It is hard to search on it, but there are lots of posts and threads of people using dumb trainers. And my anecdotal observation is that the vast majority of those are Kurt Kinetic trainers.

I went from a KKRM to a smart trainer, and the move was fantastic. One key use case you might like is that with my KKRM, I had to focus on hitting my target power numbers, so I could not tune out as much. I prefer to watch Netflix, and the smart trainer makes that super easy. I use TrainerRoad, and it just runs the workout. Meanwhile, I watch whatever on my iPad. It is freakin' great!

While you can definitely do really good workouts on a dumb trainer even in 2022, my opinion (for what its worth) is that if you do go with a smart trainer you won't regret it at all.
Riding on Zwift or Rouvy, doing group rides having the trainer change resistance based on what's on the screen, erg mode etc....
All of these things are really game changers.

There are lots of deals floating around, I saw one of the Elite trainers for $599, you can get the Saris H3 for some crazy deals.

I have a kk road machine. Bought a kickr. I hate the way it feels. I’m in the minority perhaps, but it doesn’t feel as ‘fluid’ as the kk. The kk has way better road feel, I can set it up so the power is pretty damn accurate as well. The only benefit for the kikr is wheel off convenience. I hated erg mode. Felt like crap. My kikr sits in the corner of the pain cave unused now. Road machine still going strong. I prefer to change gears to increase resistance - I can still watch YouTube etc all the while. It’s small, but it’s more engaging, especially when you have to keep an eye on ur cadence/power ever so slightly. I highly reccomend you try use one for a bit before you splash out because you may miss the feel of the kk. Or maybe I’m old fashioned at 42 years old ;)

IMO, a smart trainer is better for entertainment aspect of riding and if it keeps you riding, it's better.

With that said, I have a Computrainer and a KK. I've ridden the KK 2 or 3 times since 2012.

I have used a dumb trainer for a long time. I do not remember the brand off the top of my head; it is not kurt kinetic. I do not do easy rides on it. I get winter easy volume on skis or running outside. I get summer easy volume on my gravel bike. I really like the formidable resistance and essentially no-momentum nature of it. I think it makes me stronger.

My wife has been on a smart trainer for a few years. She rides easy, she rides hard. She does programmed workouts and she spins while watching a movie. The technology barrier is nil. You can do the ANT/BT connections on the first day; the apps are simple after that. All the smart trainer apps will have a just-ride cruise option.

I just purchased a smart trainer 3 weeks ago. Mostly to remain congruent with my training partner and with my wife. The road-feel is amazingly better. My few Zwift races has been significantly harder than I can typically produce alone in the basement. I think this will be fun.

That said, I suspect I will still do key indoor workouts on the dumb trainer as outdoor season approaches. Overall, I do not think you will regret the upgrade. From my perspective, the pleasure aspect is higher and they are hassle-free.

I’m still on the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine I bought used in 2008. I ride it 4-5 hours per week and aside from the groove I have worn into the roller it looks and rides just the same. There is a second KK that my son bought 7-8 years ago on stand-by so I guess I am a happy KK lifer.

I am all in on technology, I just don’t currently use much besides my iPad to watch cycling and triathlon while I bike.

I am on a fluid trainer still. For me the upgrade/change to a smartone isn't an investment I see value in for me. I am not on Zwift/Rouvy/Fullgaz. I can hit my numbers with a fluid trainer which meets my needs. It seems to me that moving to a smart trainer makes sense if I were to do those programs. I am sure there are some benefits even if I didn't use them, but for me, I don't see a return on my investment. If someone can give me a good reason to, I would probably make it. My ignorance is pretty big, though. ahhahaha

I'm still riding my Kreitler rollers that are about 25 years old when I ride Rouvy. This is about 4-6 times/week from Oct-April. I have some speed and cadence sensors and added power pedals last year. This was a nice upgrade, but not game changing, since I've been doing this so long. It would be nice to be able to "feel" the changes in the road as elevation changes, but not enough to spend the $$ on. With 3 kids in college, I have to save where I can and this falls into that category.

ride on
Barry

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Great things never come from comfort zones.

