I'm afraid to see the responses that are coming to this... I was in same situation about three weeks ago.
I have been riding a fluid2 for about 3-4 years now. Going into this winter season I wanted some excitement to hop on the trainer.

I went crazy and pre-ordered the Tacx Neo Smart. My main reason being, like you mentioned, Trainerroad, Zwift, etc and power numbers. I doubt it will do more in terms of getting me more fit from a technological standpoint... but I bet I will be putting more hours in. So, I think it comes down to whether that's worth the money or not.

Take some time to learn about how Trainer road works. You dont need a new trainer. You dont even need a power meter, though it would be nice. You can make real gains in your fitness with just a speed cadence sensor and .ant receiver, and a hr strap.

As long as you keep the trainer consistent you can get real gains from trainerroad.

I think the most important answer is yes, that's plenty to get some awesome indoor training work done on. All you'll need is either a power meter or speed sensor (for Virtual Power) and you'll be dialed to get full use out of TrainerRoad.

If you are looking to invest further in your indoor setup, electronic trainers are pretty dang cool, and can even be more motivating to some people. Check out this article explaining some of the primary differences and benefits of an electronic trainer: Electronic Trainers Explained

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Professional Mountain Biker and Community Manager at TrainerRoad - Cycling's Most Effective Training Tool

I have the same trainer (2003 vintage). It works great. It's no different than all the top end "dumb" trainers currently on the market so unless you are anxious to get a smart trainer like a Kickr, there is not pressing need to upgrade.

TrainerRoad would give your training a huge boost so definitely get set up and use their training plans. Your Fluid2 will work with TrainerRoad.

I did find that my old Fluid2 did not give accurate power numbers with TrainerRoad's virtual power (I think the Fluid2 power curve in TrainerRoad might be based on a newer model). My virtual power was about 40 watts low, but, it was consistent which is all that matters for indoor training. I used TrainerRoad effectively for the past 3 winters. I just got a power meter and have given up any thought of replacing the Fluid2. It works great.

My suggestion would be to take the money you would spend on a new trainer and get a power meter instead. Add to the pot what you would spend on a new dumb trainer, and you can get a brand new power meter for just an additional $250-$300. If money is tight, shop eBay for the cheapest used Ant+ power tap wheel you can find and you'll be golden for indoor training with out spending much if anything more than you'd be dropping on a new trainer. If you don't want to do anything, you will be fine with what you have.

Unless your trainer is "tired" and you can max out your cadence in your hardest gear and wish you had more resistance there is nothing to be gained from spending money on a new trainer. Set yourself a goal of once you can out pedal your trainer then you get to buy yourself something newer and fancier - motivation/reward for the winter. I still rock an old Blackburn Mag trainer. I'm just about at the point where I have to upgrade so I can increase my 10s to 30s intervals as I can outspin the trainer for short intervals.

I've got an older Fluid2 as well which I use with TrainerRoad and a PowerTap. That gets me through the winter in Wisconsin.

However, if you do decide you want another trainer, CycleOps is running a trade-in special where they will give you 25% off of a new trainer if you trade in your old one. (http://www.cycleops.com/...tm_source=newsletter)

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-- Scott

It's mechanically sound. Couple it with TR or something similar and it will work fine.

Of course we all want the latest gadgets. Spend your money on a real upgrade, not a sidegrade.

Thanks, all. Great insights.

Hey guys, Eric here with CycleOps. There are a lot of great questions, and as HoustonTri has mentioned as long as your current trainer is continuing to offer you the available resistance necessary for your workouts and trainings then you should feel comfortable continuing to use the trainer that you have.


Using a indoor training platform is a great way to better engage yourself during your indoor trainings and I'm proud to say that nearly every CycleOps smart and non-smart trainer are compatible with many of the the popular options.


Some of our favorites are:


TrainerRoad - Primarily interval based workouts. You can choose from a number of current workouts and even create your own. They also have support for The Sufferfest videos that you already own.


Zwift - Gaming style world where you join in and ride available courses with others and get incentives along the way to boost your performance and gain status.


CycleOps VirtualTraining - Real routes with video that you ride and even create your own. If your favorite ride isn't available it's simple to create and train on when you cannot hit the road. Also interval based workouts and online racing, support for select Paincave workout videos as well as The Sufferfest videos that you already own


As a few have mentioned, all that you need to get any of these systems working in their simplest form is a compatible speed sensor. This will allow these platforms to use our defined power curve for the Fluid 2 Trainer to determine your "virtual power" based on the speed of your rear wheel and progress the course or workout. If you wanted something more accurate than virtual power then a power meter on your bike or even a smart trainer would be worth considering.


A smart trainer that has built in bluetooth or ANT+ and will control the resistance and read power as you ride any of these platforms. If you are in the US then you may want to consider our current trade-in offer through a local dealer, as TriScott posted. My favorite being our PowerSync Trainer.

I'm glad it sounds like your Fluid 2 trainer is still working well, jjzonvil. If you have any further questions about our trainers or some of the available training technologies out there these days feel free to reach out to me.

Eric Albers
ealbers@saris.com

Going against the grain here:

I came from a PM/Dumb Trainer combo (Stages / Tacx Cycleforce Swing) going to a Smart trainer (Tacx Vortex Smart) and it is an order of magnitude better (for me).

I can boot up trainerroad and watch a documentary/movie/whatever and just pedal and not have to focus at all on the intervals and just pedal.

The other route requires full concentration.

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2014 P3 DI2 - RT6, CXR80, Power2Max S, 820, Fenix 3 HR. (gone)