Teach me about direct drive trainers

[ridethecliche]

With residency schedule etc its been easy to skip rides. I don't like riding before work out of fear for being late sore to a mechanical or having to budget an extra 30+minutes to allow for that. After work I end up riding into darkness at times and have a half decent light setup I keep on the bike just in case.

All this has me debating getting a direct drive trainer so I can do some targeted workouts before or after work and save the long rides for when I can really enjoy them.

Any recs for trainers? I've been looking through dcrainmakers site and it's hard to really differentiate between anything these days it feels.

[pooneej]

I'm also considering getting one - Tacx Neo or Wahoo Kickr. Those are $$$. And I've been looking through youtube videos on them. I also was trying to find some NOS cheaper ones (Cyclops Hammer for $440 new on ebay but gone quick).
So with all the reviews and talking with a few people in a group I ride with: one has a Tacx Neo that he likes and the others all have Wahoo Kickrs.
They do all say that thing that raises your front wheel to simulate a climb is not worth getting but get a fan of some sort.

Basically what I got out of all the digging around is they're all good. I'm just hesitant because I dont want it to be like treadmill I bought. Used a few times then became a coat rack.

[tmf]

I started out by adding a bluetooth hub sensor (speed) and crankarm sensor (cadence) and riding my existing mag trainer, and either my Apple Watch or BT heartrate strap for the HR. That was actually a pretty inexpensive way to test out the various programs (Zwift, Rouvy, Fulgaz, etc.). I bought an Apple TV as the simplest way for me to put the program on my TV to get started. You can just use your phone, iPad, or other methods, but Apple TV is what I decided on (and I had a $100 Apple Store gift card).

After a few weeks with the sensors, I ended up getting the Saris H3 trainer. I looked at several others, but a friend suggested the H3 and it ended up winning my choice. I've been riding on in for several months now since January, and it's been perfect for me - no issues at all. It's usually $1000, but I found a 'Used-Like New' open box on Amazon for only $805.

For the training program, I really just wanted live videos and didn't care about all of the interactive, multi-rider type of features. This led to Fulgaz, Bkool and Rouvy. I think Bkool was only available on iPad and not iPhone or Apple TV, so that didn't work too well for me. I've been using Fulgaz and it's amazing. HD videos shot from riders' GoPro cameras of rides all around the world, and they add a few new routes every Tuesday. I do 2-3 hour rides all the time and love it. I used to hate indoor training and could only do 30 min or so if I was watching a CX race or similar on TV for motivation.

My favorite feature of Fulgaz is you can limit/adjust the incline grade either to a max % or reduce it by a percentage (so set max grade to something like 8% or set it up so all grades are scaled down by 20%, 30%, etc.). This makes it possible to do some very cool classic rides that are almost impossible otherwise.

Most of the programs have free trials so you can test them out. I went from hating indoor training to loving it.

[fignon's barber]

I did some research back in late March and ended up getting a Tacx Neo 2. Competitive Cyclist had one of their 30% Off Today sales, and I figured it would be a good thing to have if we were locked down. As it turned out, solo outdoor riding was one of the few activities you actually could do, so I've yet to take the Neo out of the box!

[rccardr]

Originally Posted by fignon's barber

I did some research back in late March and ended up getting a Tacx Neo 2. Competitive Cyclist had one of their 30% Off Today sales, and I figured it would be a good thing to have if we were locked down. As it turned out, solo outdoor riding was one of the few activities you actually could do, so I've yet to take the Neo out of the box!

Same boat here. Don't see myself going back to spin class at the gym any time soon (in past years have put in four or five classes a week during the winter). Did a bunch of research and picked up a TACX Neo 2T at REI (love that dividend), two high capacity fans and a 24 inch TV. Expect to use my older iPhone to manage it all. At this point...still in the box, but at least don't have to worry about supply running out.

Kids bought me a Peloton Digital subscription for my birthday so will try that out but also looking forward to messing around with some of the other online services.