Just my experience:

Using the trainer used to be my absolute last resort to get a workout in. I always found it hard to tolerate after 15-20 minutes, so it only got used when the weather was really bad, and I absolutely had to get in a workout.

I started using Zwift a few years ago, with a Kurt Kinetic fluid trainer paired with my power meter. Zwift made the trainer a lot more tolerable, but still not "fun". I finally broke down at the beginning of 2020 and bought an Elite Direto X, and that was a game changer. I often found myself extending my rides a little longer than intended ("just one more mile", "just to the top of this climb", "after I catch this guy", etc). Over the last few years, I've done about 30% of my annual mileage on Zwift. The Direto was the best cycling investment I've made in the last few years...

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"I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10, and I don't know why!"

I'm on the fence on pulling the trigger. Currently ride a Kurt Kinetic fluid trainer that is 13+yrs old.


I'm still on a non-smart KK Fluid Trainer. For me it works. Put some great music on and bang out some intervals or Sweet Spot riding. Rarely spend more than an hour on the trainer. I alternate between the KK and some basic rollers that I will use for easier recovery rides. I find the time seems to go quicker on the rollers, as you need to focus on a few things to keep it all going.

Now - my Wife. Totally different. She has a Wahoo Kicker Smart Trainer, Premium Zwift account and she races, frequently on Zwift and has done so since the early days. She's part of a women's team that races exclusively on Zwift, and I think it was the Winter of '20-'21 she won the Ontario Provincial Zwift Racing series by a long shot!

Everyone has to decide what works for them!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

I still have a 1Up USA trainer from circa 2000. Its mounted on a rocker plate, with a Surface Pro 3 attached to my aerobar extensions for Zwift. I use a PowerTap for the obvious. It all works perfectly fine. Like the poster above, I used to HATE the trainer. Zwift was the big game changer by adding the needed mental stimulation. However, I sill just enjoy riding outdoors. So, the trainer / Zwift setup is always just a way to avoid sh*tty weather.

Maybe a smart trainer would improve that further, but I have other things I'd rather spend $800 on. So, it never makes it to the top of the list.

I'm pretty sure Dev is still waiting for the current models to be phased out and go on sale........ ;)

I'm in the same boat. I am on a Kurt Kinetic Rock-n-Roll (KKRR) and nothing I've ever road comes close to comfort. I'd love to have a smart trainer but the motion of the KKRR makes it so I can stay on the trainer for long periods of time.

I've looked at motion plates + a trainer and I'm looking again since my new Cervelo P-Series sits offset on the roller of the KKRR due to its width and I haven't found a solution as I'm at maximum adjustment. That said the cost to get back to my comfort level and the only minimal improvement I perceive haven't made the ROI bar for me yet.

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Member of FishTwitch - Arriving to T1 alone and watching you go by on the run.
My Blog: http://poseidom.wordpress.com

Still using a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine bought in 2001. The frame was replaced under warranty but the resistance unit is original. I use it with Trainerroad and my bike has a Stages left arm power meter. For me this setup works great and I don't see a need to purchase a new trainer. My setup is in the garage so I don't worry about noise or floor vibration like I did back in my apartment days. Maybe if I was into Zwift racing I would appreciate the benefits of a smart trainer but that's not a concern at the moment.

I really hated indoor riding until Zwift + smart trainer. Now hubs and I each have our own Kickr.

still on my dumb Tacx, rider and trainer are well matched..

anyone who has a Kurt Kinetic can go smart for $40 now,
https://www.kurtkinetic.com/...nride-3-power-sensor

dcrainmaker reviewed it when it first came out in 2012, at that time $200.. so it looks rather like a bargain now..

if I was serious about racing I'd want a smart trainer these days, just so many options and ways to get good measurable data out of it. but I'm old fat and breathless so the dumb trainer works fine for me..

,
.
Yep, dumb trainers worked for me back in the '90's and my $100AUD cheap-ass one works for me now.

