knighty76 wrote:
For me it's whichever one will make me faster.
Electronic shifting won't make you much faster, if at all.
Smart trainer opened up the world of Zwift racing to me, and I'm all over it now. And it has definitely made ME faster.
Yes, I know you can race Zwift quite adequately without a smart trainer. But it's just better when that resistance changes with slope. I'm racing 2x a week now and seeing goof FTP progression (and progression all across my maximal power curve). Racing is the ultimate impetus for hard efforts, at least for me, and getting enthused about training is a big deal.
You may also find erg mode improves your trainerroad workouts.
But if you are just going to carry on doing your 2x20s or whatever is slope mode then it's probably not a big advantage.
Smart trainer for me every day. And go 1x mechanical for aero ;-).
Rich.
ETA.. I'm in West Yorkshire, UK, and it's winter so indoor training is properly important for me.
Totally with you for road bikes, but for me di2 on the TT rig makes all the difference for hilly or technical courses where I can change gear from the base bar. I reckon there has to be an advantage there although granted probably not as much as a solid years training with a smart trainer!
Personally I went for a dumb trainer that reads power and di2 and I’m happy with it but I always liked logging away on my own with trainer road anyway! I’m based in Otley myself so di2 for the Yorkshire hills is a big plus! I do ride mechanical dura ace on my road bike though as I genuinely can’t see any difference in shifting and I just prefer mechanical!