I’ve got a Kurt Kinetic collecting dust in my garage. Seems like things have changed since I hung up my bike! Can anyone give me a good recommendation for a trainer + power meter + software setup for under $1000? Maybe $1200 if necessary? Thanks!
DCRainmaker has good reviews of all of your questions. He also has a Facebook page.
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I think you’re better off just getting a power meter for that budget. I only recently swapped over to having a smart trainer after 4 years of a Cycleops Fluid 2 and a power meter. Zwift doesn’t exactly do it for me so there isn’t a big effective difference in my training except for the occasional use of erg mode. Personally, I’d elect for a good pair of power pedals or a Power2max for you crank and then spend the rest of the money on other upgrades. That’s all assuming your Kinetic still works fully.
Great timing! We are in the process of a review series on training software.
https://www.slowtwitch.com/Indoor_Training/The_Best_Bike_Training_Software_8175.html
https://www.slowtwitch.com/Indoor_Training/A_New_Era_in_Training_TrainerRoad_Adaptive_Training_7889.html
https://www.slowtwitch.com/Indoor_Training/Wahoo_SYSTM_Long-Term_Review_8246.html
https://www.slowtwitch.com/Indoor_Training/The_Birth_of_Zwift_7662.html
The market is full of great choices. The top two are TrainerRoad and Zwift, depending on what you like most. But SYSTM is gunning for spot on the podium with them.
For power meters, the current best value and performance is the Assioma Duo pedal system. For cranks, the Power2Max, 2INPower, and DZero are all great. There are many other good options along with these.
There are tons of trainer options, and most of them are good. You do not need a PM for this, but it is very nice. You probably won’t be able to get both a trainer and PM for $1K, but maybe $1,200 USD. The best “cost efficient” smart trainers will be ones like the Tacx Flow Smart, Wahoo KICKR Snap, Saris M2, Elite Tuo, and Elite Zumo.
Exactly what I was looking for, thank you!
I still use a 20+ year old Kurt Kinetic with a power meter and Trainerroad. It works for me but I’ve never used a smart trainer for comparison so I don’t know if I’m missing anything.
I love the new wheel off smart trainers, they have a very heavy flywheel and solid construction. I have the wahoo one down from the top and like it a lot. I use an old hub based powertap and stages left arm for power and they are fine. Zwift, trainer road and systm all offer trial periods I think, so see what grabs you if anything.