SMART TRAINER KNOW-HOW
Everything you need to know about the indoor trainers that bring virtual training apps to life
01 Indoor gains ●
Most of us will probably admit we don’t enjoy getting wet or cold. Furthermore, if you live in a busy part of the world, training indoors can be much safer. If you’re doing hard intervals to exhaustion or training in a time-trial position on the open roads, you need to be particularly careful.
Riding indoors can save you from all of that, plus it can be extremely time-efficient if you’re following a Zwift training plan or something similar on another platform. Virtual riding is now so popular that there are organised online group rides and Zwift races, so you can indulge your competitive urges at any hour to make training more fun.
02 Weight & packability ●
Trainers come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and weights. Wheel-on trainers are, more often than not, the lightest and most packable kind. Direct-drive trainers tend to be much bulkier and, although their size and shape can vary wildly – with some models folding up to a very slim form – they still tend to be pretty heavy. If you’ve got a dedicated pain cave, that’s probably fine. But if you have to set it up and pack it down before and after every session, you’ll need to take this into consideration, especially if you can’t fold down the supporting legs of a trainer or it lacks a carry handle.
03 Power and gradient ●
Trainers have different maximum power figures that correspond to the amount of resistance they’re able to generate. They typically range from around 800 to over 3,500W, although 1,500W should be plenty for most people and 2,000W models ought to be enough for all but pro sprinters.
The gradient figures relate to the maximum incline a trainer can simulate, given in per cent, like on the road. Again, a lower figure isn’t going to hinder your training, it simply means those trainers won’t be able to simulate the virtual world perfectly whenever the gradients go beyond what the trainer is capable of. However, many indoor cycling apps, including Zwift, automatically set the difficulty level to 50%, so a 10% ‘in-game’ gradient will feel like a 5% ‘real-life’ gradient on a smart trainer. Unless you’re planning to change the app’s difficulty setting, this may mean you don’t need as high a spec as you think.
04 Noise control ●
Indoor trainers used to be notoriously noisy, but vast improvements have been made over the past few years. Wheel-on trainers are still typically louder than directdrive trainers, but the gap has narrowed somewhat. Directdrive smart trainers are typically the quietest, with some models being so quiet that the sound from your drivetrain becomes the main source of noise. For both types of trainer, though, the noise levels obviously tend to increase as both your power output and the flywheel speed go up.
If you want to be able to do interval training sessions inside your house or flat early in the morning, perhaps before your partner/family/housemates wake up, or after work when they’re trying to watch their favourite Netflix series next door, a quiet trainer is a must. If you have your trainer set up in a garage or shed down the garden, on the other hand, it’s clearly less of an issue.
“Virtual riding is now so popular that there are organised online group rides and Zwift races, so you can indulge your competitive urges at any hour to make training more fun”
06 Useful accessories
● The one accessory you really do need is a big, powerful fan, because on a stationary bike you don’t get the cooling effect of moving through the air. Something around 20 inches will do or, if you’re really flash, you can get a ‘smart’ fan such as the Wahoo Kickr Headwind. Another useful item if you’re viewing the app on a laptop or tablet is a stand or table to hold it in front of you, or if you want to use a TV, the Apple TV box is compatible with the Zwift app.
A trainer mat of some sort – preferably one that’s rubberised underneath to help it stay in place – will catch your sweat drips and also help dampen vibrations and keep noise levels down, especially if you’re using your trainer on a wooden floor (which tends to amplify the sounds). Sweat nets that cover your top tube, steerer tube and stem can protect them from perspiration and corrosion (see BikeRadar.com for advice on using a carbon bike on the turbo trainer).
You might also need a riser block for your front wheel. This will depend on the model of trainer, but it’s worth checking because, frustratingly, even if a trainer needs a riser block to level you out, it doesn’t always come with one included. Even if your trainer doesn’t technically need one, using a riser block can increase stability because it helps to stop your front wheel moving under you. They’re not that expensive either (unless you want Wahoo’s Kickr Climb gradient simulator, £530).
05 Connectivity ●
Once you’ve got all the essential items – namely, a smart trainer, a bike to attach to it, reliable Wi-Fi and a device with a screen to watch your chosen training app on – then you need to sort out power and wireless connectivity.
First, most smart trainers need to be plugged into the mains electricity supply to function, so you might need a good-quality extension lead. This depends on where you’re going to set up the trainer of course, but be aware that the supplied plugs don’t always have sufficiently long leads.
We recommend using Bluetooth to wirelessly connect all your hardware, but if you have ANT+ accessories (such as an older power meter or a heart-rate monitor) that you also want to connect, then you’ll need an ANT+ USB dongle for your laptop or tablet.
07 What about smart training bikes? ●
If you’re really dedicated to indoor cycling, there is another tier of smart-cycling device available: the smart bike. The best smart bikes (i.e. the Wattbike Atom) offer all the features a top-end smart trainer does, plus more, making them a perfect fit in the best Zwift setup. Their advantage is that, once assembled, they’ll always be ready and waiting for you to jump on and start pedalling, plus they’re essentially maintenance-free.
The downsides? First of all, they’re typically very expensive. You’ll also need a dedicated space to use it in, as these things are way too big and heavy to put away for storage at the end of each session.
“The one accessory you really do need is a big, powerful fan, because you don’t get the cooling effect of moving through the air”