TURBO TRAINERS

From simple rollers to all-singing smart trainers, there have never been more options when it comes to indoor bike training. Jack Sexty puts six to the test

With the worst of the British weather lurking, riding outside may soon seem an unattractive proposition. And yet reasons to hop on a trainer extend beyond avoiding adverse weather: more structured workouts without needing to stop at lights, no traffic to contend with, and less preand post-riding faff, to name but a few. In fact, Lionel Sanders does most of his hard bike training indoors, and who are we to argue with one of Ironman’s strongest riders?

With the latest wave of sturdy smart trainers that can simulate huge amounts of resistance, indoor training has been reclaimed as a brutal pursuit that can often be mentally and physically tougher than riding outside. You can find thousands of structured sessions across the various smart training apps, some of the more popular options being TrainerRoad, The Sufferfest and Zwift; the latter of which plays out like a computer game on screen.

The six trainers on test represent a spectrum of designs, mechanisms and price points, from portable options with manual resistance, to wheel-on units, to the very latest direct-drive trainers with a highly realistic experience that’s almost like riding on the road.

direct drive These trainers don’t require your back wheel, instead you mount your bike directly to a cassette. Erg mode A feature of high-end smart trainers that controls resistance for you based off your target power zones. platform Indoor trainers use a variety of methods to provide stability when in use, from legs to broader platforms seen here.