So I tried that a few years ago. The Kurt K. App was awful. Then I had to focus so hard to stay within a window to hit power and cadence correctly.

I have been on the Kurt Kinetic for the past 5 years. I have increased in my average speed at races from 19 MPH to 24 mph in that time and will be shooting to average over 24.5 MPH at races in 2023. I think dumb trainers are great. I use mine twice a week for about 10 months a year. I also like going to the gym to join their spin classes because they have an I-max screen and you feel like the whole room is moving when you are riding. I get a better workout with my dumb trainer at home though. The gym is just for fun. I also cycle out doors once a week for 8-9 months a year. I use virtual power on the dumb trainer to complete power based interval workouts so it is not just spinning. It is training. I don't know what a smart trainer would do for me that my dumb trainer can't but I also don't know what a $750 dollar GPS watch does for me that a $10 chrono watch can't. ;-)

Still on a KK rock+roll fluid turbo.
I got power meter pedals recently, but previously use the inride little block (as linked earlier by another) and the KK inride app.
Alternatively used 'virtual power with a wahoo speed and cadence sensors using Sufferfest.

For the cost of a smart trainer... I'd buy a pair of blindingly powerful mtb bike lights and go riding outside in the dark if I've got more than three quarters of an hour to use. In fact that's what I did do a couple of year back. I'd just rather ride in the real world even if wet. Turbo and treadmill are used for short periods in winter when icy and dangerous out or when I've only half an hour or so available. I ride a bike to be outdoors going somewhere, not stare at my garage floor or an animated screen (I use screens all day as it is for work).

4iiii fliiight is on sale for $250. Quietest trainer out there and resistance is adjustable. Has smart capabilities as well.

Add my 2c, if you are riding 2-3x a week and 4-5 months a year, for two people, it seems like a no-brainer to invest in making that as enjoyable as possible.

No amount of watching TV, music, etc., ever got me past about 45 minutes on a dumb trainer. A smart trainer with Zwift or whatever your favorite app is will be a lot more entertaining. I alternate between Zwift and the Tacx app - with Tacx you can ride a lot of famous places in Europe that I'd never see IRL.

I have only used a dumb trainer, over 10 years on the same KK trainer. I guess some would say old school - dumb trainer, tablet with Trainerroad and TV with Netflix. Works for me, I have my first tri bike permanently mounted on there and just move my Stages PM from there to whichever bike I use outside (tri or gravel) - takes 2 minutes to do.

I have no reason to move to a smart trainer, this setup has worked for me consistently and gotten me podiums and translates very well to outside rides. No interest in Zwift, maybe some time in the future but I have no reason to make a move at this point. What I have works for me. :)

I'm still riding normal rollers.
Use the clock on the wall, or if I really want to get scientific, maybe my stop watch.

I ride a cyclops fluid two (2010) with a dedicated trainer bike (2006) and assiamo power pedals (2019) and trainer road (2014?). I am in a winter climate and ride four to five days a week on the trainer. I can't see any reason to change my trainer until it dies.

I too am on the dumb trainer + bar chart + Netflix team. 7 years with the CycleOps Fluid 2, 4+ years without Zwift.

As an additional benefit, with a dumb trainer you are not tempted to go to erg mode, so you can better learn how different intensities feel.

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"FTP is a bit 2015, don't you think?" - Gustav Iden

I'm on an Elite Chrono dumb fluid trainer, and use it with Trainer Road. I like it and it was quite a cheap setup with a power pedal. But after a few years with it I feel like I'm ready to graduate on to a smart trainer... Something about them just feels more legit, or more like Evenepoel on the Zwift ads... Bloody marketers!

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Dayoutsports.com.au| Australia's Newest Cycling and Tri Apparel Brand

the only issue with the 4iiii is you need a specific wheel. It has to be welded, not a pin joined metal rim. I discovered to my chagrin that even though a Mavic Ksyrium is welded it does not work.... 4iiii were great though and took it back no problems. So if your wheel is the right type then 4iiii is great but for me that was a problem.

