Finding a trainer that suits your needs

     Here is an article about how to find the trainer best for you based on how much you ride, what kind of rider you are, and what kind of budget you have.

    If you are a rider who is only riding indoors and does not ride outdoors at all and is willing to spend the money. I would recommend looking into the Wahoo Kickr Bike, the Tacx Neo Bike, Stages SB20, and the Wattbike. I have heard good things about all of these trainers. We also own a Wahoo Kickr Bike. The Wahoo kickr bike is the most expensive of all of these bikes. The cheapest is the Stages SB20. The stages bike does not have any major perks like the Wahoo Kickr bike, Wattbike, and the Tacx neo bike. The stages bike is really just an indoor bike with accurate power measurements. If you are not looking for a bike with Steering, the ability to go up and down, or road feel, then I would probably go for the stages bike. If you already own a bike but do not use it outside or intend to use it anymore outside then I would go for a direct drive trainer like the wahoo kickr, tacx neo 2t. The stages SB20 currently has steering buttons but Zwift has not yet enabled the steering buttons.

    If you are on a budget, then a wheel on trainer is the way to go. They can be anywhere from $360-$500+. Two of the most popular wheel on trainers are the Tacx Flow and the Wahoo Kickr Snap. All of these trainers are very good but if you are looking for more accuracy I would go for a direct drive trainer or a full bike.

    On zwift you can also use a "dumb trainer" (A trainer that is not interactive and does not read power). To do this, all you need is a wheel on trainer that you can get in many places and just get a speed sensor (typically costs around $30) Then you are good to go. When you are riding on Zpower (using a dumb trainer and speed sensor), the power is estimated by zwift and can sometimes be very inaccurate. You can also use a power meter and a dumb trainer. You will not feel the hills or anything like that but you will still be getting an accurate power measurement from your power meter.

    If you are a serious racer looking to buy a trainer, the direct drive trainer or full bike is the way to go to make your ride as realistic and accurate as possible. If you are looking to buy a trainer, there is a chain called Sports Basement and you can sign up for their program and you get 10 percent off all purchases. Also look at your local bike shops to help support the businesses! Thanks for reading!