As winter begins, many people want to continue pedaling their bikes. The training base, also known colloquially as a home trainer, is the perfect tool for this. Here are some tips and options to help you find the machine that will give you a few crank turns in the cold season.
What is an exercise bike?
Bicycle training bases are devices that are integrated into the bicycle (road, hybrid or mountain bike) to simulate real pedaling conditions without moving forward.
There are several technological options:
- THE roll. The bike is placed on three wheels without an attachment point. (Editor’s note: We will not discuss them in this buying guide as their practice is specific and requires a certain level of skill).
- THE direct strength training basics. No rear wheel, the bike is attached directly to the exercise bike. These are the highest quality exercise bikes and therefore the most expensive.
Elite Direto XR © Elite
- THE Basics for strength training (Air, Mechanical, Fluid, Magnetic/Electromagnetic) where the rear wheel comes into contact with the frame.
Saris Fluid2 © Saris
How to choose a good exercise bike?
Here are some essential elements to consider when making your choice:
- THE Price. The amount you spend determines the type of training support you receive.
- There Bike compatibility. The best training base in the world is of no use if your bike doesn’t fit.
- LInteractivity. More and more models have integrated data transmission systems that communicate with a computer, a tablet or a mobile phone. Some applications process this data in real time to make your workouts more entertaining. This is especially true of Zwift, the most popular on the market, a physical training program for cycling (but also online running) that simulates an interactive virtual world and allows you to train or even compete with other users.
- THE flywheel to achieve a realistic and consistent pedal travel, providing a feeling similar to that of riding outdoors. When you stop pedaling, it should feel like you’re driving on a real road.
- Construction, materials and design all play a role. Some brands are now using virtual flywheels with magnets.
- There stabilityto prevent your bike from moving back and forth or side to side too much.
- THE Noise. Indoor trainers used to be notoriously loud, but that’s getting better, especially with direct resistance trainers, which are significantly quieter than strength trainers.
For more advice, see our article Cycling: How to choose your exercise bike
Here are 7 of the best smart bike training suggestions on the market.
Basics of direct strength training
1. Wahoo Kickr V6
© Wahoo
The Kickr V6 offers a near-perfect balance between high-quality performance, excellent driving experience, comprehensive connectivity and price (although this remains high). Its resistance unit is one of the best on the market and goes up to 2200W with a 20% incline simulation. It has other significant advantages: very easy to install and use, fairly quiet, pre-installed 11-speed cassette, Bluetooth, ANT+, Ethernet and WiFi connectivity.
2. Tacx Neo 2T
© Tacx
This high-end training base is very quiet and powerful, easy to install and store, and equipped with a resistance unit that can simulate road surfaces by changing resistance hundreds of times per second. This helps reproduce a realistic driving experience.
3. Elite Direto XR
© Elite
The Direto XR is very stable and holds your bike firmly in place without any sideways movement. It delivers very precise performance values and simulates the highest gradients. It also beats most of its competitors in terms of price. It’s pretty quiet, quieter than a bike’s chain drive or your fan. In summary: Very good value for money if you don’t have a big budget!
Basics of resistance training
4. Tacx Flow
© Tacx
The Tacx Flow offers a good compromise between performance, portability and an affordable price for a stand on wheels. It is easy to install and lightweight. Unlike others, it is an intelligent training base for control: power and speed data can be retrieved. This makes integration easier, especially with Zwift. Its price makes it one of the most economical entry-level products with the best responsiveness and precision for wheel supports.
5. Elite Qubo Digital Smart B+
© Elite
The Qubo Digital Smart B+ from Elite has been around for some time and has proven itself. The accuracy of the power measurement is very good considering that it is one of the cheapest exercise bikes on the market. Not only is it easy to use and relatively quiet for this type of device, but it also offers a good pedaling feel.
6. Wahoo KickrSnap
© Wahoo
A practical and easy-to-install smart home trainer that allows realistic driving via an app or software thanks to its ANT+ and Bluetooth connectivity. It adjusts to simulate gradients of up to 12%. Once assembled, the high-strength carbon steel keeps your bike safe and stable during exercise. The Snap works with flat mount and disc brakes as well as quick release axles.
7. Fluid2 Sarees
© Saris
Training bases with wheels tend to make more noise. However, the Saris Fluide 2 is an exception to the rule. Its large, individually balanced flywheel ensures a consistent ride and resistance. And the patented fan design keeps the device cool and extends its lifespan. Installing and uninstalling is very easy.
To create this list, we used the recommendations of several specialized websites to select the most common and highest-rated websites, including Cycling News, Road.cc, OutdoorGearLab, GearJunkie and BikeRadar.