I am on a cycleops wheel-on dumb trainer with assioma pedals for power. No interest in Zwift etc... Earbuds and AppleTV on 55in screen low on the wall

Only thing I keep looking at is rollers but have never pulled the trigger

I still use my 7 year old Stac Zero magnetic trainer, my fourth dumb trainer over 30 years. I know I'm missing out on all the high tech stuff that the smart trainers offer with graphics and races etc, but I don't feel that the performance side is compromised. I make up my own workouts, ride as hard or easy as I want, hard interval workouts, overgear work. I've done 4 hour rides, plugged into Netflix, you tube, or just music. I loosely follow heart rate, but no power or cadence monitor. It can still be done the old school way :)

Rollers are a good time do it! I do have a smart trainer, but I plan to spend at least 50% of my indoor time this winter on the rollers instead.

I do not use a smart trainer... I ride rollers with power and use PerfPro... watch movies, college basketball... something.

My wife though who suddenly decided she wanted to do an Ironman... never done a tri, had a Kurt Kinetic road machine and went with a new Wahoo Kickr. She really likes Zwift and there are a lot of different programs out there... even PerfPro like I use on my rollers.

Anyway I think the smart trainer checks a lot of boxes and there are some very affordable options out there, like the new Zwift trainer... but the Kickr is pretty awesome too.

I know its more money but the Wahoo bike would be really awesome since you two are the same bike fit... that's more expensive for sure but would also be a really nice solution for both of you for a dedicated trainer.

My vote is to go smart in some way.

Same situation for me. Try to ride mostly rollers on PerfPro but do have a Hammer as well. I prefer chasing the watts to erg mode, but the Hammer does make riding in course mode possible when I want a it of variability.

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I PM'ed you. I don't want hijack this thread

My Qubo Elite dumb trainer got me 2 podiums this season.

I have a smart trainer, but ride it in "dumb" mode (with power meter on the bike).

Love the old school approach.

I'm also very much a Luddite. Never owned a trainer, smart, dumb or otherwise. 100% of training done outdoors.

A friend once asked me if I race on a penny-farthing.

I actually have to use a dumb trainer at the gym because I still can't find an perfect gym in my area where they have smart trainers that I can link one of my apps to.

I have a smart trainer that I generally use in erg mode and some e motion rollers I use with a power meter. I like both but if you held a gun to my head I’d be perfectly happy with the rollers. I like the erg because I don’t have to pay attention, but with the rollers I can adjust efforts by feel which isn’t a bad thing.

That said, the wahoo trainer is pushing the price point for smart trainers down significantly

I have my old steel custom road bike on a Tacx trainer I bought in 1988. I use it 2 or 3 times a year when it rains in Phoenix. I have also used it when recovering from various surgeries. Other than that no need for a smart trainer.

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Andrew Inkpen

I've been riding a "Feedback Sports" trainer (one of the ones where you take the front wheel off and the rear wheel runs on a pair of metal rollers) for three years now, since I broke my Kurt Kinetic one. I have a bike computer that tells me my current speed, distance travelled, average speed and I love the set up. It is totally manual, so very little that can go wrong (it'll probably fall apart when I get on it today after saying that) and I find the speeds it registers to be pretty comparable to what I manage outdoors in training and racing. The rollers seem to wreck my tyre less than the KK trainer did and it runs way quieter. I set it up at my workplace and ride after work, doing intervals and watching sport on TV (world cup right now, it's a bonanza) and find that I am able to follow any workout plan I want. Paying attention to cadence, gearing, and speed on the trainer is a good thing imho, it teaches you good habits for when you are outside. I've also wondered about "smart trainers" but have resisted so far because I am not convinced they would be that much better. I also think if I was doing Zwift races I would burn out pretty quickly. Full disclosure: I'm also the last person I know who doesn't own a cellphone, so I am not exactly a tech person...

