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What Smart Trainer is for me??? Help!

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 5:03 pm
by TheWall
Hey All,

I am sitting here looking out at the rain and I think I have cracked. I am ready to buy a good smart trainer.

I am looking at them all up to the Tacx Neo ($1600 RRP)and would to hear all opinions of them all (such as the Wahoo Kickr and Tacx range). Any others I should be looking at? Especially keen to hear feedback by those who own them.

Some considerations and questions (in no particular order)
1. I am a bigger rider - 90-95kg
2. Bike will be my ten speed Spesh Roubaix (do these work with the 11spd caste prefitted to the kickr?)
3. Will be looking to Connect to a TV via Apple TV or cable from IPad)

Go...

Thanks in advance

Matt

Re: What Smart Trainer is for me??? Help!

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 5:38 pm
by Arbuckle23
There will be lots of opinions.
I bought a Kickr Core a couple of weeks back and am very happy with it.
My first experience with owning a smart trainer, although I have ridden on a Tacx Neo a couple of times.
Felt the same to me, but the Core is way cheaper.
It does not come with a cassette, but you will need one anyway as the 11 speed cassette supplied with others will not suit your bike.
I have my 10 speed bike on there at the moment, but have multiple cassettes of each speed so can swap easily between my 10 & 11 speed bikes.

Re: What Smart Trainer is for me??? Help!

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 10:40 pm
by macca33
1. Buy a wheel-off trainer.
2. Buy the best you can afford with your budget.

Re: What Smart Trainer is for me??? Help!

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 12:18 am
by g-boaf
I have the Tacx Neo and have used it for quite a while now. I'm running a Cervelo P5 on that, the frame is VERY close to the housing of the Neo. Aside from that, working well.

Using Perfpro Studio for the workouts (I build my own ones) and that is fine running from a small Windows 10 laptop. It will run more trainers as well...

Get yourself an Arlec remote control industrial fan from Bunnings to go with the trainer.

And seconding the advice above, avoid wheel on trainers, they are a pain. Tyres slipping, trainer tyres exploding, the need to use a dedicated trainer wheels and tyre. It's a nuisance.

The other solution if you could afford it would be to privately bring in a Wattbike Atom. I know someone with an Atom, he used it a lot to prepare for riding in the French Alps, along with riding lots of repeats of some local hills in Scotland. The Atom is a decent unit.

Re: What Smart Trainer is for me??? Help!

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 12:52 pm
by madmacca
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/10/ann ... tions.html is probably the best tech reviewer out there. Hopefully he will publish his 2018 guide in the next few weeks.

Re: What Smart Trainer is for me??? Help!

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 8:18 pm
by TheWall
Thanks lads. Pulling the trigger tomorrow. Still torn between the Tacx Neo and Wahoo Kickr. Kickr is $150 cheaper and comes with a cassette fitted.

Does the fact that I run a Garmin rather than Element factor here?

Re: What Smart Trainer is for me??? Help!

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 9:44 pm
by lone rider
TheWall wrote:Thanks lads. Pulling the trigger tomorrow. Still torn between the Tacx Neo and Wahoo Kickr. Kickr is $150 cheaper and comes with a cassette fitted.

Does the fact that I run a Garmin rather than Element factor here?
Bike computer not needed for Zwift. Some people use them to compare data from different sources, like trainer PM and actual PM. If your not doing that you don't need it.

Re: What Smart Trainer is for me??? Help!

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 1:19 pm
by g-boaf
TheWall wrote:Thanks lads. Pulling the trigger tomorrow. Still torn between the Tacx Neo and Wahoo Kickr. Kickr is $150 cheaper and comes with a cassette fitted.

Does the fact that I run a Garmin rather than Element factor here?
The Tacx is very quiet.

Re: What Smart Trainer is for me??? Help!

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 1:45 pm
by biker jk
TheWall wrote:Thanks lads. Pulling the trigger tomorrow. Still torn between the Tacx Neo and Wahoo Kickr. Kickr is $150 cheaper and comes with a cassette fitted.

Does the fact that I run a Garmin rather than Element factor here?
You'll need a 10-speed cassette so the included 11-speed cassette on the Wahoo Kickr won't help (although you can sell it I guess).

Also check your bike compatibility with the Tacx Neo (see link below).

https://tacx.com/wp-content/uploads/201 ... es-fit.pdf

Another thing is that I've heard a long cage derailleur can rub on the Neo body.

Re: What Smart Trainer is for me??? Help!

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 4:06 pm
by hamishm
The Elite Direto is a lot cheaper (<$1000), may be good enough for what you need. Maximum slope of 14% may be enough for you, compared to the 20+% on the more expensive trainers. I would say the Tacx Flux too but the maximum slope is only 10%.

The KICKR will be quieter, have more mature software support, and compatibility with the KICKR Climb. But you pay for those benefits.

Re: What Smart Trainer is for me??? Help!

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:34 pm
by TheWall
Pulled the trigger on a Kickr today. $300 cheaper than Neo and bike shop is swapping cassette to a 10spd.

Now to work out the Trainer Software ha ha...

Any ideas???

Re: What Smart Trainer is for me??? Help!

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 7:12 am
by macca33
Get yourself an ANT+ USB dongle and extension lead, then look up Zwift, Rouvy, TrainerRoad websites and check their FAQs - plenty of easy to understand info therein.

Re: What Smart Trainer is for me??? Help!

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 8:34 pm
by TheWall
macca33 wrote:Get yourself an ANT+ USB dongle and extension lead, then look up Zwift, Rouvy, TrainerRoad websites and check their FAQs - plenty of easy to understand info therein.
Yes it is coming with the dongle....

I think I need an Apple TV to get it to play on the TV? And then the iPad with Zwift can Bluetooth to the Apple TV or will I need a Lightening - HDMI cable?

Re: What Smart Trainer is for me??? Help!

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 10:52 pm
by trailgumby
A mate just bought a Kickr. One week in, and it's back under warranty. Feedback to him was that it's quite common. Apparently a few of his mates in the M7 riding group have had similar issues. I have no experience - my trainer is a Kurt Kinetic hydraulic unit with no smarts. I use Sufferfest vids instead. :|

Re: What Smart Trainer is for me??? Help!

Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2018 10:48 am
by macca33
TheWall wrote:
macca33 wrote:Get yourself an ANT+ USB dongle and extension lead, then look up Zwift, Rouvy, TrainerRoad websites and check their FAQs - plenty of easy to understand info therein.
Yes it is coming with the dongle....

I think I need an Apple TV to get it to play on the TV? And then the iPad with Zwift can Bluetooth to the Apple TV or will I need a Lightening - HDMI cable?
You have a couple options....

1. Run all through your Apple TV - has to be latest version - and connect it all up to the Apple TV app.

2. I'd opt for hardwire b/w the iPad and TV - running it all through the iPad and using HDMI cable to the TV input, which keeps your iPad as the main interface for all devices. Bluetooth connection b/w Kickr and iPad - as well as your cadence sensor, as iPad won't do ANT+.

Cheers

Re: What Smart Trainer is for me??? Help!

Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2018 12:44 pm
by BugsBunny
I started with the Wahoo Snap wheel on. I did have issues getting the power calibration "right". So got a refund after a few weeks. Other folks seem fine with it.

I have the Tacx Neo. The only thing I don't like about it is that I run a long cage SRAM Wifli rear derailleur and when on the lightest gear it will slightly rub against the body of the Neo. I bet Tacx will fix this in their next release - which would make it perfect. I like that fact that there is no need to do a calibration before each ride, its quiet and by all accounts very accurate and consistent power readings.