of resistance, the widest I could find at the time.

Rollers are good too, I use them as complimentary to a turbo, though many do just fine with rollers alone. Easy to pop the bike on and off.

For noise, if kids are in bed, mine seems fine. A turbo tyre and a big thick mat helps with the noise. Though the big 18″ fan I use to keep cool makes a lot more noise than the turbo! I’ve also gone for some wireless headphones to cut down on the noise of telly/music.

Oh and…. Trainer Road.

I like that Kickr, but if the OP has two different bikes at 9 and 10 speed then there’s an issue there as you’d need to change cassette each time.

Ive got an Elite Fluid one, its about £160 on Wiggle these days. Its very quiet compared to what some people have that I know. The resistance is good too.

It doesnt wear out rear tyres too quickly either, I just have a very cheap £7 tyre on, and its lasted 3 years so far.

Thanks all,

Noise not so much of an issue as Haze says…it will be used in gym. Haven’t got space for a spin bike – so figured something I could put in front of the telly would make sense…

Will check out all suggestions, and will have a look at my WTD now!

Haze – Already have a HRM, the rest sounds expensive 😉

Two cheapo wheels with trainer tyres, two ANT+ cadence/speed sensors, HRM, dongle and a subscription to TrainerRoad, sorted..

Just get something like the Wahoo speed/cadence sensor. Attaches via a rubber band so easy to swap. Also bluetooth (as are quite a few HRM now) so you don’t need an ant+ dongle either (though this does assume your computer has bluetooth 4.0).

Prime space for a great setup, I have to make do with this…

Cheers all,

Have replied to WTd ad – been a busy night!

Just been emailed a link to this, any good:

It means I can use the credit card. And wife’s mate wants one as well!

halfords

Or for the same price, this from crc

Elite volare elastogel

Something to be aware of is that a lot of turbo trainers aren’t suitable for 29er MTBs. Looking at your photo above it looks like you’re only going to use road bikes which will be fine, but worth pointing out. I went for one of these, purely so that I could use my 29er with it.

http://www.pedal-pedal.co.uk/elite-novo-force-mag-trainer.html?gclid=CjwKEAiAj-KiBRC48YzhnLSg0D0SJAClOhK3fnhfhxa92acBoXTccFGJThcPNB0Nu2iaU-HFrtVeJxoCMK_w_wcB

Its a good bit of kit, quiet and smooth, easy to use and 5 good levels of resistance. Coupled with your gears it’ll have you crying with pain and boredom if you so desire 😀

Cheers, that looks good as well. I think my head’s going to explode.

Elite Crono Fluid Elastogel as mentioned above. Mine is quiet, not much noise at all on the tiled conservatory floor on a carpet offcut. It fits either 26 or 29, 700c etc, with a simple swap of some bolts. You don’t need to set resistance as the system simply relies on the weight of the rider/bike to push down onto the roller.When you’re off the bike the wheel sits above the roller and swings down onto it when you get on. I haven’t noticed much tyre wear, but use an old tyre just in case. You change resistance by changing gear…. harder to pedal in a higher gear. It is simplicity itself.

You change resistance by changing gear…. harder to pedal in a higher gear. It is simplicity itself.

Sort of, fluid ones have a progressive resistance curve which changes with speed. Obviously there’s a strong correlation between speed and gears, but not the same.

I found getting one that folds up small so it’s easy to store is an important factor. Mine’s so good at being stored that I never bother to use it.

Sort of, fluid ones have a progressive resistance curve which changes with speed. Obviously there’s a strong correlation between speed and gears, but not the same.

Thats partly why I went for a fluid over Mag. Feels so much more natural.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/elite-crono-fluid-elastogel-trainer/

My next trainer will be one of these…

Rock ‘N’ Roll

I’d be happy to take it off your hands if you decide you hate it!

So Daz, for the £100ish ones above…which one would you get? What you got now?

Cycleops Mag+ paid around £120 3 years ago, very basic but I wasn’t sure how much use I’d get out of when I bought it.

It’s magnet and fairly noisy though no problem in the garage with headphones on (at least not for me anyway).

Not ridden a fluid for comparison, knowing now that I’ll get a lot of use out of one I’d possibly go that way next time since I’ve noted a few comments regarding ride quality.

If you can stretch to the £150 I’d get the Elite fluid one…

Cheers mate. I’ll tell Bek that a man on the internet recommended his fluid.

It’s easier on the ears but may make a mess of the carpet.