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Turbo Trainer Recommendations
Finally got sick of the British weather so the time has come to invest. I fancy a direct drive version & will deffo be using Zwift.
I'd be grateful for any tips / recommendations & also is a trainer that Zwift can control the resistance a must?
Sounds like a good idea to me but they are a fair bit more expensive so if you were in my shoes would that be a dealbreaker?
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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47 comments
My Flux has developed an annoying squeak / whistling noise (difficult to describe) particulary at 80+RPM. Deffo not the drivetrain, seems to be coming from the flywheel.
Gets really quite loud at some point & although the trainer itself works fine it's really irritating.
Googled it & the Flux seems to do a lot of things I can't find anyone describing this issue.
Anyone experienced anything similar?
I've seen that price for the Flux on AthleteShop & was tempted but as above wasn't overly keen on buying from them never having heard of them before. Plus it's not showing as in stock which makes me nervous with reviews saying they take payment straight away.
Wiggle with their improved discount is only a few quid more which I'm more than happy to pay for peace of mind.
I'm just about to press the button on the Flux with Wiggle through TCB of course......
I've just placed an order with Atleteshop. firstly I went to pay using a bank transfer, it then subsequently turned out to be an international bank, I already realised they were a NL based company but thought with the UK address this would be a UK bank given the .co.uk web address and £££.
So i emailed them to say i wasn't going to spend £10 on an IBAN transfer. I eventually cancelled that order and did it via card and stumped the £1 fee. The shipping is £7 but then i got a £5 discount with the newsletter for 1st order and another 2.25% through topcashback which effectively gave me free postage. I've ordered some Elite bottles, Spanninga lights and a few other bits.
Have tracking on delivery to my local Sainsbury's but they informed some of the stuff wasn't in stock (not shown on the website).
One time order for me, the prices are exceptional for some items (particularly the spanninga front light) however if it weren't for the fact I got the discount on first order I don't think it would have being much more buying elsewhere given the delivery cost and fee for using a visa card.
The other point to note from the Athleteshop reviews is that many people report problems when they've ordered stuff from them which is not currently in stock.
It seems that the retailer takes payment straight away but then promised delivery dates are not adhered to or repeatedly pushed back.
Think I'd only consider an order if the turbo was actually shown as in stock, which it isn't at present.
Not used this site before and not sure why its so cheap but perhaps worth a look?
(Showing availability from 1/11/17)
https://www.athleteshop.co.uk/elite-direto-smart-b-trainer-power-mtr-interactive
Not convinced that is a British site despite the .co.uk address and the apparent use of an address in England for returns.
At the price quoted it is extremely tempting but my concern would be what would happen in the event of a problem. The web abounds with stories of reliability problems afflicting virtually all the smart turbos on the market.
The Direto is so new it's difficult to say whether or not it may be beset by issues such as those suffered some of the early purchasers of the Flux.
You're right MrB
A quick whois lookup shows:
REGISTRANT CONTACT
Name: Athlete.nl BV
Address: Rostockweg 5
Groningen
G R
9723 HG
Netherlands
A look at customer reviews shows that they have a pretty patchy record.
As ever, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
That said, I'm still very tempted at that price!
The perfect scenario would be to find a UK retailer who would price match them but not sure Evans and the like would play ball.
I asked Wiggle before the loyalty discount was increased & they declined. There is a list of retailers that they price match & they aren't one of them.
99.9% sure Evans will be the same.
Do you qualify for any loyalty discount with them? If not there are 2 or 3 online stores I found that stock it at £629.99 that Wiggle will happily price match if you want to get it with them.
Yes, but having watched the Shane Miller and Dc Rainmaker YouTube reviews of the Elite Direto I'm kind of leaning towards that, but it's currently pretty much RRP across the board with the limited number of UK stores currently stocking it.
I think if the Direto & the Flux were the same price I would’ve maybe plumped for the Direto but as you say stock is limited & I doubt it will be reduced straight away when it does become available.
I’ve decided I can’t wait & the Flux is too good a price to turn down so I’ve gone with that.
Touch wood I don’t get a unit that Shane Miller broke twice. The 3rd one he was really pleased with.
Quick heads up before you fall for the advertising trap Elite just spring on loyal customers.
They changed the meaning of the word lifetime subscription to their software to actually mean 20 EUR a year. Which frankly is a joke for folks spending a grand on a drivo or 600+ on a direto
Wiggle's reply regarding the Direto:
"I am happy to hear of your interest in the Elite Direto Smart Trainer.
At the moment we don't have any confirmed dates or prices, we are currently working with our supply. I would suggest signing up to our newsletter for all the latest products that we stock
Apologies I could not be of any further assistance."
i've bought the wahoo kickr snap , works brilliant with zwift
Looked at that as well but I’m really wanting a wheel off trainer.
