Cheap indoor cycle trainers. Worth it?

Worth it. It would be even more worth it to buy one from craigslist or the like used. I would honestly look for one from well known maker but even then, their entry level trainers are worth it if you're willing to train inside.

I would choose a fluid one myself. We've got 2 fluid trainers.

Then set yourself up with Zwift.

I bought a cheap trainer for winter use....

Pros -
It allowed me to maintain my endurance over the winter months while watching the TV
It cost very little so in value for money terms it didn't take much use to make it decent value for money,

Cons -
Very noisy.
Unless you can leave it set up it's a bit of faffing around to set up indoors (mount the bike on the trainer, set up a fan, protect the carpet from chain oil and sweat).
Annoying for the rest of the family.
Not that stable so standing cycling very difficult which leads to saddle soreness which means endurance training is compromised. I could just about watch a rugby match but it was getting painful.
Not good for high power intervals.
Wears out your tyres very quickly (use old ones or get a specific training bike tyre but that stops you using the bike outdoors on nice days.

Result was that I didn't use it much and simply switched my indoor or bad weather training to the gym where I can use a high spec indoor trainer with a power meter. My training changes too to the more technical aspects such as FTP, power, VO2 max training.

Kind of depends how you define cheap.

A dumb trainer with just a flywheel and either fan or fluid resistance is perfectly adequate, although you end up having to use a cadence and speed sensor to work out how hard you're working. I had one for about 16 years and over about the last five had been using The Sufferfest videos to guide the training.

Stepping up from there you've got the opportunity for remote control of the resistance through a tablet/ phone or laptop. Coupling with the right software you end up able to do more sophisticated training without any admin effort. The Sufferfest app, TrainerRoad, Zwift will all guide you through the training and give you nowhere to hide.

Step up to the wheel-on trainers and you get a smoother ride experience (allegedly, I've never tried one) but that comes with the hassle of taking the bike off and on when you want to real world ride.

I have a Tacx Vortex Smart using an old Alu roadie that I no longer use in the real world, it sits in my garage. So reasonably llow impact. As highlighted, the Smart Trainer is quieter, although in the garage that's less of an issue. I've found that the power elements of the trainer have made a step change in the value. The dumb trainer was ok, the smart trainer is much more focused.

My primary sport is endurance trail running, so using the turbo allows me to optimise my CV training whilst managing the impact effects of high volume running.

Worth it, definatly. We have the room to have my bike set up all the time, so no messing about, just get on and go so to speak. I listen to music as I cycle on speed days and I bought an adapter from amazon which fits on to a cheapo camera tripod to hold my tablet to watch on slower cycle days. I am in Ireland and paid about €60 for a store brand one.

NorthCascades wrote: »

Ben_Likes_Beer wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

I would choose a fluid one myself. We've got 2 fluid trainers.

Then set yourself up with Zwift.

I'm trynna do it cheap as I can.

Buy a cheap rear tire to use on the trainer. You'll be surprised how quickly it wears. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, the cheapest one you can find is great.

Agreed - it makes a difference.

I bought a trainer-specific tire last year and it made my mag trainer noticeably quieter in addition to being far more durable on the trainer.

NorthCascades wrote: »

Buy a cheap rear tire to use on the trainer. You'll be surprised how quickly it wears. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, the cheapest one you can find is great.

What makes the tires wear out? The back tire doesn't touch the ground and the front tire doesn't move.

lorrpb wrote: »

NorthCascades wrote: »

Buy a cheap rear tire to use on the trainer. You'll be surprised how quickly it wears. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, the cheapest one you can find is great.

What makes the tires wear out? The back tire doesn't touch the ground and the front tire doesn't move.

The front tire won't wear pretty much at all, it's only the rear one.

Part of it is heat, even in the summer you normally have a breeze (just from moving) to cool you down which isn't the case indoors and stationary.

But also, tires tend to slip now and then on a trainer. Any trainer. It on the road your weight is pressing the wheel down into the ground, but on a trainer it's attached at the hub.

It's not a bad thing, it doesn't harm your bike or wheel. It's more that you don't want to wear a good road tire out.

You can train for endurance or speed and even take them to spin classes for the pros. I ride lightly at home and watch netflix at the moment-but have gone to classes where we all brought our bikes and trainers.