Introduction
I wanted a Turbo Trainer for training when it was wet, icy, cold and/or dark. So intervals could done without having to consider traffic, rules of the road and decreases in road gradient. I wanted to become a stronger cyclist. I live in Ireland, and we had some really bad weather for the last two months of winter 2014. I believe that my decision to invest in a Turbo Trainer proved to be wise. If I could grow a beard, I'd dub myself a cycling sage.
Cost
I bought the Elite SuperCrono Power Fluid ElastoGel Trainer 2013 model from Wiggle. I also rounded out my purchase with a spare wheel, riser block, turbo trainer tyre and a cassette for the Turbo Trainer wheel. Having a spare wheel provided me with the ease of switching from a road configuration to a indoor training setup.€260 Elite SuperChrono Power Fluid ElastoGel Trainer,
€ 93 Shimano RS11 Rear Wheel,
€ 26 Elite Variable Height Front Riser Block,
€ 26 Elite Turbo Trainer Tyre,
€ 14 Shimano HG-50 9 Speed Cassette 11-30.
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€419 Total Cost.
Setup
Building the turbo was fine, the instructions were easy to read. I just ensured that my bike's tyre was in the centre of the resistance unit's roller.
A patched tube went on the trainer wheel. I had a spare magnet from an older cycling computer, so I didn't have the hassle of transferring the magnet from my road wheel. The speed sensing arm on my Garmin GSC-30 Speed/Cadence sensor needed to be adjusted so it would read the new wheel as well as the road wheel.
I always leave the rear brake calliper open, in case I press the lever by accident. The turbo trainer says "Don't Brake".
My Garmin's GPS mode is set to "OFF" when I ride on the turbo. This avoids people seeing where exactly I live and the big squigly line that shows up in Strava. There is also the possibility that the Garmin won't record data when GPS mode is "ON" and it cannot acquire a GPS Fix. The Garmin Training Pages I use are the same as I use for my Time Trialling.
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| I've since removed the VAM field. I'm using a Stages Power Meter. |
Purchasing Decisions
There is a dirth of low cost turbo trainers. But magnetic and wind turbo trainers are noisy. There is a cheaper model of Fluid Turbo Trainer from Elite. The price differential was €30. I'd go out and drink six pints without thinking twice and have nothing to show for it. So the difference wasn't that big a detractor for me.On the higher end of the scale, there is the Elite Muin Direct Drive Fluid Turbo Trainer, €80 more expensive than my setup, which doesn't require the back wheel, tyre and probably the front riser block. But would I be able to get speed, and consequentially distance, from this type of trainer without having to move my GSC up the chainstay? Is this really heavy, so I couldn't transfer it when I'm at my parent's home and it's raining, or it'd be impracticable to put in the car when I' going to Time Trial races.
I could have chose a cheaper front riser block. But there wasn't much of a price difference between these and the one I chose. These cheaper alternatives didn't have the variable height adjustment. I haven't moved the height setting since I used it the first time.
I chose the Shimano RS11 wheel because I wanted a wheel with an 11 speed freehub. I have a 9 speed bike, but I am considering buying a new bike or the Shimano 105 5800 11 speed groupset to upgrade my current bike.
Usage Experience
The Elite SuperCrono Power Fluid ElastoGel Trainer is very quiet. I generally use it on my apartment's balcony. I haven't got any complaints from neighbours. When I was at my parent's home, my brother was using it in the next room as me, I couldn't hear it.When I get on the Turbo Trainer I have a goal in mind. A set number of intervals, with time at a specific wattage. I get off the Turbo and I know I'm better than I was before I got on it. In the beginning, I used the workouts of some of the guys I'm following in Strava. Then I started a Strava Training Plan in January.
I'd talk to some of the less serious cyclists about my Turbo experience, they'd turn pale as they remembered their horrors. But the more serious guys knew that the Turbo is a necessary tool in becoming a better cyclist.
On the road, I noticed a big performance boost after two week of using the Turbo. I noticed that my ability to pace when in the saddle was markedly improved. Conversely I lost a lot of my out of the saddle abilities, endurance and I could only sprint out of the saddle. I'm hoping that I'll get these abilities back when I get outside more in the summer.
Conclusion
I like my trainer setup. I would like to be more compact for transferring. I live in an apartment, so when I want to put it in the car, it take three trips;
- Bike
- Turbo
- Wheel and Riser Block
So the Muin Direct Drive trainer would've been a better choice in the transporting respect. But it has the drawback of possibly not outputting the Speed.
I'd recommend this setup to people, who want to get stronger and fitter as a cyclist. €420 is a lot money to shell out, so you must have your goals in mind to get the most for your money.
Enjoy your new torcher chamber ;)