So you want to buy a smart trainer?

Mikey23

And got mine from my lbs at at the same price as the internet. They took the trouble to set it up in the shop abd index properly to my bike and will be there to deal with any probs in the future. Unlike W*****

N0bodyOfTheGoat

courtmed wrote:

Cheers, I might hold you to that! been keeping an eye out on eBay for a suitable thru-axle to use with my 142x12 bike. RRP is £60 for the official Wahoo one which seems a bit excessive

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00FJGWYDQ/ ... KTVLYQ4SLD

Is this any use to you? Just make sure you buy the correct threading type for your bike (scroll down towards rerviews to see some other options).

bendertherobot

bobbydazzla wrote:

Thanks for the feedback so far, pretty much in line with where I was heading - Flux feels like the best option as the extra gradient capability and downhill simulation aren't that important to me and it's basically an extra £300 just to get those.

Road feel is nice mind

bobbydazzla

I wasn't keen on the road feel, the judder through the pedals just felt weird and distracting.

But in 24 hrs I've gone full circle and am erring on the side of a Neo now, I worry that if I got the Flux I'd always wonder if the Neo would have been better....

bobbydazzla

So I bit the bullet and forked out for the Neo. £850 was a good deal but still a lot of money. I managed to sell some spare kit and rustle up £500, which helped numb the financial pain of the Neo.

Had it 4 weeks and no regrets, it's been excellent. I think if I'd bought the Flux I would have always wondered if I should have gone all in for the Neo, it would have played on my mind.

slowbike

I thought I should put in a turbo session last night ....

so I rode to the pub instead ... nice road feel

MiddleRinger

Slowbike wrote:

I thought I should put in a turbo session last night ....

so I rode to the pub instead ... nice road feel

I find the road feel on the way home from the pub can sometimes be an issue though...

rellyc

Hello,
I looked a lot for a cheap home trainer to be controlled by Zwift and finally found one made especially by Elite for Decathlon:
https://www.decathlon.ie/intera-smart-h ... 98220.html

Anyway, I couldn't find any reviews or it being displayed as compatible on Zwift webpage. Did anyone use it?
Thank you!

markhewitt1978

rellyc wrote:

Hello,
I looked a lot for a cheap home trainer to be controlled by Zwift and finally found one made especially by Elite for Decathlon:
https://www.decathlon.ie/intera-smart-h ... 98220.html

Anyway, I couldn't find any reviews or it being displayed as compatible on Zwift webpage. Did anyone use it?
Thank you!

I would go with the Tacx Flow instead.

rellyc

Tacx Flow is 150 euros more. For Elite I would pay 217 euros in my country.

dannbodge

A friend of mine bought a Decathlon only Elite turbo and has done nothing but moan about compatibility and no support etc. Decathlon stated it was Zwift compatible too but it isn't.

I would avoid anything that's made specifically for one store/chain and go with one that's tried, tested and is actually supported by the manufacturer.

rellyc

Can I verify in the shop if it is Zwift compatible or not? (plugging in and connecting to my phone with builtin ANT?)

markhewitt1978

rellyc wrote:

Can I verify in the shop if it is Zwift compatible or not? (plugging in and connecting to my phone with builtin ANT?)

The only phones that Zwift work with are iPhones and they don't have ANT+

dannbodge

You could if you have an iPhone and it has Bluetooth.

Whether or not they would let you is another story.

milemuncher1

My experience is that I found riding my bike indoors on a turbo trainer to be completely rubbish, so I don’t, I ride on an actual road, it saves a lot of grief.

mrb123

Milemuncher1 wrote:

My experience is that I found riding my bike indoors on a turbo trainer to be completely rubbish, so I don’t, I ride on an actual road, it saves a lot of grief.

The "Indoor Training and Turbo" forum probably isn't the one for you then.

dannbodge

MrB123 wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

My experience is that I found riding my bike indoors on a turbo trainer to be completely rubbish, so I don’t, I ride on an actual road, it saves a lot of grief.

The "Indoor Training and Turbo" forum probably isn't the one for you then.

This.

Pointless post is pointless.

I also ride on a normal road. When it's not pissing with rain or dark though.

lostboysaint

Dannbodge wrote:

MrB123 wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

My experience is that I found riding my bike indoors on a turbo trainer to be completely rubbish, so I don’t, I ride on an actual road, it saves a lot of grief.

The "Indoor Training and Turbo" forum probably isn't the one for you then.

This.

Pointless post is pointless.

I also ride on a normal road. When it's not pissing with rain or dark though.

Lightweight

rellyc

Milemuncher1 wrote:

My experience is that I found riding my bike indoors on a turbo trainer to be completely rubbish, so I don’t, I ride on an actual road, it saves a lot of grief.

Good luck doing it on ice and snow at -20 (Celsius). I'm not equipped for bike skating
If nothing comes up for BF I will give that Intera a try.
Decathlon has a good return policy if not satisfied in a couple of days so if I don't manage to connect it properly to Zwift I'll take it back. I returned products before and got instantly reimbursed.
I hope an older Suunto ANT+ dongle will do...

redvision

rellyc wrote:

Decathlon has a good return policy if not satisfied in a couple of days so if I don't manage to connect it properly to Zwift I'll take it back. I returned products before and got instantly reimbursed.

