There are two main types of turbo trainers, wheel on or direct drive. A wheel on trainer uses the complete bike, clamps to the rear axle and has an adjustable roller which applies friction to the back wheel. There are a few benefits to using this system:
- Pretty easy to get your bike on and off the trainer
- No need to remove the rear wheel from the bike
- Relatively low cost
Getting the bike on and off any trainer shouldn’t be the deciding factor, and most people that choose a wheel on trainer, do so because of the price. They aren’t as efficient. They are not as accurate in terms of adjusting the resistance, and they can make mincemeat of your rear tyre, so much so that you should use a thicker, turbo specific tyre, which then means either changing your tyre each time you put your bike on the turbo, or buying a second rear wheel just to use on the trainer, neither of which are a great option.
The better option, by a long way, for everything other than price, is the direct drive style. With a direct drive trainer, you remove your rear wheel and attach the bike to the machine instead. It does mean you will need to also get the matching cassette to put on the trainer, so keep this in mind.
There are plenty of people, who spend a whole heap of time analysing the minute differences between each turbo trainer and they will do it a lot better than me, so I’m not going to go into a huge amount of detail here, I’ll just point out some key things to look out for and things to keep in mind to help you make a choice.
Accuracy
Within a single brand it stands to reason that the high specced turbo trainer you buy, the more accurate it will be at reading your power. Taking Elite as an example, the Suito-T at £640 has a claimed accuracy of +/- 2.5%, but their flagship model, the Justo is within +/- 1% accurate.
Obviously, we would want to work with something as accurate as possible, but the added expense for a more accurate machine may not be worth it for you. Are you going to training with a coach who will analyse your output? Do you ride with a power meter on your normal bike? If the answer to either of these questions is ‘no’, then the added accuracy may well be unnecessary.
If you do train with a power meter when out on the road, don’t assume that the readings you get from that are going to match up perfectly with your turbo trainers, even if they both claim to be within the same tolerance. Some amount of compensation will usually need to be made.
Max Resistance
It is extremely unlikely you will be able to put out 2,500watts, let alone 3,600watts, so the maximum resistance level shouldn’t be a consideration, but it usually gives a good indicator of the weight of the flywheel and the machines ability to replicate gradient. Generally, I find that the greater max resistance, the better the turbo feels when hitting a steep incline on Zwift, or when a training session calls for max efforts.
Speed of Change
If you are thinking about racing on Zwift, then a high end trainer will be of huge benefit. Bottom and mid-range trainers tend to have a slight lag in them, which means once you have crested a hill in Zwift, it takes a while (a couple of seconds maybe) for the resistance to ease off so you can start attacking the descent. In a race this could be long enough for you to lose the group and get dropped. The Elite Justo (£999) has very little lag and so in this situation could be worth the extra investment.
Different Features
Does the trainer do anything to feel more realistic (flex feet, rumble simulation etc)? Can it be used without power? Does it store away neatly? Does it weigh an absolute ton? Is it noisy? Will it connect with my HR monitor and TV / computer? These are all extra things to consider when looking for a machine that will suit your lifestyle. If you are going to have the trainer set up in a barn and you live on your own, then weight, quietness, storability won’t be as important to you as they are to the person who lives in a studio flat with a less than understanding partner!
I’ll finish by saying don’t get too hung up on the differences between them all. They all do essentially the same job. Get the best one you can afford, as the plan is you will spend a lot of time on it. They are a great training aid and make for efficient training. An hour inside, without the faff of overshoes, 20 layers of jerseys and jackets etc is not to be sniffed at. You may even find that after a while you start to enjoy it, rather than simply enduring it!