At those prices I can't see much justification to go for the Hammer over the Kickr 2 when the Kickr comes with a cassette fitted.
Damn shame Wiggle are not doing the Direto at present. I reckon one of those with 17% off RRP (ie £622.50) would be a no brainer.
Tacx Flux very tempting at that price. Pretty much £600 by the time you've stuck a 105 cassette on it.
My thoughts exactly. If Wiggle did do the Direto it would be a straight fight between that & the Flux.
I was tempted at £629.99 with the Flux so the extra discount makes it even more tempting.
Only downside in my circumstances is that it doesn’t fold up which although would’ve been nice isn’t a dealbreaker & certainly wouldn’t make me pay the extra for the Kickr.
Extra discount is on for 2 weeks so I’ve that long to make up my mind.........
Just to confuse me even further just had an email off Wiggle increasing my loyalty discount to 17% which now makes the Hammer £830, Kickr £829.99, Kickr V1 £788.49 & Flux £580.99.
Is the Kickr V1 worth another £200 though? Tempted with the Flux at that price.
Try and find a local shop which is offering demo on the trainer's which interest you. Cycle shows will always have kit to try out
That''s certainly a good option, would ideally like to try before I buy but not a dealbreaker.
Suppose like everything there's pros & cons to each, just need to make my mind up.
Pity the Flux doesn't fold up otherwise I think I would've pushed the button by now.
Wiggle will generally price match so you get the reputation with the price - does paying with credit card also help?
If I do end buying from Wiggle I will get a 0% credit card as unlike some they don't do interest free credit on turbos.
They don't stock the Directo though so it would either be the Flux, V1 Kickr or maybe even the CycleOps Hammer.
The Flux would be £629.99, Kickr is £799.99 & the Hammer £888 but I don't think they would price match the BC discount.
Flux is the current favourite but I really like the Kickr as well but I'm not 100% sure it's worth the extra.
One more to throw in the mix. Cycleops Hammer is £888 at Halfords but with British Cycling discount that would take it down to 800 quid.
Seems pretty well reviewed across the board and has features to stack up against the high end turbos.
Cheers mate.
Did have a look at that one but ruled it out on price however didn't consider BC discount which is an excellent shout.
As a DC Rainmaker fanboy I went with his reco on the budget smart trainer option which was about £390
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tacx-T2180-Vortex-Smart-Trainer/dp/B00MCF5Q2I?t...
All the entry smart trainers tend to have a more limited inclines but if you just want to train rather than race online it works well.
PS also woth buying a rubber mat to absorb the noise and a fan as you sweat like crazy without any headwind
I've spent a lot of time on DC's website over the past few days & he knows his stuff.
He really likes the Elite Direto which is out of my budget if I'm honest but if I was pushed I could stretch to it - just.
Doesn't seem much stock about in the UK though, only the odd online shop which I'm a bit wary about in case something goes wrong with it.
I'm in the same boat as you at the moment, trying to weigh up the pros and cons of the Flux and the Direto.
The Direto looks good but at present is only available from a few suppliers, with most charging full RRP. The Flux can be had at a reasonable discount so the price difference between them is about 150 quid.
I'm considering asking my LBS if they can order either of them in and whether they could do a discount on either. They do stock other products from Tacx and Elite so presumably they might be able to order them in.
Bearing in mind the litany of reports of reliability problems with smart trainers that are floating around the internet I'd far rather have recourse to a local shop in the event of a problem.
Nice to know I'm not struggling with this on my own!
Don't think I'll have the luxury of my LBS with this one unfortunately so I'll probably end up buying online but if I do it will be with someone reputable & not solely on price. I'd rather pay a bit more to someone like Wiggle for the peace of mind.
That's what's ruling out the Direto for me at the moment, the lack of stock. Having said that I might only end up buying in a month or so when the bad weather really kicks in & by then it might be more widely available.
For me at the minute it's either the Flux or a Kickr but leaning towards the Flux as it's significently cheaper.
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/turbo-trainers/trainers/elite-turbo-muin...
Down from £499 to £290. Works fine, though I'll need a new computer to get the full benefits - not much software out there for old 32-bit computers.
At the moment I'm using GoldenCheetah which doesn't pick up power correctly. It thinks I'm cranking out 14,000 watts, cruising at 130kmh, with sprint bursts of 200 kmh.
I’ve looked at that one before but I’m pretty sure Zwift won’t control resistance so ruled it out.
Great price though & if I was looking for a cheap (ish) introduction to trainers I think I’d buy it.
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