By Simon Bromley

Published: Friday, 05 November 2021 at 12:00 am

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Indoor cycling used to have a fearsome reputation for being excruciatingly boring. The idea of spending time on a turbo trainer, self-flagellating to heavy music while you stared numbingly at a wall, all in pursuit of some intangible fitness gains, seemed like a kind of madness.

However, thanks to the advent of smart turbo trainers and third-party interactive apps, realising the benefits of indoor cycling has never been easier or, crucially, more fun.

If you’re looking to invest in an indoor training setup, then you’re in the right place. We’ve put the latest smart trainers through their paces to find out what’s really worth spending your money on.

What is a smart trainer?

Smart trainers are interactive turbo trainers that connect with indoor cycling apps such as Zwift, TrainerRoad, Wahoo SYSTM and RGT Cycling, to control the trainer’s resistance and replicate hills, headwinds and drafting effects inside virtual worlds.

These apps can also guide you through power-based interval workouts, with the resistance automatically adjusting to keep you in the required training zones (this is known as ERG mode).

Today’s smart turbo trainers work by communicating with third-party apps on smartphones, tablets and computers using wireless ANT+ frequencies or Bluetooth.

It sounds complicated, but most of these trainers and apps will automatically search for and connect to each other with the click of a button, so in practice, it’s usually very simple.

Wheel-on or direct drive?

There are two main types of smart trainer: wheel-on and direct drive.

Wheel-on smart trainers

Wheel-on smart trainers function like classic, ‘dumb’ turbo trainers – you clamp the rear axle into a support while your rear wheel rests on a roller drum. This drum is connected to a resistance unit that communicates with your chosen hardware and app to control the resistance you feel through the wheel.

These are typically the cheapest and lightest types of smart trainers, but they can cause wear on your tyres (though specific trainer tyres are available to mitigate this issue), their power measurement is generally less accurate and the ride feel often isn’t as good as direct-drive trainers.

This is most often the noisiest type of indoor trainer, too.

Direct drive trainers

Direct drive trainers require you to remove the rear wheel and connect your bike to the trainer via a standard cassette. These are heavier and more expensive than wheel-on trainers, but prices are getting more competitive and they have a number of advantages.

Outside of the obvious one – a lack of wear on your lovely rear tyre – they also tend to be quieter and offer a more realistic, road-like ride feel. They are also usually much more feature-rich and accurate – in terms of power measurement – than wheel-on trainers.

Of course, price is always going to be a major consideration. So we’ve tested a range of options to suit as many budgets as possible, but there’s no denying these trainers aren’t cheap.

However, compared to a road bike groupset upgrade, or even a new winter road bike, they can offer good value if you want to be able to consistently and enjoyably train indoors.

Let’s move on to our pick of the best smart trainers out there right now. For more information on how to choose the right indoor trainer for your needs, read our full buyer’s guide at the end of the article.