Smart Trainer and Apps Intro

• Posted on 15 January 2023
• By KW
• Posted in bike trainer, indoor bike riding, indoor rides, Winter bike riding, Winter bike training
• 0

Welcome to a new series of blog posts that will explore EVERYONE'S favorite activity: riding the nowhere bike.  Whether it's in your basement, your living room, or your garage, riding on a trainer can be the most tedious, awful thing you can do on a bicycle.  But, as usual, we are here to help!  The Social Media Dept. recently took possession of a brand new Saris H3 smart trainer, which conveniently came with several limited time free subscriptions to some popular indoor training apps that work with or without a smart trainer (though they really do work better *with* one).  So we are setting out to see which is the most user-friendly, budget-friendly, and/or fun and exciting app to work with.  

First, though, let's talk about the trainers.  At MSBC we keep several models in stock, including two "smart" trainers.  What makes a trainer smart?  Well, it mostly means that your trainer will interact with your computer and an app - Zwift, Rouvy, Systm, Trainer Road, etc.  When the routes or sessions get more intense, the computer automatically adjusts the resistance on your trainer.  Climbing a hill?  You'll have to pedal harder, just like if you were really doing it.  Pretty cool, really.  Or, you know, awful...

Smart trainers will also communicate with your favorite fitness app, like Garmin Connect, Strava, and MapMyRide, just by logging in and connecting to that fitness app account.  They record power output, cadence, MPH (or kph if you'd rather), and distance "traveled."  You can also add a heart rate monitor, but that one is not built in.

You can still use a trainer app without a smart trainer, though, just by increasing your own resistance by changing gears on your bike.  You can use separate power meters, cadence sensors, and heart rate via ANT+ and Bluetooth into your computer but without the trainer sending it.

My trainer of choice, as mentioned, is the awesome Saris H3 - a direct drive trainer with built-in cadence, power, and speed sensors.  "Direct drive" means that you actually remove your rear wheel entirely and mount a cassette right on the trainer.  Your bike sits on the trainer just like it's a real bike with the trainer replacing the bike's rear wheel (if your bike's rear wheel was a 20-lb flywheel...).  It's quiet, it's accurate, and it takes the "how tight do I rotate the tension on my rear wheel" question out of the equation.  It's $799 retail, but worth the extra investment if you are doing a lot of indoor riding.

We also offer the Saris M2 smart trainer, which is a more standard rear-wheel attachment system.  A quick swap of your rear wheel skewer (you'll need different ends than the normal ones, and if you have a thru-axle you'll also need an adapter), pop the bike onto the trainer, tighten up the resistance knob - full contact with the tire plus another 1/4 to 1/2 turn - and you're ready to roll.

Riding indoors isn't that much fun.  But the convenience of a trainer when it's dark and cold outside is hard to beat.  Add to that the wonders of video training and things get at least a little more fun, right?  Right??

Happy riding.  There's probably something we could do about winter-weather clothing, too, since at least it isn't snowing right now.  Maybe in the future!  For now, the ride is inside.