Anyway, my point is: I don't think you *need* to have a smart trainer to be able to get full value out of your indoor workouts, as long as you are prepared to pay attention and push yourself honestly (and measure your output, whether that's speed or power).

made the decision two years ago to sell my Tacx neo2 and only ride outdoors…

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wovebike.com | Wove on instagram

In the land of rolling hills and no flats, a smart trainer is a man's best friend. I tried to pull off a legitimate zone 1 recovery ride outdoors the other day and while my average watts was where I wanted it to be, the unavoidable surges up the hills is something I can't avoid. Simply don't have the gears nor do I want to go 4mph up a hill with cars coming. I guess as I become a stronger cyclist and my zone 1 watts increases this will be less of an issue, but I am less than a year in with training.

I do wish I had gotten a tacx over the wahoo core, so I could get some basic back and forth movement while on the trainer, but other than that I'm totally satisfied with it.

I have a Tacx Blue Motion, it honestky works fine but I do want to get rid of it. But nobody wants to buy it.

I have a blue motion too for 7 or 8 years now. I used to be an almost only outdoor guy, and the trainer was there to avoid to skip a session when the weather was really bad. then covid came by and the trainer became my best friend during lockdown days. two months ago I bought an elite smart trainer and now I'm enjoying indoor training much more. I'm not selling the dumb trainer though, it's just sitting there in case a back up solution is needed

I'm still on a computrainer - it's my second. Bought first one used in 2008 and it was on the money for over 10 years, then the resistance unit went. I bought an unused computrainer on ebay for $250 (included the shipping) and I don't think it can be beat (for me). I hate that you need a smartphone to work a Wahoo (I tried it - hated it). And the fact that the Wahoo I tried was so heavy. Moving that thing around was ridiculous.

Still on my Computrainer as well. The thing just won't die. Can't remember specifically how long I have had it, but has to be in the 15-20 year range. I still really enjoy it and like that I can easily adjust the wattage manually using the console. Though, no pretty pictures for Strava.

I'm on this:

I also use earphones with a 25ft cord to plug into the jack on my TV screen, and keep Ian McKellen's recording of The Odyssey (14 cassette tapes or so) and an old boombox handy, for longer sessions. I recommend the McKellen, but not the headphone setup.

the back up solution was needed eventually: the smart trainer suffered a failure and the dumb one was resumed

Still on an old dumb one, paired with vector it’s fine for the bad weather season

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-shoki

Me! Still rockin' a "dumb" Kurt Kinetic road machine with the extra flywheel, purchased nearly 13 years ago. Couple of years ago added Garmin Vector pedal power meter to the mix. Also use the Garmin speed sensor on rear wheel.

Now, does anyone have some Sufferfest videos they would be willing to share? Due to poor internet I can't use the subscription platform. Worked with technical assistance at Sufferfest, and the best solution we could come up with was for me to drive 45 minutes to the nearest library and download workouts. Not going to happen... I've got a few I purchased years ago, but would like to expand my library.

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball

No Sufferfest but I did just drop off about 160 hours of Tour de France DVD coverage at the local Value Village after zero interest here, on FB or Kijiji.

I just upgraded my Elite fluid trainer to a smart trainer but only because I got an amazing deal on it. Otherwise I'd be rocking the dumb trainer (not literally, those trainers were expensive back in the day). I put my money into distraction when I'm working out. Nice TV etc. so the hours pass faster.

Distraction is key! Hence the plea for Sufferfest videos....

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball

Update. Santa is bringing me a Wahoo Kicker. Will see how much the wife and I enjoy it.

We also picked up XC skiing last year so will most likely be used a handful of days a week. Will give Zwift a 14 day trial see how much we like it.

Do you still watch movies and stuff while on zwift or just zwift?

