UKC

Hi,

I'm thinking about getting a bike trainer, Pelton type thing. We've got small kids in the house so need something with all the moving and greasy parts safely hidden from little fingers.  My other half will want to use it too so it'll need to be user friendly , comfy and offer some less gnarly options.

At the moment getting to the gym is impossible (small sleepless children and needing to work at home in the evenings) but being able to jump on something that's always set up and being able to push hard for 45 mins to an hour (and jump off if the kids need me) is probably the option that would best fit where I am in my life.

Any suggestions?

Cheers, 

David

In reply to SuperstarDJ:

Do you already have a (road) bike or not? That will make a big difference to your recommendations. If so I’d go for the Wahoo Kickr Core Zwift One - terrible name but great product. Not too expensive (in the world of direct drive turbo trainers) and has the fancy new one-cog setup bundled with a year of Zwift (the platform used by most). Check out dcrainmaker for very detailed reviews of all the hardware and software (although note they can often be quite padded to get the word count up) 

In reply to SuperstarDJ:

I gather that with peloton you're really buying the exercise classes and personal trainer type thing, and paying monthly for it, more than the bike which is fairly basic. 

They are looking fairly shaky financially so if that disappears then you are left with a useless exercise bike.

In reply to ianstevens:

Hi,

I did have a turbo trainer but never really used it. I couldn't really leave it set up with the kids around, too many moving parts and oily bits. I was hoping for something all in one and neater.

Cheers, 

David 

In reply to gethin_allen:

Hi,

Yes, and that sort of thing would possibly work well, particularly for my wife. It does seem a lot to pay monthly and usually with that sort of brand you're paying over the odds for the slick marketing. I'd be interested in cheaper or better alternatives.

David 

In reply to SuperstarDJ:

I have no experience of them, but another brand is WattBike, who I believe were involved initially with the top end of UK cycling- olympic team etc. Anyway, their website is www.wattbike.com so you can have a browse!

In reply to SuperstarDJ:

Budget?
 

Based solely on your post a wattbike atom- but there’s a lot of options depending on your specifics.

In reply to NorthernGrit:

If money was not an object, I’d get the Tacx Neo Bike Plus Trainer.  But £3.5K is a lot of money for most of us.

I have a Neo 2T, that I mount my bike to, and it’s brilliant.  It feels so realistic and doesn’t feel like a chore to get going.  ERG mode, where the software (I use Zwift), controls the resistance is indispensable.  I’ve had a few turbo trainers in the past and hated riding them but not this one.

Make sure you budget for a few extras, such as a fan, mat and so on.

In reply to SuperstarDJ:

I have a Wattbike Atom. I absolutely love it and think its well worth the money. My wife uses it as well, just adjust the saddle height (easy) and make sure you both use same cleats (you can have toe clip pedals as well)

Re hard/easy - you have the option of the wattbike app which has lots of training programs on it. You can mount your phone or ipad on the specific holder above the bars. Or you can go down the Zwift route (other apps are available - but I only know this one) Loads of choice and training programs/races/climbs/group rides etc. But you will need two accounts ideally, otherwise your wife will be using yours and the weight/ftp/feed to strava will all be happening as if it was you riding. I use Zwift through a TV using an apple TV for the app (I don't think TVs alone are powerful enough to run the app without a third party device)

The main reason I love it is it's permanently ready to go, it is physically small and compact and has lots of adjustment.As i'm sure you are aware, with smart bikes the pedalling automatically gets harder as you hit gradients. There are other smart bikes available that do the same job, possibly quieter and better, but possibly be more expensive. I have mine sitting on an omnirocker , which makes it even more comfortable and realistic (especially for longer sessions).

https://omnirocker.com/products/omnirocker-atom-stealth  

in action here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWFBUlFk9AI&t=18s

Well worth the money if you can afford - for me a total game changer when I added it.

If you and your wife are going to use it, then I think its much easier to justify the expense. get a good fan (Vacmaster cardio54 with remote control strapped to the handle bars "chefs kiss") and maybe a mat to put the bike on for excessive sweat.

Hope that gives you some ideas - good luck

In reply to SuperstarDJ:

Ive had an Elite turbo trainer for about 12 years with a display unit you mount on handle bars tells you your power ouput etc.  i only use it in winter months just to excercise cycling muscles before going skiing and ready for outdoor biking in spring.

In reply to SuperstarDJ: If I was in your situation I’d probably get a Concept2 Bike Erg. Apparently well built and from an established manufacturer, measures your power, and can easily be set up for different users. It won’t be any good if you want a smart trainer that will control resistance while you use Zwift or TrainerRoad though.

In reply to SuperstarDJ:

Buy a spinning bike. Set it up as close to your road bike as you can and do the GCN spin classes on YouTube. I actually managed to put drop bars on mine with Shimano pedals and my regular saddle type. 

Worked for me for years. Especially the 20 minute HIITs before breakfast which keep you buzzing all morning.

E

In reply to SuperstarDJ:

I have the Wahoo Kicker and use Rouvy - found it a great set up and bought the bike and most of the bits through the cycle to work scheme a cover would solve the kids issue

In reply to SuperstarDJ:

I dont have one, but I know a number of people who have Wattbike Atoms and are very pleased with them - in most cases they previously owned smart trainers and put a bike on, but the Wattbike is much more compact...

In reply to SuperstarDJ:

I have a rowing machine (not the Concept one, I'm not made of money) and a spin bike in the garage (bought from a gym closing down sale) and I use Apple Fitness with both. There are hundreds of workouts (of all different exercise types) available, everything is tracked which I like, and the instructors and sessions are pretty good.

The bike sessions are studio rather than on the road type things so are limited to a max of 45 mins, but if you're after a spin class - it works.

In reply to Enty:

I had wondered this. Is there a particular entry level spin bike you'd recommend. How much roughly.