Smart turbo or power meter

davidw007

I’m trying to improve my training and take a more scientific approach to it but everything I see seems to be focussed on training to power.

I’m just trying to work out if it would be better to invest in a power meter or a smart turbo?

I already have an old CycleOps trainer which is well used but still working so I’m leaning more towards the power meter. However a lot of my training will be done in doors so a smart turbo has a lot of appeal.

Just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and what they would recommend.

Thanks

cougie

Get a turbo that gives you virtual power if it's one of the other. Then you can zwift or do trainer road.

MiddleRinger

A smart turbo has two big plus points:

- ERG mode: You can leave your bike in one gear and the turbo varies resistance to make you work to the correct power zone during your interval session. I think it's pretty nifty, but other people don't like it and prefer manual control.

- Automatic resistance changes: If you think you're going to use Zwift, Road Grand Tours, etc then having auto resistance changes is the way to go. Yes you can simulate it with your gears but it's not even close to being as good. It's just so much more immersive.


A powermeter is an excellent training tool when used correctly and then you can use it for all your indoor and outdoor training. I find actual training with power outside pretty difficult as it's so variable due to road conditions, gradients, wind, whatever. Indoors is so much more controlled. Outdoors I use it more for pacing efforts up longer climbs and collecting the data for analysis afterwards.

StillGoing

I have both, but if I was starting out training with power, it'd have to be the smart trainer first. Just so much more practicable for me where most opportunities to train occur indoors.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

This partly depends on your budget. You could perhaps be happy to spend ~£180 on a Tacx 2240 and ~£330 on a 4iiii power meter.

If you are buying now and have a lower budget, I'd go power meter to use it now outdoors, plus you could always use it with a basic turbo in winter.

davidw007

Thanks all, smart trainer seems a pretty unanimous decision.

Now just need to decide which one to go for, or to mix things up and go with Elite's Smart rollers, decisions, decisions!

the_jackalcp

As you already have at turbo I would say get a power meter.

In reality it depends just how scientific you are going to be with you training. It's very easy to use trainerroad on a dumb trainer and with a power meter. It is not as engaging as a session on zwift so it depends on if you can just do a training session or if you need other distractions/interactions.

Also consider if you will continue your training out on the road or whether you will just go for a ride. Having a power meter allows you that option, as well as being a really useful tool for pacing.

dinyull

DavidW007 wrote:

Thanks all, smart trainer seems a pretty unanimous decision.

Now just need to decide which one to go for, or to mix things up and go with Elite's Smart rollers, decisions, decisions!

Having neither, you can tell me to fark off.

But I'd question what you want from the smart trainer. I personally preferred Trainerroad to Zwift for structured training, so no need for the smart trainer. If you want to get into Zwift, then smart trainer probably makes more sense.

Will you not want power outdoors though?

sloppyschleckonds

Turbo trainers are for winter only, so thats 9 months of the year you could utilise a powermeter

HarryBradshaw

I was in a similar situation and went with a power meter, but also picking up a cheap used turbo.
Having the power for all rides is a big bonus for me, with the PM + dumb trainer being more than enough for starting out with properly structured indoor sessions.

napoleond

I’ve been using a power meter since 2008 but getting a wahoo kickr just over 18 months ago was an absolute game changer for my training.

StillGoing

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Turbo trainers are for winter only, so thats 9 months of the year you could utilise a powermeter

Rubbish. More and more are using smart trainers all year round. If you're struggling for time, its an ideal option rather than not bothering. 30-45mins on the turbo instead of doing nothing.

Dinyull wrote:

DavidW007 wrote:

Thanks all, smart trainer seems a pretty unanimous decision.

Now just need to decide which one to go for, or to mix things up and go with Elite's Smart rollers, decisions, decisions!

Having neither, you can tell me to fark off.

But I'd question what you want from the smart trainer. I personally preferred Trainerroad to Zwift for structured training, so no need for the smart trainer. If you want to get into Zwift, then smart trainer probably makes more sense.

Will you not want power outdoors though?

Again, can't agree with this either. I've had a non-smart turbo (Elite Kura) and whilst it was a good workout, it doesn't compare to a smart trainer with ERG mode. Just stick it in the inner ring and middle of the block and pedal. Let the program automatically increase and decrease the resistance for the session. I use Sufferfest and TrainerRoad and find them better than Zwift, which I see as just an arcade game.

the_jackalcp

Not wanting to derail this thread but appreciate I'm about to. This doesn't really make sense. How is sticking it in the inner ring and middle of block so much better than pedaling on a dumb trainer? Surely from a workout point of view a 300w interval is 300w either way. If anything a dumb trainer replicates the road in the fact that you have to concentrate to maintain target watts rather than just pedal.

