Turbo

feisty

Dear all

I am thinking about getting a turbo trainer. It would have limited use; when icy at weekends and the odd night when my wife is out. While I could just use with the radio on, I have seen Zwift (which seems like a really neat toy) and Trainer Road which looks quite hard core.

I do not want to spend £400 on something I might use 20 times a year (maybe even less).

Zwift says it can be used with non-smart trainers like:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cycleops-mag-trainer

and fluid ones:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/elite-crono-flu ... el-trainer
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cycleops-fluid-2-trainer

and the latter with various additional kit: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cycleops-fluid- ... aining-kit

I need it to be reasonably quiet as I would be in the kitchen underneath the room where the kids would be sleeping.

My questions are:
1. Can you really use Zwift with a non-smart trainer or is the experience really no where near as good? (That's not a deal breaker, just wondering)
2. Are the fluid ones really that much quieter?

Thanks

fenix

Trainerroad is awesome but you need to follow a plan for best use.

My turbo would be too loud to use with kids sleeping above. Then again some kids like a bit of noise.

markhewitt1978

Zwift really comes into its own when using a smart trainer to simulate hills. Plus in workout mode it'll keep you in a defined power band so all you need to do is watch your cadence. Buying a dumb trainer new for the purpose of Zwift, or trainer road for that matter would be a waste IMO.

Halfords is doing the Tacx Flow for £200 and Wiggle does the Tacx Vortex for £260

deejaysee

I got the Tacx Vortex recently and its quality.
Don't bother with their crap software package, go straight to using zwift

barmour

I've been using bkool for the last couple of years and have been pleased with it and the results.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/bkool-one-trainer/

feisty

Thanks all

Decided against Zwift on basis my laptop graphics card wouldn't handle it so just gone with a cyclops fluid 2 trainer off ebay

Cheers for advice though

donboogie

deejaysee wrote:

I got the Tacx Vortex recently and its quality.
Don't bother with their crap software package, go straight to using zwift

I agree except I would say go straight to TrainerRoad

deejaysee

feisty wrote:

Thanks all

Decided against Zwift on basis my laptop graphics card wouldn't handle it so just gone with a cyclops fluid 2 trainer off ebay

Cheers for advice though

Wise. I had to buy a 100 quid graphics card to use Zwift with as the standard card was stuttery as hell