Indoor Turbo Trainer Buying Guide

A turbo trainer lets you ride your own bike indoors — perfect for structured sessions when the weather won’t cooperate or when you need to fit training around a busy schedule. With the rise of apps like Zwift, indoor cycling has become a genuine alternative to road riding.

Types of Turbo Trainer

  • Wheel-on trainers: Your rear tyre sits on a roller. Affordable and easy to set up, but can wear your tyre and are less accurate for power measurement
  • Direct-drive trainers: Remove your rear wheel and mount the bike directly to the trainer. More accurate, quieter, and better road feel
  • Rollers: Three cylinders that you balance on while riding. Great for technique but no resistance control

Smart vs Basic

Smart trainers connect to apps via Bluetooth or ANT+ and can automatically adjust resistance to simulate hills, intervals, and group rides. Basic trainers use manual resistance and are significantly cheaper. If you plan to use Zwift or TrainerRoad, a smart trainer is worth the investment.

Recommended Turbo Trainers

Our top picks at different price points:

Wahoo KICKR SNAP — Best Value Smart Trainer

The Wahoo KICKR SNAP is a wheel-on smart trainer that delivers solid performance without the premium price tag. It connects seamlessly to Zwift, TrainerRoad, and other apps, with +/- 3% power accuracy. Setup takes minutes — just clamp your rear wheel and go. A great entry point to smart training. Around £300-400.

Elite Suito-T — Best Mid-Range Direct-Drive

The Elite Suito-T comes with a cassette pre-installed (most direct-drive trainers don’t), so you’re ready to ride straight out of the box. Power accuracy is +/- 2.5%, it simulates up to 15% gradients, and it’s noticeably quieter than wheel-on alternatives. Brilliant value for a direct-drive trainer. Around £500-600.

Wahoo KICKR Core — Best Premium Direct-Drive

The Wahoo KICKR Core is the sweet spot in Wahoo’s range — you get the same electromagnetic resistance and +/- 2% accuracy as the flagship KICKR, in a slightly more compact package. The road feel is excellent, it’s whisper-quiet, and the build quality is superb. Around £600-800.

Essential Accessories

  • Noise level: Direct-drive trainers are much quieter — important if you train early morning or in a flat
  • Trainer mat: Protects your floor from sweat and vibration, and keeps the trainer from sliding
  • Fan: Essential — you’ll overheat quickly without one. A decent desk fan pointed at your torso makes a big difference
  • Front wheel block: Keeps your bike level and prevents the front wheel from rolling. Most trainers come with one

Budget £200-400 for a solid wheel-on smart trainer, or £500-900 for a quality direct-drive option. The investment pays for itself quickly if it helps you stay consistent through winter.