Still watch TV and movies unless I'm racing or doing a really intense or complicated workout that requires me to pay attention.

 
i do a ton of zwift racing which i love, but i just use a dumb trainer and my power meter.

it's not really obvious to me what im missing. i don't need the fake realism, i just want to hammer and suffer, and i like knowing i'm getting parity of power accuracy indoor and outdoors. i've had computrainers and a bushido in the past and i never really saw the value of erg mode - i'm a tt'er and breakaway rider in road racing, so i don't have a use for erg mode, i like to dial that into my muscle memory and perception of effort. i suspect the wheel-off trainers might improve my sprint watts, but my outdoor sprint sucks just as much so i'm used to it.

if there's a killer argument for upgrading i've love to hear it, because i do get a bit tired of wearing out tires but its not enough to justify the expense.

There are many threads talking about the benefits of direct drive trainers so I wont go into that here or try to persuade anyone to get into the game.
But the prices have come down so low that I don't think price is a justification anymore for staying on the sidelines.
I just saw a couple of sites that are selling the Tacx Flux S for $375 and the Elite Suito T for $409.

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http://www.instagram.com/cyclewise

So I've just purchased a smart trainer and Zwift, and I've been blown away at the difference in engagement compared to sitting on a dumb trainer, which really was for emergency use only. I didn't think I was going to be that impressed, but have been surprised. It was a worthwhile purchase (particularly considering the price was on sale)

Check your DM's...

"difference in engagement": could you elaborate for my benefit (I'm still on a dumb trainer with TR and power pedals - and I can't imagine what would be different). thanks.

I've tried a buddy's smart trainer for about 10 minutes, and it was ok in terms of changing difficulty without me changing gears, but I wasn't sure why I would like that better.

I got a Kickr core 5 or so years ago and used it for a few years and liked it a lot. But I do not think it made me enjoy the trainer any more or less than with a dumb trainer. But I also did not use erg mode with my workouts because I like to change gears and be in tune with what I am doing on my ride. Was it good? Yes. Would I spend the money again? Probably not.

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Twitter - Instagram

Riding indoors is about the same as getting a tooth pulled without pain medication. I haven't had a tooth pulled in almost 40 years and I would suspect it no fun. I can't ride a trainer. I wobble back and forth and the stress goes to me knees and makes them achy. Once again, I have not tired a trainer in over 30 years. Snowing today so I played in the woods on my fat bike. If I'm in a hurry I do have a set of rollers I will ride. I can only tolerate a hour of riding indoors.

You don't need a smart trainer just like we don't need high end Porsches to go to the corner store for a bag of gorceries vs using a Toyota Yaris. But countless people pay extra for more luxury and features to do basically a simple thing. It is more fun doing things with fancy tools. I totally get it. I have a smart trainer, but most days, it just sits idle. If I am planning 40 min or less, I just get on my rollers and watch some videos. Like you I get winter training on XC skis, swim, run, and only really ride a few evenings per week if I did not have a chance to do other sports during the day. But when I get on my Wahoo kickr and ride courses around the world on Rouvy I absolutely love the immersive experience and time goes by quickly, and the quality of the workout is better than anything I can do on a dumb trainer

But energy is finite, and too much smart trainer with Rouvy and the quality of my swim/xc ski/run workouts just goes to the floor from going too hard too often on the trainer.

If I was a cyclist ONLY, then for sure, it woud be indispensible, but as I do swimming in 4 strokes, XC ski skate and classic, speed skating, running, snow shoeing and biking, I have 11 differents variants to stress my body with in any week. So a smart trainer does not make me any fitter, because I have a lot of options already.

I say you still get it though, but don't expect anything magical. Basically the same thing that happens in your life if you were to buy a Porsche. It is a novelty and cool at first until it just becomes a part of the hardware in the house that falls into the category of, "its just stuff that is there".

I hate the trainer.

I'm still using my 10 year old LeMond Revolution trainer (with a machined 11 speed cassette to work on the 10 speed cassette body).

It might have an average of 50 hours a year on it. Maybe.

The Zwift, Trainer Road, etc do nothing to improve my feelings towards indoor training.

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Suffer Well.