So other users have told you to avoid the elite one at decathlon yet you are actually going to buy it? :roll:

rellyc

I recently noticed that Tacx Flow Smart (800W) comes for the same price as that Elite Intera (1100W) but is displayed as supported on Zwift webpage. Should I go for the Flow Smart then?
Do I need the extra watts (64 kg woman)?

rellyc

redvision wrote:

rellyc wrote:

So other users have told you to avoid the elite one at decathlon yet you are actually going to buy it? :roll:

As I said, Decathlon = 48h return if unsatisfied, so...the worst scenario, money blocked for 48h.
At the same price they also have Tacx Flow Smart 800W, the choice is between the two.
Would I need the extra 300W being given that I am a 64 kilos woman (limited output)?

MiddleRinger

rellyc wrote:

Would I need the extra 300W being given that I am a 64 kilos woman (limited output)?

Probably not, but you never know! Most people would find 800W plenty for turbo training unless you plan on doing a lot of out of the saddle sprint training (or have a strong sprint already).

I've actually never hit 800W on my Tacx NEO.

rellyc

Finally I ordered Tacx Flow Smart (also specifically made for some retailers, but advertised on Tacx webpage) which is very similar to the Vortex Smart. I will cancel the order for the Elite.
According to Tacx:
"Flow (2240) & Vortex (T2180)

The Flow Smart is sold via some big retailers, but the difference with the Vortex Smart is minimum. The maximum resistance is a bit lower then the Vortex. The biggest difference of these 2 trainers compared to the more expensive trainers is sound (the Flow and Vortex do make more sound). This because the brake rol is smaller which makes more rpm then with the Bushido or Genius trianer. There is a maximum resistance possible (depending on your weight settings).
Virtual Speed
If you weight 75 kg, then resistance when climbing a mountain will stop at 5% with a Flow Smart or Vortex Smart. After 5% there is no increase in resistance. Many programs will compensate this by lowering speed. "

N0bodyOfTheGoat

I'm trying to justify to myself, spending ~£630 (including BC discount) on an Elite Direto from Cycle Republic...

It sounds like it comes with a 142x12 axle that I require, plus there are some photos suggesting that a front wheel riser block isn't needed, so it might be "good to go" if I can use the Bluetooth on my Nexus 7 2013 tablet or Maze Alpha mobile to run the Elite E-app.

The idea of being able to mostly replicate the likes of Harvesting Lane, with the 14% gradient replication, sounds appealing.

But as is often the case, when I'm looking as "big treats" for myself, I'm wondering if I should buy something like the Tacx 2240 for ~£200 instead.

Not to mention, wondering if the E-app is good enough to use for 12 months, or whether I need to fork out for another app (the idea of Zwift for £13pcm is not very viable for me).

rellyc

Well I got the Tacx today, installed and calibrated it. The quick release axe and the riser were included in the package, I only bought one fitness carpet for 6 euros.
Tomorrow I will get my Garmin USB2 ANT+ dongle (bought it used for 20 euros) and next week the special tire (Tacx 27.5 x 1.25, 25 euros from Wiggle) and the inner tube (3 euros, my spare 1.75-2.5 is too large).
So, final investment 275 euros.
Until I get the special tire I will use it with a semislik smooth on its center.
I did not use it on Zwift yet as it needs the ANT+ dongle, but some free Android apps that I tried recognised the trainer and controlled its resistance.
Considering the noise, I don't find it disturbing, with the Tacx tire it's going to be more silent.

rellyc

I rode 30 km with Zwift today! The trainer connected to my early 2015 Macbook using BTLE so the ANT+ dongle is not necessary.

Briggo

NitrousOxide wrote:

I'm trying to justify to myself, spending ~£630 (including BC discount) on an Elite Direto from Cycle Republic...

Its justified, get one, I did (at that price) good bit of kit for the money.

courtmed

I'm (finally!) close to buying one - just trying to decide if I can justify the extra £100 or so for a Kickr Snap over a Vortex Smart.

birdie23

NitrousOxide wrote:

I'm trying to justify to myself, spending ~£630 (including BC discount) on an Elite Direto from Cycle Republic...

It sounds like it comes with a 142x12 axle that I require, plus there are some photos suggesting that a front wheel riser block isn't needed, so it might be "good to go" if I can use the Bluetooth on my Nexus 7 2013 tablet or Maze Alpha mobile to run the Elite E-app.

The idea of being able to mostly replicate the likes of Harvesting Lane, with the 14% gradient replication, sounds appealing.

But as is often the case, when I'm looking as "big treats" for myself, I'm wondering if I should buy something like the Tacx 2240 for ~£200 instead.

Not to mention, wondering if the E-app is good enough to use for 12 months, or whether I need to fork out for another app (the idea of Zwift for £13pcm is not very viable for me).

It comes with adapters to use your existing thru axle.

There's about 2cm drop if you don't use a riser block. Personally, I prefer how it feels without the block but some people don't like the 2cm drop (though it's barely noticeable).

The E-app will be fine as long as you have something to entertain you (music etc), though I'd still recommend Zwift (because I find the graphics/interaction makes it interesting) or Trainerroad (because of it's huge library of workouts and giving you something to look at while you listen to your music.