Wanted: Trainer Recommendations
No, not for me, I'm still very, very much trainer free 
. But a new member was asking for trainer recommendations so I'm starting this thread to get your input and maybe this could turn into a group buy or discounted opportunity with Trisports? Dunno.
Anyway, tell us what you're using or what your recommendation is.
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Recommend the Kickr Snap. I had the more expensive Kickr direct-drive and it was such a pain to remove the rear wheel each time. If you were off by 1mm reattaching it, the whole thing would rattle. Returned it after 6mo (REI return policy is awesome btw) The Kickr Snap has been great and you can easily load your bike on and off. Erg mode is where I spend most of my time - just set your watts and it auto adjusts to your cadence.
Are you running the Snap with Trainer Road?
"Wheels On" trainers like Computrainer, Snap, Etc. are a bit old school in my opinion but are more affordable in most cases. They do the job and in the case of Computrainer and Snap even adds ERG mode. Problem is tire wear issues. You tire will quickly become SQUARE from the constant pressure and running on one part of the tire on the trainer. Not the end of the world but not a desirable trait you want on your tire when you hit the road. Thus the need for a "Training Wheel" with an old tire for use on the trainer thus making you take off and switch your wheel off anyway. Using a newer "Wheels Off" trainer like CycleOps Hammer or Wahoo Kickr eliminates the need for a trainer wheel. I love my Kickr and basically leave my tribike in it during the winter while I ride my roadbike on group rides outdoors (I'm in So Cal). I do also train on a Computrainer because my triclub has 8 of them and we get together and race indoors on wide screen tvs during the winter. During those sessions I switch to a wheel with an old tire. But when I train alone indoors it's all Kickr + TrainerRoad. (TrainerRoad is awesome and EN has weekly workouts from the training plans there for you.)
Also, it seems to me that a pain cave set-up with a PC/laptop is somewhat necessary. In fact, I think it is an absolute with Zwift (but, note above point about my tech savvy).
The positives: after getting the set-up down, my first rides with TR and Zwift were eye opening. The fact that you open a workout (in TR) or ride (in Zwift), and then the trainer takes over, is amazing to me. In Zwift, the Kickr simulates elevation gain and/or loss on its own, increasing/decreasing resistance when applicable. TR is the best for intervals. The Kickr keeps you right on the desired power level, making on the fly adjustments in resistance if your cadence increases or decreases. Finally, the sound of the flywheel is totally acceptable and power numbers appear consistent to my Garmin Vector pedals. I guess for the cost of a decent cross bike, the Kickr better bring a cool experience.
Overall, I can't imagine getting the full benefits of a controllable trainer without using TR and/or Zwift, so circle in $20.00 per month for those 2 programs. But, loving the experience with them. Zwift will also probably end up costing me the price of a flat screen to run an HDMI cable to. While my 14 inch laptop screen is totally view-able, I think a bigger screen will merely elevate the desired feel of riding outside.
The CT software is a PIA, but now I have mastered it, I do all FTP and VO2 max sessions on it for the whole year, except for Saturdays as specified below.
The main benefits are the safety (no dogs/cars/trucks/pedestrians trying to kill you), and that once the wko is setup, I do the wko as written as long as I keep turning the cranks. I only use my Tri bike on the road on Saturdays for intervals in the last 8 weeks before each major race. I continue to use the CT for the mid-week interval session even in these 8 weeks.
So if finances allow, I strongly recommend a setup that can use Trainer Road or similar (eg Kickr).
I have had a wahoo kickr for a few years and love it, paired with trainerroad also got some sufferfest videos.
my 2 cents it's the way to go
KICKR: easy to use, cohabits well with smartphones, tablets, and all manner of ANT+ and Bluetooth devices like HRM, watches, pedals, cadence sensors, etc. Paired with Trainer Road ($99/ yr), it's really plug n play.
I have a Computrainer that I bought off Ebay. I do not use their software. I use TrainerRoad and Zwift, so their outdated software is irrelevant to me. It works great, but the only issue I have is that the world is moving away from laptops and PCs and Racermate (the company that makes and sells the Computrainer) is not. The wireless controller that was promised a year ago, has still not come out. You have to insert a USB cord into a laptop or PC. No big deal for me for now, but all of the online software is going to apps for tablets.
So... If I could do it all over again, I would get a Wahoo Kicker 2 ($1200 - $1300) (quieter than the Kickr 1), or a TACX Neo (quieter) for $1600.
The rest depend on your price point. Per Ray Maker (DC Rainmaker), the Tacx Neo is the bomb, but is the most expensive at $1600
In the $1200 - $1300 range the Kickr 2 wins over the Elite Drive and the Cycle Ops Hammer, however he has not had a chance to test the Hammer.
In the $900 range, the best option is the TACX Flux
In the $479 - $600 range it is pretty even with the Cycle Ops (not sure the name), TACX Bushido, Vortex and Kickr SNAP. All are very close in performance.
I hope this helps!
Wahoo KICKR. But getting to a spin class, assuming the have PM's is awesome for some real variety too...
Coach Rich,
This depends upon budget. I'm still stuck in the 20th century using a Kurt Kinetic road machine, $349 USD on their website kurtkenetic.com. Its a great fluid trainer, but if you need/want the best new toys there are much better smart trainers. I can't comment on any this else I've been riding this thing through 6 or 7 OS's and am typically on the trainer for 6 month year and it's still going strong so I keep riding it.
+1 for the CycleOps Fluid trainer. Used one for a long time - hard to beat @ $300 price point.