Just being able to simulate routes, even if they are fake or not, its great. Specially climbing, depending on the trainer it can be quite real as long you "believe" the speed it says on the screen, and it makes you switch gears more than if you just were on an infinite flat. Doing rolling terrain with constant changes, steep climbs, etc

I dunno, I have done up to 5 hours indoor rides when on COVID season and its just more convenient. No cars, can stop to pee whenever you want, you can have food closer, etc

You wont believe you need it until you try it.

Now I cant do it anymore because lack of space as I had to move from my place temporarily, so Im going to the gym that they have bikes with good power meters, and god, I miss it so much. I mean, for doing structured workouts I dont need it because but for random or free rides its very nice

I’m still using a dinosaur spin bike, over 200 miles a week. I got it for next to nothing when Sears went out of business at our local mall… yep… it’s that old. I’ve never even had the chain guard off, yet it still rides like the day I got it. 5 years ago, I velcroed a Garmin sensor to the wheel, for speed and distance metrics for Strava, and just went over 60k miles since then. I added aero bars to it, and copied the fit coordinates from my tri bike. I love the thing, maintenance free, and I can’t kill it. I’m a podium age grouper, so the training works. I have zero interest in swift etc. My ride time is prime youtube, movie, forum, and web surfing time.

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Athlinks / Strava

I still use my Computrainer from ~2012, coordinating to Excel generated erg files of a rotating selection of Suffeffest videos from the 2011 to 2016 time frame.

Done, and responded

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball

I've been riding for around 25 years. I think I had some cheap trainer that didn't last long when I first started riding. Then I got a cycleops that lasted a long time before giving up the ghost. I bought another one, maybe 10 years ago? Still using it.

Not even sure what these smart trainers are all about.

Like the guy above said really. I have always been in the ‘riding the turbo is like having teeth pulled’ camp, and have only done a few sessions on my Kurt Kinetic road machine in the last 10 years. I’d far rather get out on the road. Anyway, bought a Kickr Core (with the sole purpose of riding on Zwift with my brother who lives on the other side of the world once every other day), and whilst I’d still rather be on the road, riding with other people on Zwift makes the riding not unpleasant. In the past I’d watch Netflix or something, but I found I was too engaged I’m not losing the group in front of me and changing gear as the road went uphill etc, that I was actually too engaged in what was happening with riding that I didn’t have time to watch Netflix. Instead of counting the seconds down till it was time to get off, I just enjoyed riding. Personally it’s never going to replace riding on the road, but now instead of going out in the rain I’ll happily do a Zwift group ride or race.

Sorry - not trying to be a dead horse but one can do swift on a dumb trainer too. Is it better on a smart trainer - does it act differently?

In my opinion yes, totally different. I’ve ridden Zwift on a dumb trainer, and it still felt like riding on a trainer. The fact that it changes resistance when you’re in the draft, or going up a hill (for me at least - ymmv) makes it feel more engaging. Time goes quicker. It’s still indoors and I’d rather be on the road, but it doesn’t suck the life out of me like my Kurt Kinetic used to.

Can't answer that, but I will say I was content on my cyclops fluid 2 for many years and took a roll of the dice and bought the Saris H3 as it was on a massive sale. I love how quiet it is and I don't have to worry about tire wear and cranking up the TV volume while riding...or the random wall wiping to get rubber bits off after a few months!

If you can get an H3 on sale, I'd say go for it. I personally love the simplicity in TR and might consider fulgasz. Haven't tried zwift yet.

 

I still ride a very elderly Elite Volare turbo with an even older Giant TCR bike on it. . I have ‘upgraded’ to a set of single sided power pedals though.

I ride to power/heart rate and spend much of the winter (Dec to mid Feb) on board here in the U.K. when doing intervals I ride bloody hard on it though and like the simplicity of not faffing about, just me, some tunes and a small bike computer.

Briefly used Zwift, found it uninspiring but I’m sure it would have been better with a smart trainer.

The main reason for still using it is cost, I don’t earn a fortune and can’t justify the cost of a ST, prices are coming down though so maybe get one at some point.

I really don’t feel I’m missing out and that other people with ST’s have advantage, my bike times are at the sharp end of my age group.

