Turbo Trainer Advice Please

Wacky Racer

Good morning kind people.

Following knee surgery (both knees), I have now been given the go ahead by my specialist to resume training, and it has been suggested that a turbo trainer is the way for me to go over the winter, trying to rebuild my fitness and strength. I would prefer not to go through the debate of MTFU and get out there and ride, I am not allowed back on the bike just yet, so have no choice.

I ideally wanted to spend somewhere between £250 and £400, and would prefer a fluid trainer rather than magnetic. However, I really need to be able to see some data in order to monitor my progress, and the one I have looked at, Elite Qubo Power Fluid, does not come with a monitor, but the Elite Qubo Wireless Digital Trainer comes wireless, but unfortunately is magnetic resistance.

I guess my questions are
a) Can I get a fluid resistance trainer with a monitor, that is worth buying, without breaking the bank?
b) Can I fit (after-market) something to the Fluid model that will do the job for me?
c) Am I better to get the Fluid. and purchase a separate computer, a Cateye Strada or similar that works off the rear wheel?

I just want to see distance, speed, watts, heart monitor would be useful, and cadence.

Many thanks.

unixnerd

Hateful things. There's load of used ones on ebay because folk buy them then don't get on with them. I paid 50 quid for a decent magnetic resistance trainer and it worked just fine. But I didn't enjoy it and ended up putting it back on ebay six months later, got my 50 back :-) A lot of the ebay trainers will have seen very little use so they're a bargain.

When you use it open a window and get a big fan blowing at yourself, you'll sweat buckets - I was shocked how much. If you have a cycle computer which has the magnet on the rear wheel that's a huge bonus (something like the Cateye double wireless with cadence maybe).

I'm off the bike with a broken wrist just now, going for long walks every day to keep my fitness up. Hope you get well quickly, could be worse - you might have been off over summer.