Fan for turbo trainer - recommendations?

kingjulian007

I’m getting a trainer at the end of the month and am considering floor vs stand options. I had thought a stand would be more efficient at cooling but I don’t have the space for one, so good to see the floor options work well.

47p2

A floor fan works best for me. A fan high up can cool your head and possibly part of your torso, but a fan on the floor can be set to blow on legs, torso and head all at the same time. More airflow is better, the stronger the fan output the more control you will have to what can be cooled

daniel_b

kingjulian007 wrote:

I’m getting a trainer at the end of the month and am considering floor vs stand options. I had thought a stand would be more efficient at cooling but I don’t have the space for one, so good to see the floor options work well.

I have both - I would go for that if you are able to.

The advantage with the stand fan, if you get one with a remote (Can be had for about £30) is that you can power it off and on, and also use the swing function to have it just periodically cool you, whilst you are warming up.
Downside is they, imho, are not as powrful as a big beefy floor fan like the Sealey one - but pair the two up, and I can workout in all but the hottest of conditions to a decent level.

Noticing a drop in temp for early morning and late evevning workouts now, so useful to have the 2 fans, with 3 speed options on each, and I can mix and match accordingly.

fenix

Don't put it head onto you - put it off to the side for two reasons.
1. It'll cool more of your body area.
2. It'll blow the sweat off to the side and away from the bike.

47p2

Took custody of this beast yesterday

https://vimeo.com/246932591

fenix

I've now got three fans for Zwift - and Remote control plugs so I can turn them on and off for the warm up and focused on different parts of me. Great practice for riding into headwinds.

daniel_b

47p2 wrote:

Took custody of this beast yesterday

https://vimeo.com/246932591

That looks phenomenal, but two of the 18" Sealeys would give you the same maximum volume of air to be shifted, and could be had for £100 and critically from two directions - versus the £250 of this one fan.
Even if the ASF was half price, I still think the Sealey option is more flexible.

How many speed settings does the ASF have?

The Sealeys have 3 each, so multiple options for air flow between the two - hooked up with remote switches, seems to give good levels of flexibility.

Not knocking the ASF fan (Or your choice), I'm convinced it is superb, and probably the best out of there, just doesn't strike me as the most flexible or best vfm option, and I'm all about bang for my buck

47p2

2 x Sealy fans will push out approximately 7,300m3/h The ASF50 has a maximum air flow of 7,600 m3/h
The speed control is variable so anything from low to high and every variation in between. As for VFM...well at £30 it was a no brainer

Sadly it's not going to be used by me, I bought it for my son-in-law who will be using it on his indoor climbing wall to keep him cool. I'm stuck with the ASF21 which is more than enough to keep me cool


Longer video here

https://vimeo.com/246963258

daniel_b

At £30 for sure!
2nd hand bargain????

The Sealey website I found seemed to suggest 7520 m3/h for a pair - which I thought was within a hairs breadth (or 99% approximately ) of the ASF's 7600 m3/h.

Matthewfalle

47p2 wrote:

This is my set-up, small heater on the right to heat the basement before I venture into the paincave, small cooling fan on the right which I usually switch on (remote controlled) once I've done 2 or 3 miles and start to heat up, big fan in front of me for when the going gets tough. Eurosport on the big TV and FulGaz above...sorted

Paincave ..........FFS.

crossed

I've got a Google Home set up in the spare room.

With a fan like the Sealey one is there any reason that I couldn't get it to switch on once I'm warmed up by using a smart plug in combination with the Google Home?

ben@31

Just got one of these for £20 off eBay. https://arstechnica.com/information-tec ... w-mileage/


Great, big, powerful and not quiet (apparently our submarines could even hear them fly overhead whilst they were deep underwater!) Works a treat and I run very hot.
Did a 20 min power test last weekend and I'm still picking myself out of the back wall.

Bordersroadie

Crossed wrote:

I've got a Google Home set up in the spare room.

With a fan like the Sealey one is there any reason that I couldn't get it to switch on once I'm warmed up by using a smart plug in combination with the Google Home?

Those big Sealey fans are superb - they shift serious amounts of air with very little noise. I have mine set up with a bog standard remote control plug/socket, about £7 off the Bay.

cougie

Switching on with Alexa or Google won't be an issue but I have to shout over the noise of the fans to get my Alexa to hear me.

I use a cheaper remote control too.

crossed

Thanks for that guys, I'll get a remote plug sorted.

daniel_b

This is the one I use - although I bought a 3 pack, as at the time it was only marginally more, and thought if i had issues I then had some replacements.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007Y7D8Z6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&th=1

daniel_b

Ryan_W wrote:

Just got one of these for £20 off Amazon. Great, small, powerful and quiet. Works a treat and I run very hot.
Did a 20 min power test last weekend and it did the job.



https://www.amazon.co.uk/VOXON-TurboFor ... ywords=fan

My missus wants to turbo in the garage too now more regularly, and unless I am on an 'easy' one I need two fans.
As the HT900 now either seems not to exist, or is over £50, and the above also seems to be discontinued, I was pleased to find a returned one in the Amazon warehouse for £18, so have just ordered that - says can be wall mounted, so might try and mount it overhead in the garage somehow.

@Ryan - how long is the lead, and is it directly wired in, or a removable lead, such as a figure of 8 or kettle lead?
The latter would be a lot more useful, but suspect it unlikely.