Can't ride a trainer because of the wobble but rides rollers lol.

I picked up a Saris h3 back in May when it went on unadvertised sales. I got it for $450, otherwise I would still be on my fluid trainer. I heard some got it for as low as $400.

Erg mode for workouts is nice, and I swear my ftp increase is because its making me take a better ramp test. Otherwise Fluid is nice. I really dislike simulated gradients when I'm not in workout mode, even with 50% trainer difficulty on.

My ST is being repaired at the moment - and heaps of fun that it's throwing up. Appears to be a bunch of pre-production parts in the machine...

That being said, back on the rollers and rather enjoying it. Makes it a bit more of a conscious experience when doing a workout - needing to try and match power and rpm is a bit more like driving a non synchro box vs. a nice seven speed auto.

You get the added realism of high resistance/load when climbing steep hills. So when you're on a zwift 15% hill, it can actually provide enough resistance such that you can be doing very low rpm (like 40) and still getting high watts, which is pretty much impossible on fluid trainers where you have to lift the cadence even at max gearing to get those watts.

Zwift also does allow you to 'reduce realism' where 100% is feeling the full hill, whereas 50% will flatten it out to half its steepness (and compensate in making its length longer in real-time) or 0% realism where it's basically completely flat (and you will have to ride longer to finish the segment so all is fair). Can be useful, like if you have a foot injury where you can't put a lot of load on the foot, so you want low-hill hi-cadence spinning.

Zwift isn't perfect, but I've found its as close as I can get to doing high-quality indoor rides at all lengths (even the 3hr ones) sustainably long-term. Between the races for short hard stuff, workouts for fixed hard efforts, and fondos and open rides (super nice to have other people on the courses), it works great.

I will add that a lot of folks who aren't convinced by Zwift just don't have a good setup for it. A good computer definitely helps, and a good space and screen (I use a 50" TV) makes things actually quite fun and nice, even if you're on it for hours and hours, month after month. All those 'luxury' things you think aren't essential, start to matter once you're riding the trainer a ton, over months - avoiding mental burnout is very real for heavy indoor training.

I think Kurt Kinetic Road Machine with Pro Flywheel add-on has much better and more realistic road wheel and longer coasting time over any smart trainer I’ve used (Kickr, Neo, Direto).

Adjustable $99 on XMAS sale fluid trainer...still in use. Still like new actually--just get a Vittoria trainer tire & you're good. Identical to this picture. Easy storage...plenty of entertainment on cable, catch up on the stock market, news, etc.

Ya...I am on the lime green Kurk Kinetic Fluid Trainer too. I am currently leading a winter bike focus training group for a dozen people on my Triathlon team and they ask me about what mode they are supposed to be riding in for different workouts. I had to look up the modes for the smart trainers since I have never used one and advised that they could do most of the interval work in our workouts in ERG mode but that they would have to do the explosive sprint in standard mode and that they would have to do power testing in standard mode. We about 25% of the group had problems doing the power test to where they were trying to in crease power and the resistance adjusted to where they couldn't and they had to retest but to the smart trainer not doing what they though they had programed the workout to do. The power numbers come across really clean for the people on smart trainers that adjust the power levels for them. I am wondering about their ability to pace and their ability to select gears for out door riding but I guess the electronic gearing, that I also have never used, does the shifting for them outdoors like the trainer in ERG mode does indoors. I like the dumb trainer, but I have never used a smart trainer so all I can say is yes, I am still using a dumb trainer and that I don't have any desire to change because there are a dozen other things that I will spend my triathlon budget on first. I am not spinning by feel though. I got cheap speed/cadence sensors for $25 and so I get power reading through my indoor bike trainer ap.

No trainer still. I have an old Spin Bike, TV, swim clock, that's it. I do HIIT, and that is it. Never more than 50 min.

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Emilio De Soto II
Maker of triathlon clothing, T1 Wetsuits, & Saddle Seat Pads and AXS since 1990
emilio@desotosport.com http://www.desotosport.com