which turbo trainer?

Coppi me

my wife has had a serious stroke and for the foreseeable future my cycling days on the road are over. I have a tacx sartori trainer in the garage but would like something a bit more "fun"
one of those that you can join in races, possibly steer etc......I've had a quick look on the tacx website but would like your experiences of the different models please
I wanted to do Ventoux a few years ago but never got to do it and this virtual reality maybe the option now but looking at some of the models, it appears that they would slow down on the ascents to the point that if you're not strong enough then you'll just stop.......is this right?

would prefer something with cadence or can I work around that?

probably look to buy cheap on ebay unless someone on here is selling but please be objective, don't just build your trainer up for the sake of a sale

all advice really appreciated

markhewitt1978

All depends on your budget.

Coppi me wrote:

one of those that you can join in races, possibly steer etc

Steering is basically out from the start, it's a gimmick and not really used. What you need to look at first is http://www.zwift.com/ they have races, group rides, or just riding around on your own. It's excellent and about as close to outdoor cycling as you're likely to get while still being inside. That said you can use your Tacx Satori with that, it just won't simulate the hills.

But it all depends on your budget.

......I've had a quick look on the tacx website but would like your experiences of the different models please
I wanted to do Ventoux a few years ago but never got to do it and this virtual reality maybe the option now but looking at some of the models, it appears that they would slow down on the ascents to the point that if you're not strong enough then you'll just stop.......is this right?

Not entirely sure what you're talking about here. But I guess if you're riding up Ventoux in real life and you aren't putting out enough power to overcome gravity then you would indeed stop!

would prefer something with cadence or can I work around that?

All smart trainers like the Vortex, Bushido, Neo etc have cadence but they aren't always super accurate, but the likes of a Wahoo RPM cadence sensor sorts that right out.

probably look to buy cheap on ebay unless someone on here is selling but please be objective, don't just build your trainer up for the sake of a saleall advice really appreciated

Be careful because there are a lot of models for sale on ebay which have the same name as newer 'smart' models but are actually older ones which don't work properly with the likes of Zwift.

Further advice upon your divulgence of your budget.

Coppi me

I've got 250 in the slush fund but the wife's wage ends in June and I'm debating if the heart can rule the head, hence looking at something better than what I have but doing it the cheapest way possible

think it was the genius model that replicates big climbs to the point of the brake bringing you to a halt on the big ascents if you're not doing enough................that's how I read it on the tacx description, rightly or wrongly!

this zwift stuff........is it like sufferfest were you put a "film" on the computer and ride along to it?

markhewitt1978

Coppi me wrote:

I've got 250 in the slush fund but the wife's wage ends in June and I'm debating if the heart can rule the head, hence looking at something better than what I have but doing it the cheapest way possible

The Tacx Vortex is bang on that price range http://www.wiggle.co.uk/tacx-vortex-smart-trainer/ it will simulate resistance for climbs up to 7% and do all the smart trainer things such as reporting, power, speed, cadence etc to your computer / phone as well as being able to hold you in power bands for the likes of Trainer Road and Zwift. Most people who use them say it's spot on.

The Bushido is more at £380 http://www.wiggle.co.uk/tacx-bushido-smart-trainer/ it can be run without a power cable, has more realistic inertia and can simulate a higher grade

think it was the genius model that replicates big climbs to the point of the brake bringing you to a halt on the big ascents if you're not doing enough................that's how I read it on the tacx description, rightly or wrongly!

The Genius has the highest resistance of the bunch so it can simulate grades of up to 20% so I suppose that it could bring you to a half if you couldn't ride up a 20% grade in real life! Most sim programs have the ability to dial that back if you can't however. The Genius also spins the wheel for you when going down hill, sounds like a gimmick but does mean you can stop pedalling going down hill and pick it up again without having to spin the back wheel up to speed again.

this zwift stuff........is it like sufferfest were you put a "film" on the computer and ride along to it?

No, www.zwift.com it's basically a computer game for your PC/Mac where the speed you're riding controls a rider on the screen and you ride around a virtual world, but all the other riders on there are doing the same, it's actually really cool.

Coppi me

thanks mate, your help is much appreciated

Coppi me

have sent you a pm

g00se

Sorry to hear about the situation.

The 'standard' basic smart trainers are the Tacx Vortex, Tacx Bushido and the Bkool Pro. Will all work with Zwift, Trainerroad, Bkool-sim etc.

If you go the ebay route, make sure they're the most recent versions as some of the older ones don't work with ANT+ the way they should. You may find an older Bkool Classic on ebay - if you do, make sure it's the one WITHOUT a USB port, as these will work with ANT+.

There is a forum on cyclechat.net specifically for smart trainers. May be worth having a quick squint over there.

Coppi me

cheers pal

camerauk

You can try out a BKool Pro free for 30 days direct from BKool website
Also they give you the option on paying £43 a month for 12 months if you do decide to keep it

g00se

The problem with buying the bkool using the 12 months option is that they won't 'release' the upgrade to allow it to work with other software - other than the bkool simulator - until it's paid off. So if you want to use it with Zwift and trainerroad, you'll need buy it outright.

Not sure how this works with the 30 days offer.

camerauk

g00se wrote:

The problem with buying the bkool using the 12 months option is that they won't 'release' the upgrade to allow it to work with other software - other than the bkool simulator - until it's paid off. So if you want to use it with Zwift and trainerroad, you'll need buy it outright.

Not sure how this works with the 30 days offer.

Yes your right I had forgotten about that
I think if you have it free for the 30 days and then decide to pay for it outright then you should be ok to open it up to use Zwift etc

StillGoing

I moved around 12 months ago from a Tacx i-Flow with steerer etc to a Bushido Smart. The i-Flow was ok, but a pain due to needing a power supply and leads everywhere connecting the various bits to the PC. The steering gizmo is next to useless in my experience of it. The resistance is pretty poor in replicating hills on any of the available films but you can alter the resistance level easily from the head unit.

The Bushido smart is better at replicating hills due to the increased resistance and doesn't need a power supply. You can't alter the resistance unless you have a head unit or are using a PC with the controls close at hand. Connection to the Tacx software for me requires a long USB extension lead for the ANT+ dongle to pick up my cadence and power meters, and the Bushido itself.

Overall the Bushido Smart is better, but it is more expensive unless you can find a used one at a good price.