Oh and I'm glad I did buy a 3 pack of remote switches, as one claimed it was working, but cut out immediately :-(
I have one that a multiway plug is plugged into, that controls power for turbo trainers, laptops, screens, and fans, and then one plugged into the multi way for the fan - darn, just realise I will need another one for the new fan.....! :evil:

daniel_b

So it arrived, and it's considerably smaller than the other two, and not unsurprisingly moves a LOT less air.

I'll try and remember to take a pic of the three fans together for context.

For £18 it's ok, but not overly enamoured with it - the wall mount option is nice, but at the moment I have it on a table just in front of the front wheel - with the laptop behind.
I'd be well annoyed if I had spent £40 on it though - versus the (then) £48 Sealey 18" fan, it's in another division.

For me personally, there is no way this would suffice as a lone turbo training fan, I could manage with it and one of the other two, preferably the 18" floor fan.

I was struggling on a 4 X 20 minutes at 90-94% of FTP early doors, and utilised all 3 on max power!

bigmitch41

Ive got a 20" High velocity floor fan sat infront of my front wheel, only had it on setting two.... which felt like it was lifting the roof off the garage!

VamP

Two fans, one from each side has been the cooling breakthrough I have been looking for.

dannbodge

Daniel B wrote:

Ryan_W wrote:

Just got one of these for £20 off Amazon. Great, small, powerful and quiet. Works a treat and I run very hot.
Did a 20 min power test last weekend and it did the job.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VOXON-TurboFor ... ywords=fan

My missus wants to turbo in the garage too now more regularly, and unless I am on an 'easy' one I need two fans.
As the HT900 now either seems not to exist, or is over £50, and the above also seems to be discontinued, I was pleased to find a returned one in the Amazon warehouse for £18, so have just ordered that - says can be wall mounted, so might try and mount it overhead in the garage somehow.

@Ryan - how long is the lead, and is it directly wired in, or a removable lead, such as a figure of 8 or kettle lead?
The latter would be a lot more useful, but suspect it unlikely.

Oh and I'm glad I did buy a 3 pack of remote switches, as one claimed it was working, but cut out immediately :-(
I have one that a multiway plug is plugged into, that controls power for turbo trainers, laptops, screens, and fans, and then one plugged into the multi way for the fan - darn, just realise I will need another one for the new fan.....! :evil:

Like this

Matthewfalle

Dannbodge wrote:

Daniel B wrote:

Ryan_W wrote:

Just got one of these for £20 off Amazon. Great, small, powerful and quiet. Works a treat and I run very hot.
Did a 20 min power test last weekend and it did the job.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VOXON-TurboFor ... ywords=fan

My missus wants to turbo in the garage too now more regularly, and unless I am on an 'easy' one I need two fans.
As the HT900 now either seems not to exist, or is over £50, and the above also seems to be discontinued, I was pleased to find a returned one in the Amazon warehouse for £18, so have just ordered that - says can be wall mounted, so might try and mount it overhead in the garage somehow.

@Ryan - how long is the lead, and is it directly wired in, or a removable lead, such as a figure of 8 or kettle lead?
The latter would be a lot more useful, but suspect it unlikely.

Oh and I'm glad I did buy a 3 pack of remote switches, as one claimed it was working, but cut out immediately :-(
I have one that a multiway plug is plugged into, that controls power for turbo trainers, laptops, screens, and fans, and then one plugged into the multi way for the fan - darn, just realise I will need another one for the new fan.....! :evil:

Like this

that looks like a bloody depressing place to be in.

are you in prison or is it a converted factory toilet?

dannbodge

It's in a lean to between my house and a garage (we make do with the space we have available, If i didn't have this I couldn't zwift)

It's not actually bad at all, it's clean, bright and stays relatively cool all the time.

I don't tend to look around much when i'm on the turbo anyway.

grahamcp

I think it looks great. Maybe some prints on one wall and a little shelf on the other for drinks/snacks/phone etc. but seems ideal to me!

rdt

VamP wrote:

Two fans, one from each side has been the cooling breakthrough I have been looking for.

This; two fans at oblique angles to you, plus if you can get them at different heights, even better:
eg. one floor-standing directed upwards at legs & torso; one pedestal-mounted cooling torso and head.

I'd anticipated needing to add a third high-velocity fan during the v hot weather, but after moving the pedestal fan up-close, the above setup remained effective in a 25℃ room. "Illegal" levels of attire needed though, so not for public consumption...

dannbodge

Grahamcp wrote:

I think it looks great. Maybe some prints on one wall and a little shelf on the other for drinks/snacks/phone etc. but seems ideal to me!

Got some up already and another few to order and a shelf put up too. That pic is from when I almost had it finished. Still more to finish it yet

daniel_b

I tried riding when it was 39c in my garage this year :shock:

VamP

rdt wrote:

This; two fans at oblique angles to you, plus if you can get them at different heights, even better:
eg. one floor-standing directed upwards at legs & torso; one pedestal-mounted cooling torso and head.

Snap, that's exactly the layout I have arrived at with a bit of trial and error. I used to have a 30/40 watt gap between indoor and outdoor power, now virtually the same.

daniel_b

@DanB - good name by the way, like your setup, really efficient use of space.

Mine is in the garage, it has evolved a lot - now on a smart turbo, mats down, shelves to the left, laptop in front, and 22" monitor above that which is sat on a tool cabinet, and fans spread across the area in front of me!

Will certainly make it a lot easier for me to get myself out of bed at 5am in the depths of winter.

Will take\post a pic if I remember.