Why a Bike Trainer is Worth the Investment

Indoor Trainers: Worth It or Just Expensive Clothes Hangers?

I bought my first trainer five years ago thinking I’d use it when the weather was bad. It sat in my garage for three months before I finally set it up. Now I use it more than my road bike.

Here’s what I’ve learned about indoor training after logging way too many hours staring at my garage wall.

The Main Types (And Which One You Actually Need)

Wheel-on trainers ($100-400): Your rear tire presses against a roller. They’re affordable and work fine for casual use. Downsides: tire wear, some noise, and less realistic feel. If you’re just doing occasional winter rides, these are probably enough.

Direct-drive trainers ($400-1500): You remove your rear wheel and your drivetrain connects directly to the trainer. Way quieter, more realistic road feel, and more accurate power readings. If you’re serious about training or live in an apartment, worth the extra money.

Smart trainers: Either type can be “smart” – meaning they connect to apps and automatically adjust resistance. This is huge for structured workouts. A non-smart trainer is fine for just spinning, but if you want to follow a training plan or use Zwift, you need smart features.

What Actually Matters

Noise. If you live with other people or have neighbors below you, this matters a lot. Direct-drive trainers are noticeably quieter. Add a trainer mat for vibration damping.

Power accuracy. If you’re training with power, you want something within 2-3% accuracy. Cheap trainers can be off by 10%+ which makes training zones meaningless.

Realistic feel. Higher-end trainers have flywheels that simulate inertia, so it feels more like actual riding. Cheap trainers feel “dead” – hard to explain until you’ve tried both.

Compatibility. Make sure it works with your bike (axle type, cassette compatibility) and the apps you want to use (ANT+, Bluetooth, specific app support).

The Apps That Make It Bearable

Staring at a wall while pedaling is brutal. Apps change that.

Zwift is the most popular – virtual world, group rides, races. It gamifies cycling and honestly makes trainer time fly by. Downside: $15/month and can become addictive.

TrainerRoad is all about structured training. No virtual world, just workout instructions and data. Less fun, more effective for pure training.

Rouvy/FulGaz use real-world video routes. Cool if you want to “ride” famous climbs or preview race courses.

Any of these beats riding while watching Netflix, though some people swear by that too.

Setup Tips From Experience

• Fan. You will sweat more than you ever thought possible. A powerful fan aimed at your face isn’t optional.
• Mat. Protects your floor from sweat (which will corrode anything) and dampens noise/vibration.
• Towel. Over your handlebars to catch sweat before it destroys your headset bearings.
• Screen at eye level. Looking down at a laptop gets uncomfortable fast.
• Entertainment. Even with apps, have backup – podcasts, music, something.

The Honest Downside

Indoor training is harder mentally than outdoor riding. An hour on the trainer feels like two hours on the road. The workouts are effective because there’s no coasting, no stops, no distractions – but that’s also what makes it grueling.

I keep trainer sessions shorter and more intense. 45-60 minutes structured is plenty. Save the long easy rides for outside.

Is It Worth The Investment?

If you live somewhere with actual winter, definitely. If you want to train consistently regardless of weather, traffic, or time constraints, yes. If you’d otherwise skip training when conditions aren’t perfect, absolutely.

The key is actually using it. A $300 trainer you ride three times a week is a better investment than a $1500 trainer gathering dust. Start with something reasonable and upgrade later if you stick with it.