I'm not anti smart trainers, just not convinced they offer a significantly better training experience and consequently the better purchase over a PM

StillGoing

The Jackalcp wrote:

Not wanting to derail this thread but appreciate I'm about to. This doesn't really make sense. How is sticking it in the inner ring and middle of block so much better than pedaling on a dumb trainer? Surely from a workout point of view a 300w interval is 300w either way. If anything a dumb trainer replicates the road in the fact that you have to concentrate to maintain target watts rather than just pedal.

I'm not anti smart trainers, just not convinced they offer a significantly better training experience and consequently the better purchase over a PM

A smart trainer increases and decreases the resistance automatically, so there is no need to change gear. This is useful when following ramp tests or any structured session allowing you to concentrate on technique and to hit the targets without fiddling with gears. For those that use Zwift, you can set the smart trainer to slope mode where resistance will change according to the terrain, but using the gears will make it easier or harder for you, just like a dumb trainer.

cougie

My trainer is dumb but it's fine for zwift. I can work out great changes for resistance too.

Power meters are useful but it's hard to use them properly on the open roads. A turbo is much more convenient and quicker to use for training.

StillGoing

cougie wrote:

My trainer is dumb but it's fine for zwift. I can work out great changes for resistance too.

Power meters are useful but it's hard to use them properly on the open roads. A turbo is much more convenient and quicker to use for training.

You won't replicate a 14% slope though with a dumb trainer no matter what resistance you manually dial in. Believe me, I was like you advocating the dumb trainer is best stance. But once you try a smart trainer, you realise the argument against a smart trainer is futile.

Midlands Grimpeur

I’ve been using a power meter since 2008 but getting a wahoo kickr just over 18 months ago was an absolute game changer for my training

Same for me. I also have a PM on my road bike and to be honest only really use it to keep an eye on my numbers, I don't tend to do intervals or power based training on the road now, it is all on the turbo.

navrig2

Dinyull wrote:

DavidW007 wrote:

Thanks all, smart trainer seems a pretty unanimous decision.

Now just need to decide which one to go for, or to mix things up and go with Elite's Smart rollers, decisions, decisions!

Having neither, you can tell me to fark off.

But I'd question what you want from the smart trainer. I personally preferred Trainerroad to Zwift for structured training, so no need for the smart trainer. If you want to get into Zwift, then smart trainer probably makes more sense.

Will you not want power outdoors though?

The Smart trainer combined with Trainer Road helps, for the uninitiated, to structure the training in a consistent fashion otherwise you are depending on your interpretation of the effort being expended. Since dumping the dumb trainer and setting up my Vortex and TR I have used the turbo much more than I ever did. It gives a focus and a target.

The Jackalcp wrote:

Not wanting to derail this thread but appreciate I'm about to. This doesn't really make sense. How is sticking it in the inner ring and middle of block so much better than pedaling on a dumb trainer? Surely from a workout point of view a 300w interval is 300w either way. If anything a dumb trainer replicates the road in the fact that you have to concentrate to maintain target watts rather than just pedal.

I'm not anti smart trainers, just not convinced they offer a significantly better training experience and consequently the better purchase over a PM

As I said above, for me, they give a constant focus for training. Using the dumb trainer just made each session a bit of a stab in the dark in relation to what effort I was putting in, how long I would last and what I would get out. Before dumping the dumb trainer the longest session I would do was 20 mins. No I regularly do 45-60 mins.

20 mins of really killing myself with effort and boredom is not as good as 45-60 mins of structured effort during which I can also watch something on the TV screen.

dinyull

Navrig2 wrote:

Dinyull wrote:

DavidW007 wrote:

Thanks all, smart trainer seems a pretty unanimous decision.

Now just need to decide which one to go for, or to mix things up and go with Elite's Smart rollers, decisions, decisions!

Having neither, you can tell me to fark off.

But I'd question what you want from the smart trainer. I personally preferred Trainerroad to Zwift for structured training, so no need for the smart trainer. If you want to get into Zwift, then smart trainer probably makes more sense.

Will you not want power outdoors though?

The Smart trainer combined with Trainer Road helps, for the uninitiated, to structure the training in a consistent fashion otherwise you are depending on your interpretation of the effort being expended. Since dumping the dumb trainer and setting up my Vortex and TR I have used the turbo much more than I ever did. It gives a focus and a target.

Different strokes I guess.

Never found using TR with virtual power, heart rate and cadence to be a stab in the dark.

When I had the time I was happily following TR's structured program, with Netflix on the screen too. Never felt like I was missing out from not having a Smart Trainer (although never used one) and was getting good results too.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

You would miss out on ERG mode and slope emulation, but you could use say a 4iiii power meter on a dumb trainer to climb Alpe Du Zwift or whatever, when the weather dictates outdoors rides are not for you.

Buying a Direto last Xmas, which has an integrated power meter, made me see the use of training by power. But I've not used it since April, I'd much rather by outdoors climbing real hills in the South Downs. So when 4iiii went on sale, I hit the trigger in April, it opened my eyes to changing how I ride cat3/4 hills and improve all my times over what I did last summer.