Best turbo trainers reviewed

By Jack Sexty

Published: Thursday, 09 December 2021 at 12:00 am

With the best turbo trainers being so sophisticated – and even fun when connected to a virtual cycling app – increasing numbers of triathletes are turning their backs on the great outdoors in favour of their home training set-up.

Gone are the days when you’d simply lock your bike into a ‘dead’ turbo trainer and use a dial to create resistance. The more sophisticated turbo trainers in come with power meters, Bluetooth connection and plenty of built-in virtual resistance, so you can push yourself to the limit without having to halt because of the cold.

With the prices of most of the turbo trainers on test higher than many entry-level bikes, they’re a serious investment, but certainly a worthwhile one if you’re going to use it year-round.

To test the trainers, we used the same bike and did numerous sessions on each, connecting them to the Zwift training app. We used power meter pedals to accurately check consistency in power readings, and took value, specification, ride feel and quietness into consideration to reach our verdicts.

Best turbo trainers for triathletes

Saris M2

£499.99

The M2 is among the priciest wheel-on trainers, but if you don’t want to disassemble your bike and like the feel of a classic trainer, it’s is a more affordable way into smart training. Some assembly is required, but the clutch knob clicks when it’s the right pressure against your tyre, which saves guessing.

You can connect to apps via Bluetooth or ANT+, and it measure power (accurate to a claimed +/-5%) and cadence. The 1.2kg flywheel coupled with a solid frame gives a sturdy ride feel and we experienced very little slippage even during hard efforts.

When the tyre settled on the roller it was reasonably quiet, and at under 10kg and with foldable legs it’s also very easy to move around.

Verdict: Expensive, but one of the best wheel-on trainers

Score: 79%

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Elite Direto XR-T

£829.99

Elite’s top-of-the-range trainer comes without a cassette, while the XR version comes with an 11-speed, Shimano 105 cassette; otherwise, they’re the same product.

A riser block and adapters for disc brakes are included, as are one-year Elite My E-Training and one-month Zwift subscriptions. At 16kg it’s not difficult to move around and is ready to go out the box; you just need to unfold the two sturdy legs and plug in.

The Direto’s ride feel is second-to-none, while the power adjusted quickly and smoothly in every session, overshooting slightly on shorter intervals with ERG mode turned on, but nothing out of the ordinary. A huge 2,300w max resistance means even your most furious sprint won’t trouble it an inch

Verdict: Outstanding deluxe smart trainer that’s worth the cash

Score: 92%

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Tacx Flus S

£549.99

The Tacx Flux S brings direct drive down to a much more palatable price point. But that does mean compromises, including +/-3% power accuracy and no thru-axle compatibility out the box.

Set-up is simple, requiring you to put the legs on, add a cassette and bike, then plug in. It’s impressively quiet and has a pretty good ride feel; in fact, we’d struggle to tell it apart from more expensive direct drive units when pedalling steadily.

While consistent, the power underread slightly more than 3% compared to our power pedals, but cadence was better with less than 2rpm discrepancy. The Flux S took a few seconds to adjust during intervals and, at over 22kg with fixed legs, isn’t a trainer to be moved regularly.

Verdict: Slow off the mark, but great value for direct drive

Score: 84%

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Wahoo Kickr Snap

£429.99

The Kickr Snap is Wahoo’s most affordable trainer, and its only wheel-on option. Power accuracy is improved to +/-3% in the latest version, but you’ll need to purchase an additional sensor to get cadence.

A front wheel block is included, grade simulation is up to 12% and max resistance is 1,500 watts. Set-up is simple, but some guesswork is needed to correctly tension the adjustment knob against your tyre. A hefty 4.5kg flywheel creates impressive inertia, but during out-the-saddle efforts the Snap is a tad wobbly and we had a bit of tyre slippage.

Power accuracy was largely fine, requiring a spindown calibration with the correct tyre pressure to get it reading consistently compared to our power pedals.

Verdict: Not perfect, but a very capable and quiet trainer

Score: 75%

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Elite Suito

£649

Weighing in at 14.5kg, the Suito is the lightest trainer on test and also has a useful carry handle. An 11-speed Shimano cassette out the box saves time and money, as do the quick release and thru-axle adapters, and the legs simply fold out, so it’s all ready to go.

A front wheel block is included, and there’s a cadence sensor, power measurements accurate to 2.5% and inclines up to 15%. It was a tad noisier than the others on test, according to our readings (peaking at 65 decibels), but it’s still impressively quiet.

It connects to our training app of choice instantly, and in ERG mode the resistance shifts smoothly. Although Elite reported firmware issues when the Suito first launched, we found the power readings to be largely accurate compared to our control pedals.

Verdict: All the features a triathlete needs, at a better price than the competition

Score: 90%

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Wahoo Kickr Core

£699

The Kickr Core essentially works the same as Wahoo’s flagship Kickr, with a smaller flywheel and a lighter feature list. For £300 less you miss out on a built-in cadence sensor and a cassette, while the max power it can withstand is 1,800 watts, as opposed to 2,200 on the Kickr.

You have to bolt the legs on yourself – a simple job that takes three minutes – and when you get started it connects to apps via Bluetooth quickly. It’s quiet, with the noise peaking at 62 decibels, and the power readings appear accurate with Wahoo claiming accuracy of +/-2%.

The max incline is 16%, and you can also attach Wahoo’s Kickr Climb (available separately) to get the full virtual climbing experience. Sadly, moving it around is a pain, but if it’s for a dedicated pain cave this won’t be an issue.

Verdict: Awkward to move around, but a highly capable and quiet trainer

Score: 87%