Early Black Friday deals on top-rated smart trainers
Indoor training has really taken off in the last few years, with both indoor training apps and the hardware to run them on becoming ever more sophisticated. While it’s still possible to spend thousands on a smart trainer, new entrants to the market and a flood of post-pandemic stock have also forced prices down in many cases.
You can choose between wheel-on options, where your rear tyre provides the connection to the trainer or direct drive models, where you remove your rear wheel and attach your bike to a cassette on the trainer. Wheel-on trainers are in general more affordable, but direct-drive models provide a better experience and avoid wear on your bike’s tyres.
Here, we’ve rounded up the best cheap turbo trainers and smart trainer deals to help keep you riding this winter.
Where to buy a turbo trainer online in the UK and US
Here are some good places to shop for a turbo trainer if our selection below isn’t quite what you’re looking for.
UK retailers
US retailers
Pinnacle HC Turbo Home Trainer
A UK-only option, the Pinnacle HC trainer comes from Evans Cycles’ own brand. It’s compatible with eight to 12-speed drivetrains and you can buy an XDR freehub body if you run a SRAM drivetrain. It’s not without its issues but will simulate a 20 per cent gradient and provide 2,500 watts resistance, so it’s up there with top trainers from the big brands while undercutting their prices.
It started off at £700, then dropped to £500, but right now it’s priced down by 70 percent at £210, so it’s one of the lowest-priced options available, particularly for a direct drive model.
- Read our Pinnacle HC Home Trainer review
- Buy the Pinnacle HC Home Trainer from Evans Cycles for £210
Latest deals
Tacx Flow Smart
The Tacx Flow Smart is one of the lowest-priced smart trainers available, and comes from an established name, with Tacx having made trainers for years and now owned by Garmin.
We found it very easy to set up, with minimal assembly and the Tacx Flow folds away to a compact size for storage. It comes with a riser block for the front wheel, although you’ll need to buy a separate adapter if your bike has disc brakes and thru-axles.
The ride feel isn’t that different from much more expensive trainers and the Flow Smart hooks up easily to Zwift and other training apps.
- Read our Tacx Flow Smart review
- US: Buy the Tacx Flow Smart from Amazon for $369.99
- UK: Buy the Tacx Flow Smart from Halfords for £259.99
Latest deals
Wahoo Kickr Core
The Wahoo Kickr Core smart trainer had a permanent price drop earlier this year. It was already the most affordable way into Wahoo’s direct drive trainer option, with specs that are a little below those of the Kickr but still provide impressive performance.
That starts with the heavy flywheel, providing plenty of inertia for a realistic ride feel. It’s quiet too, with good power accuracy figures, up to 1,800 watts resistance and the ability to simulate gradients of up to 16 percent.
- Read our Wahoo Kickr Core review
- US: Buy the Wahoo Kickr Core from Backcountry for $599.99
- UK: Buy the Wahoo Kickr Core from Sigma Sports for £549
Latest deals
Elite Zumo
The Elite Zumo is the brand’s lowest-price direct drive smart trainer, although it’s not sold in the US. It’s a nice-looking design with an integrated handle to make it easy to carry. We found it easy to set up and get riding on the Zumo too, as it’s almost fully assembled out of the box, although you need to supply a cassette to fit with your bike’s drivetrain.
We rated the Zumo an easy-to-live-with trainer and liked its realistic ride feel and quick gradient changes when riding Zwift. We reckon it’s all you need unless you’re into Zwift racing.
Latest deals
Tacx Flux S
The Tacx Flux S is the lowest-priced direct drive trainer in the Tacx range. It’s quick to assemble, with just the front legs needing bolting on, although these don’t fold, so it’s not as easy to store as some options. It’s easy to add a bike to get riding and it pairs quickly both with the Tacx trainer app and with third-party software.
The stable design feels very planted and the Flux S is quiet in use. We liked the ride feel and found power numbers and cadence figures accurate.
- Read our Tacx Flux S review
- US: Buy the Tacx Flux S from REI Coop for $561.93
- UK: Buy the Tacx Flux S from Wiggle for £449.99
Latest deals
Elite Direto XR
Although its £850/$899 list price doesn’t classify it as ‘budget’, the Elite Direto XR is often discounted, so it’s a top spec direct drive turbo trainer that you might be able to pick up at a bargain price. It provides plenty of resistance at 2,300 watts and accurate power readings and there’s a good level of inertia for a realistic ride feel. It’s quiet too.
The Direto XR is supplied with a riser block and thru-axle adapters, as well as an 11-speed cassette, so most riders will find everything they need to get riding supplied.
- Read our Elite Direto XR review
- US: Buy the Elite Direto XR from Bike Closet for $399.99
- UK: Buy the Elite Direto XR from Merlin Cycles for £549
Latest deals
Tacx Boost
All the above trainers have been smart trainers, meaning that they can react automatically to changes in apps, including gradient changes in games and ramps in indoor sessions. The Tacx Boost is a non-smart option, which brings the price down but means that you must adjust the resistance manually.
This has the advantage that you don’t need mains power and there are more gradations of adjustment than on many manually operated trainers. It’s a compact trainer, so it’s easy to store, although it does get noisy if you are working hard.
- Read our Tacx Boost review
- US: Buy the Tacx Boost from Backcountry for $239.99
- UK: Buy the Tacx Boost from Edinburgh Bicycle Co-Operative for £179.99