Smart bike or smart trainer, what's the smart money on this year? We sent Ronan, our chief going nowhere correspondent, indoors in the first of a series of videos looking at your hardware options across a range of price points.
I went smart bike a couple years ago and never looked back... is always ready to go, just climb on and go. I also like that it doesn't put wear and tear on my normal bike. Smart trainers still have their purpose, though: People with limited space or riders who want to train on the same exact fit as they ride.
I have a Wahoo Kickr trainer but would like to upgrade to the kickr bike. I have done about 8,000 miles on my trainer. I have a 20 year old carbon Trek 5200 all Dura-ace that has not broken but there is paint that flaked off about 6 inches above the bottom bracket where 2 parts of carbon join. I think this setup does flex the frame more than regular street riding. The biggest issue is sweat. I try to keep it toweled off and clean but the sweat has corroded the brake calipers front and rear, the front derailleur corroded to the point of not functioning (had to remove and give it an oil bath), and I had to replace the shifters/break levers because the sweat gets under the hood covers and corrodes the insides. The metal screws on the bottle cages and my stem are now very rusty. If you plan to do a lot of indoor miles, I would recommend the smart bike. If you just plan to use the smart trainer once in a while, that should be fine.
If it was just me, I’d go with a smart trainer, put my nice bike on it all winter, and be perfectly satisfied. In fact that’s what I did for a couple years. Then my wife wanted in in the fun. Then my son. All of us have different gearings, different sizes, and different types of bikes. So a single smart trainer and/or single dedicated bike wouldn’t work. Likewise, having multiple smart trainers evaporates their benefits over a smart bike. So a smart bike fit the bill. It wasn’t cheaper, but not significantly more expensive than a trio of trainers. It’s easily setup for each of us. Plus, it’s ALWAYS available, which ended up being a blessing while nursing injuries that kept myself and my son off real bikes during the riding seasons.
But if the benefit of using a smart trainer is being able to use your own bike you like with your exact bikefit, why woud you set an old bike? I understand that this way you always have your traner prepared to jump on, but the main reason to get a smart trainer is to use your great perfect fit new bike!
@@ernestoechevers4741 Got any evidence for that? I've had my trainer bike on the wahoo for about 4 years now and it hasnt had any damage despite many hundreds of hours of use.
@@NikeonaBike Just one-off occurrences, like the KICKR/Canyon Ultimate fiasco. I think it also effected some Treks and a couple others. Otherwise it's really just normal wear and tear on things like drivetrain, cockpit, etc.
I think to say we won’t be able to replicate the road any better is a bit short sighted. Like when the Victorians said “right that’s it, nothing else can be invented”
Smart bike for me is the best option y don't want to put my nice frame thru the stress of the trainer i have seen too many frames get damaged on trainers neither want to sweat all over my nice groupset and cockpit space us not a issue for me and i tried a wahoo smart bike and was able to replicate my position spot on so i don't get how you couldn't
