You will probably have problems over time with most trainers that try to hold the frame in one place.

Maybe look at trainers like the Kurt Kinetic rock and roll trainer, it allows the back of the bike to rock side to side.

You could also consider rollers. If you need something more stable than plain rollers maybe look at some like the inside ride rollers. You can also consider their floating fork mount.

Alternately, is there any reason you need to ride a fancy frame indoors? You could get a cheap, super robust frame that will likely never break, and if it does it'll be cheap to replace. This seems to make a lot more sense than chasing a rare, expensive trainer that may or may not preserve your fancy carbon frame during hard workouts

I've owned a Rock N Roll trainer. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it. It can bob up and down and if it's not on a perfectly level surface you feel like you're constantly leaning to the side. IMO, these are your two choices:

https://www.feedbacksports.com/...um-portable-trainer/
https://veloreality.com/trainer-ii/

Pretty extreme ends of the spectrum in terms of price, I know. I've been eyeing a Lynx for a while. Assuming they're reliable that seems like an ideal design for a cycle studio as you wouldn't have to worry about tension or changing the rear skewer. Just pop off the front wheel, lock the fork on, and go.

I own an Omnium. It's pretty great. On long indoor rides it's noticeably more comfortable than a trainer where the rear wheel is fixed. That said, it tops out around 500 watts in something like a 53x11 90rpm so it might not be enough resistance for you.

Curious about this Omnium trainer, could you do low rpm strength efforts on it? Say 50 rpm at 300 watts?

Not really. I mean... yes, with the right gearing you could hit that resistance at that cadence but the lack of inertia really lends this trainer to spinning between 70 and 100rpm IMO.

Yeah I thought that might be the case, thanks for that. Looks like I need to increase my budget if to the lynx if I want to move to this sort of trainer :)

The cheapest/easiest option might be for you to get a Direto and a cheap bike that you just leave on the trainer at all times.

Ive currently got a kickr but its on its way out. Ive considered buying a 2nd hand frame and putting basic components on it to get it working as a trainer bike, but I really just like the idea of not having the rear wheel fixed and have a small amount of movement.

It is very nice. Something you could try are the wheel weights that S-Tac sells for their trainer. That would take care of the inertia problem. A butyl tube and a Gatorskin tire would provide a bit extra rolling resistance. 🤔 maybe I'll give that combo a go, just thought of it now.

Thats all I ever train on, makes the race wheels feel awesome but it can be a little frustrating when your training partners ride away from you..

Minoura makes a unit very similar to the Omnium except it has an adjustable mag resistance unit. You might look around to see what the power curve ranges might be: http://www.minoura.jp/...ridroller/fg540.html

Thankyou!

How is the Wahoo Kickr? U remove your wheel and put the frame in with a cassette that is attached to the trainer unit. Do it rock back n forth and have some play or is it basically just a fancy bike trainer that doesn't ruin your rubber?

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Strava:https://www.strava.com/athletes/20890878

The frame is still held fixed on the trainer so any play you feel will be flex in your frame or the trainer.

buy a wattbike or something like that

For probably less than you can build a bike with a secondhand frame, you can order a bare bones complete road bike from bikesdirect.com and flog it to death on the trainer. Their cheapest road bikes run about $250, as long as you're not opposed to stem mounted shifters....which might be a stretch for some.

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"One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time."

Tacx Neo has some minor side to side play for sprinting built into it. It's a very expensive trainer, though at around $1400 to $1500. But of the smart trainers out there, it's probably one of the better ones.

I was also just going to recommend the Neo. I think the side-to-side play it has would be enough to keep from trashing a frame. It is pricey, but I agree that it's one of (if not the) best smart trainers out there today.

You might want to consider building or buying one of the rocker boards that are populating the Zwift facebook page.

That's what I'd do. Or, assuming the cracked frame is a right off, do a heavy duty repair on the crack and use the frame purely for the trainer. If it's a carbon fiber frame epoxy the crack and just massively over strengthen it with new fiber. Or pay someone to do the job for you. That way you get use out of the frame and trainer.

FWIW, many years ago when I was working for a trainer manufacturer, we did some stress analysis on bike frames to see what the loads imparted on the frame when mounted in the trainer would be... due diligence sorta stuff.
Results were a little bit surprising. In almost all cases, by far the greatest load force on the bike mounted in the trainer occurred when riders got on (and even off) the bike, and with some riders the magnitude of force was quite significant.
This was a "wheel off" trainer, so caveats apply; I can't actually say for sure that this is the case with "traditional" style trainers (although I suspect it probably is.)

YMMV, but some folks could really do themselves a world of good by being conscious of just how they're getting on (and off) that thing locked in to the trainer.

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/

I've got 20,000+ miles between a Cyclops Fluid 2 and Kurt Kinetic Fluid, various aluminum and high end carbon bikes, regularly hit 1300+ watts out of the saddle. 180 lbs (winter weight). Never messed up a frame.

Not saying it's impossible that the trainer caused yours to crack, but riding at 600 watts on a trainer, if you are average-ish weight, is within the boundaries that your frame was built for.

I also have a friend that regularly hits 1200+ on a Fluid 2 (my old one). He's around 225 lbs. Been riding about 3 years now, and primarily indoors. His frame is all good.

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-Physiojoe
Instagram: @thephysiojoe
Cycling coach, Elite racer on Wooster Bikewerks p/b Wootown Bagels

What he said.

There's a heap of different designs that folk have built on that Faffbook group, from back end only using timber (lumber for our North American cousins) and tennis balls to full on fancy ones with airbags etc. I'm currently moving house but hopefully will have a go at making one soon for my Kickr.

Up to now I've been using a Lemond trainer, and an old alu frame (with a cracked head tube) (it's a QR Redstone - this may be sacriligous - sorry Slowman but what else can I do with it?) fitted with old MTB friction thumb shifters and old Shimano 600 front and rear mechs. Works fine and I can replicate my tri bike position pretty much.

As a very sweaty man, I'd be pretty reluctant to put a nice bike on a trainer as no matter how much I cover the redstone up, it's looking a bit, um, "crusty" now. I think I sweat pure acid...

Only works if you can replicate your fit, though, and if the drivetrain is stout enough to stand up to regular 600 watt inputs. I'd guess those bikes have pretty tall/short geometries, and would have serious doubts the longevity of Tourney level drivetrains at those power levels. No, I'd go a little higher up the quality chain than the bottom feeder bikes on BikesDirect. If it were me, I'd actually be combing the local craigslist for a used Specialized Allez.

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"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"