[wallymann]

i was gifted a 2T for christmas, moving from a kurt kinetic -- the gold standard of dumb trainers.

its a big shift. my first objective was to simply mimic the training experience of the KK. i wanted the resistance to feel *identical* to the KK ramp-up. it took some experimentation and i got the 2T there from a feel perspective. but the wattage-to-speed relationship just doesnt line up...the 2T overestimates speed in a big way.

then i transitioned to using zwift...just solo workouts/rides, but have not yet done any events. i havent yet gone "whole hog" into the virtual riding experience -- i doubt i ever will.

i like how the 2T's frame has some designed-in lateral wiggle, so you can engage your core a bit. definitely feels better than the rigid KK.

the 2020 kicker adds the lateral wiggle and does away with need for manual spin-down calibration, so i'd say these 2 are now are pretty much comparable aside from the different approach taken for flywheels.

the 2T uses a "virtual" flywheel whereas the kicker uses a heavy "physics-based" flywheel...i'm not convinced that virtual is the path to the most realistic feel...i'd like to back-test a 2T against the new 2020 kicker to see what a heavy "physics-based" flywheel feels like.

[unterhausen]

Wahoo just came out with a new Kickr model that looks good. I suggest waiting a little while before buying it because they have had a learning curve the last few releases. I have the original kickr and it has been good for me. The fact that I can get on the bike and do a workout with very little wasted time is very appealing. And I have trouble getting myself on the bike outside if there are reasons like rain, possible ice, or darkness that argue against it. When it gets cold, the difference in time getting dressed is big.

[Clean39T]

Love my H2 Hammer, but just bought an Inside Ride smart-roller system planning ahead for winter. Will see how it goes..

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[gavingould]

my previously-used first-gen Kickr is still humming along just fine... got it from ebay about a year after they'd been out.
with the quarantine and all that, i've been putting decent mileage on it after a month off for a cross-country move. also it's way hotter here and i don't know any routes so it'll be a while before i start riding back outside on a regular basis.

[DfCas]

I have a first generation Tacx Neo which has been fabulous. Never a problem, and I use it 2-3 times per week.

However, I would not buy another Tacx. Garmin bought Tacx and immediately shut down out of warranty support for Neo trainers. They wont even sell parts to repair my trainer. Their only response is to offer a slight discount on a new trainer.

I will not support a company that treats customers in this manner.

[ridethecliche]

Yeah I'm waffling super hard on this because my fluid 2 still works just fine. It's mostly the idea of being able to program workouts into the trainer which is really really appealing.

I have a second wheelset for the trainer and I have LS crank arm power meters for both my bikes. I feel a little weird spending more money on a trainer than I've spent on two bikes!

Fact is... I know I'll get use out of it and have way less excuses. I'll likely just leave my second bike on it.

[ergott]

It's indispensable for me. I just can't get the kind of workouts in any other way. I either free ride courses on Zwift or do interval training. The interval workouts are easy to program (or download preexisting programs) and you can concentrate on just surviving the workout. I can dig deeper on the smart trainer than out on the road and it pays off during the season.

One bonus for at least the Tacx is I can have a warmup set of intervals and do the workout in the parking lot of a race. It gets the workout from my Garmin so I can do a ramp up with a couple bursts and time it perfectly to be ready for the start. No external power is needed.

[scoobydrew]

I'm on a Gen 2 KICKR that I purchased used locally (via a tip from a fellow forumite). I've been using it since April for Trainerroad and it's been a very valuable tool for getting in some saddle time. It's one of the best bike purchases I've made.

With that said, it's been humming along just fine, but there are some unusual noises popping up. It does seem like there are various quality issues with Wahoo KICKR and KICKR Cores, but I don't know how widespread it is.

If buying new I'd strongly consider the Tacx Neo 2 due to its capabilities, noise, and overall quality.

[kramnnim]

I like the Kickrs flywheel feel better than the Neos motor feel. Neo feels kind of like riding through mud.

[wallymann]

Originally Posted by kramnnim

I like the Kickrs flywheel feel better than the Neos motor feel. Neo feels kind of like riding through mud.

that's my exact complaint about the 2T...even with all the tech (or maybe because of it) the 2T resistance curve just doesn't feel natural.

so you're saying the kickr does feel more flowing and flywheely in practice?