I now feel really old. All last season I used the dumbest of fluid trainers. I am not sure it was more than $150 when I bought it. I know this sounds stupid but what does the trainer due to control your workout. For example on my current dumb trainer, if I am doing 2 x 20 at a certain wattage then I pedal until my PM reads x watts and keep going. When my 20 minutes are up I rest. So if I invest in a new "computer" trainer, what will the difference be. And really, will it get my 10-20 more watts?
Might I suggest you check out DC Rainmakers Annual Winter 2016-2017 Bike Trainer Recommendations:
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/10/annual-winter-2016-2017-bike-smart-trainer-recommendations.html
Bottom line, it depends on cost/features/etc! He seems intrigued by the potential of/for the Tacx Flux.
So, Kickr. Tri Bike. HR strap, cadence sensor all ANT+ to my mac laptop running TrainerRoad. Laptop connected to large screen TV and Bluetooth speakers. It's California and far too cold to ride outside now
The Powerbeam Pro is a wheels on trainer but I eliminated that hassle with a dedicated wheel and training tire...plus I have 4 bikes and only change the one on the trainer every 4 months or so. A trainer tire lasts YEARS so the point made earlier about trainers flattening the profile of your tire is just not relevant. If my Powerbeam Pro ever croaks, I'll read up on DC Rainmaker's latest recommendations and go with that...although my starting preference is going to be Cyclops due to the quality of their products and the outstanding customer service I've experienced from them.
Cycleops is going to be hard to beat for old school, roll up your sleeves and just get the work done. I can destroy most trainers but this is one, hard core, dependable trainer that is still working for me.......
Kickr Snap or Direct Drive?
There have been some complaints about the kickr snap power accuracy and consistency on slowtwitch.
I currently have a Computrainer, absolutely hated it until trainerroad came along and fixed all my software issues with it. I thought that ERG mode was awesome and used it exclusively for years Then we got a Lemond Direct Drive trainer and I absolutely love the feel of that trainer over the computrainer. And I actually do not miss ERG mode when I use it. Just a much more realistic feel. The only issue with the LeMond trainer is the noise level and probably comes in at the highest decibel of all trainers.
What I would like in a Dumb trainer. Does such an animal exist?
1. Direct Drive for feel
2. Quiet for obvious reasons
3. I really dont feel the need for ERG mode, all my bikes have PM's, and I can control my own power just like outside. You can still use your PM with TR and Zwift. This also eliminates the accuracy issue many are having of the power from the trainer to their PM's. Why pay for a smart trainer only to use your PM?
Tim: I think Elite makes a direct drive trainer that doesn't control resistance (turbo roteo?)
edit: I thought 'feel' of a trainer has more to do with the size/weight of the flywheel, rather than direct drive vs non direct drive?
I think this is the trainer you are looking for:
Cycleops silencer direct drive trainer
https://www.cycleops.com/product/silencer
I'm leaning towards the Kickr + Trainer Road based on the responses here and word-of-mouth. Some mentioned the hassle of setting up and alignment - I'll keep that in mind.
I like the concept of direct drive; I presume this means for someone like me, who doesn't yet have a built-in power meter, that I get power measurements through the drive + software and that it would be more accurate than I would get with the wheel-on trainers?
@Brad, Yes that looks very promising. The only thing I did not like was the "handlebar mounted resistance".... TR tests come out of ERG mode to SLOPE mode for testing purposes... How on earth can you put out more power in a test if the resistance is controlled? Unless you test and keep upping the resistance as you go? But then is that really a test?
When it gets cold here I will spend some time on the LeMond again. Will be watching netflix or listening to music so might not need to worry about the noise much.... It also kinda comes down to 500-600 for direct drive dumb trainer or 900-1100 for a smart one? In the end its probably worth going the smart route but I really did not miss the resistance control of my Computrainer when I used it this summer vs. the LeMond last winter... In fact I can even argue that ones cadence would be more correct if they rode in slope mode vs. ERG mode.
@Tim - "TR tests come out of ERG mode to SLOPE mode for testing purposes... How on earth can you put out more power in a test if the resistance is controlled? Unless you test and keep upping the resistance as you go? But then is that really a test?"
You make a really good point. I usually go into these tests with an idea of where my FTP is at that moment based on recent 2 x 20' training intervals, and go in with a game plan of where I'm going to begin and then inch up the resistance as I go until I get to the point where I do not think I can maintain more increases. Finally I'll inch up more in the remaining few minutes if I am able to do so. I break the 20' tests down into segments 5' (lower than target FTP), 10' (building to target FTP), 5' (final push of all I've got in the tank). All that being said, your way (slope mode) may be a better and more realistic approach, although after testing in ERG for the last few years, it may take practice to not blow up on my part!
I recently upgraded to the new version of the Kicker, still using Trainer Road, and have dabbled with Sufferfest new Windows App as well. For me, the set up wasn't a totally plug and play experience, and there are some nuances I'm not thrilled about, but I can't deny the training itself is highly effective. There is no place to hide while doing the intervals. And in ERG mode it's sweet to not have to be shifting all over the place to hit the wattages.
I did my first OutSeason TR profile yesterday, and that was really nice, since I didn't have to think or care about which intervals were next. Just keep pedaling...
If budget was a concern, I did totally fine with my Kurt Kinetic and PowerTap. If you're comfortable paying the extra $$$, and like gadgets and tech, then I'd give this new Kickr a look for sure.
I also looked at the new Elite and the TacX Neo. I was concerned about service and reliability on both of those. To be fair, I was also concerned about it on the Kickr, but since Wahoo is here in the US, I figured it would be easier to deal with if a problem arose.
Edit..I've also used Zwift, but for whatever reason I just haven't got into it yet. It's kinda cool, but just not my thing so far, I'd rather just get thrashed watched the SufferFest..