edgarblount Posted December 13, 2017 Share Roadbike. What worries me is the claimed accuracy on the snap and equivalents. 5% is enough to put you in a different training zone entirely, should you have to compensate for that, or does the spindown calibration you do after the warm up get it spot on?If I am not mistaken the Wahoo Kickr Snap 2017 is now down to 3% accuracy with some firmware update. But ja, you want as accurate power data as possible. If coach says hit 220 watts you want to make sure it is 220 watts. I guess just get the Kickr then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grey Hubs Posted December 13, 2017 Share Guys, I have a question I think has been asked quite a few times before. What is the difference between direct drive and on wheel smart trainers.I can afford a Kickr or that price range equivalent, but is it worth double the kickr snap(or equivalent)? In terms of training quality. Will a direct drive trainer be better for my training, or can will something like the snap be fine? I get my training from my coach and use TrainingPeaks as softwareCan't comment on Whaoo stuff, but I've used the Cycleops Powerbeam for almost 2yrs now.No matter what people say, there is tyre slippage under quick power changes. I've changed to an indoor tyre, cleaned the tyre and set the pressure. Under steady loads, it runs well. As soon as you stomp on the pedals or hit an incline that automatically changes resistance, the tyre will start to slip, even to a small degree of slippage. You learn to manage how to apply the power to reduce slippage.The tyre will also "squeak" under higher loads and resistance for example climbing inclines under resistance. Although I find the above mildly irritating, it really is not a deal breaker. Yes I would prefer a direct drive and get away from the tyre slip issues, but I'm not prepared to spend the extra $$ for a 5 % better experience...The "wheel on" trainer has helped enormously with my training and I really don't believe that 5% accuracy will affect your training negatively...honestly, unless you are the top 10% . Calibration on these units takes a few seconds prior to starting your session, with an option later to do a "warm" calibration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awesme Posted December 13, 2017 Share on the back of this, this "tyre slippage" and tyre wear is one thing that a direct drive has not, it's is perfectly accurate, and immediate. If you have a extra bike that you gonna fit onto the trainer and forget, ye sure you can fit it once and just regularly check that the wheel is still tightened to the right pressure, if you gonna use your day to day bike, then on off on off, then this on and forget of a direct drive is great. I'd go and say the most open system on the market at the moment is the Wahoo Kickr and can also state that the best supported system on the market in SA is the Wahoo Kickr, It's not the cheapest, but I'm a strong believer in "Goedkoop koop is duur koop" Buy cheap and it ends expensive... I've have my unit now since last year March, and haven't look back once, can actually say I've seen my Wahoo Kickr + TrainerRoad as the best money I've spend on my cycling the last 5 yrs. I've got 3 friends that have also bought themselves the same setup since and none has ever questioned their purchases. The unit now by default comes with a Cadence Pod, all I'd recommend is also to get the Wahoo Tickr Heart rate strap, (it's blue tooth which makes it easy to integrate with software like TrainerRoad running on you iPhone, Samsung or iPad, Samsung Pad. G Can't comment on Whaoo stuff, but I've used the Cycleops Powerbeam for almost 2yrs now.No matter what people say, there is tyre slippage under quick power changes. I've changed to an indoor tyre, cleaned the tyre and set the pressure. Under steady loads, it runs well. As soon as you stomp on the pedals or hit an incline that automatically changes resistance, the tyre will start to slip, even to a small degree of slippage. You learn to manage how to apply the power to reduce slippage.The tyre will also "squeak" under higher loads and resistance for example climbing inclines under resistance. Although I find the above mildly irritating, it really is not a deal breaker. Yes I would prefer a direct drive and get away from the tyre slip issues, but I'm not prepared to spend the extra $$ for a 5 % better experience...The "wheel on" trainer has helped enormously with my training and I really don't believe that 5% accuracy will affect your training negatively...honestly, unless you are the top 10% . Calibration on these units takes a few seconds prior to starting your session, with an option later to do a "warm" calibration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleavon_Yeti Posted December 14, 2017 Share So I'm in the market for a smart trainer and have narrowed down my options to the following: https://www.cwcycles.co.za/product/tacx-t2900-flux-smart-trainer#reviews https://www.sportsmanswarehouse.co.za/product/wahoo-kickr-snap-2-indoor-trainer Both have similar specs apart for the wheel on vs direct drive matter. Cwc has the flux on sale which brings it into my budget bracket. On the other hand I can get the kickr snap 2 at sportsmans and get 15% cash back. Was also wondering if an indoor trainer would fall into the "fitness device" category for discovery vitality and qualify for the fitness booster in 2018. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Help.Me. Posted December 14, 2017 Share I'd go and say the most open system on the market at the moment is the Wahoo Kickr and can also state that the best supported system on the market in SA is the Wahoo Kickr, It's not the cheapest, but I'm a strong believer in "Goedkoop koop is duur koop" Buy cheap and it ends expensive... I've have my unit now since last year March, and haven't look back once, can actually say I've seen my Wahoo Kickr + TrainerRoad as the best money I've spend on my cycling the last 5 yrs. I've got 3 friends that have also bought themselves the same setup since and none has ever questioned their purchases. THIS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G Man Posted December 15, 2017 Share From my experience, I would definitely recommend the direct drive. I bought the Kickr Snap in the beginning of the year and used it for 7 months before it developed some serious noise issues. Local agents agreed there was a fault and I was allowed to swap it out. I decided to swap for the Kickr and pay in the price difference. Problems with wheel on is the constant slippage when there is a steep gradient change or you stand to hammer the pedals. You also have to do a calibration every time you mount your bike on the trainer and ensure your tyre pressure is ok. I also found that wattage output would suddenly drop for a few seconds for no apparent reason, causing the brake to step in resulting in tyre slippage. The direct drive system has eliminated all these issues and the experience is so much more enjoyable. There is no more slipping, calibration is done once a week and no more power drops. The resistance changing on the direct drive is also so much more smoother than on the snap. I had some initial gearing issues getting it setup with my bike,but once sorted I have had no issues. An added bonus is less noise. You will not regret spending the extra rands for a direct drive system. P.s. if you planning on using Zwift, get a Apple TV 4k, far better experience than running on a pc or notebook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L.T.G Posted December 15, 2017 Share So I'm in the market for a smart trainer and have narrowed down my options to the following: https://www.cwcycles.co.za/product/tacx-t2900-flux-smart-trainer#reviews https://www.sportsmanswarehouse.co.za/product/wahoo-kickr-snap-2-indoor-trainer Both have similar specs apart for the wheel on vs direct drive matter. Cwc has the flux on sale which brings it into my budget bracket. On the other hand I can get the kickr snap 2 at sportsmans and get 15% cash back. Was also wondering if an indoor trainer would fall into the "fitness device" category for discovery vitality and qualify for the fitness booster in 2018.Spend the extra cash and and go direct drive, worth it in the long term.. it's fair bit extra, but I think it's the way to go... just my 2c( some places still have some good deals on the Kickr 2, maybe even 3. CWC have the Kickr 3 at R17500, I see Solomons are advertising a special too) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2wieltjies Posted December 15, 2017 Share Wife and I have each have our own kickr 3 in the house, it got so bad that I don't want to go on the road anymore. With the direct drive system we each run training bikes on them so we don't have to swop bicycles, for me that's a huge plus. Something you need to also take into account. I have Merida reacto 5000 with Di2 on it, the Di2 is very sweet on the trainer but I am a bit concerned about the carbon frame. What I read online if you can go Kickr 3 and not 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian van Zyl Posted December 15, 2017 Share Spend the extra cash and and go direct drive, worth it in the long term.. it's fair bit extra, but I think it's the way to go... just my 2c( some places still have some good deals on the Kickr 2, maybe even 3. CWC have the Kickr 3 at R17500, I see Solomons are advertising a special too) KICKR 2 and 3 also ships with a free cassette and RPM cadence pod. Worth a bit if you add them up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleavon_Yeti Posted December 15, 2017 Share My budget for a smart trainer is around 11k, based on that and current specials its either Wahoo kickr snap 2 R9,999 from sportsmans orTacx flux R11,900 from cwc which of the 2 do you suggest? or should I be adding any other options to that list? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Help.Me. Posted December 15, 2017 Share Wife and I have each have our own kickr 3 in the house, it got so bad that I don't want to go on the road anymore. With the direct drive system we each run training bikes on them so we don't have to swop bicycles, for me that's a huge plus. Something you need to also take into account. I have Merida reacto 5000 with Di2 on it, the Di2 is very sweet on the trainer but I am a bit concerned about the carbon frame. What I read online if you can go Kickr 3 and not 2.which training program do you use with your kickr's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Help.Me. Posted December 15, 2017 Share My budget for a smart trainer is around 11k, based on that and current specials its either Wahoo kickr snap 2 R9,999 from sportsmans orTacx flux R11,900 from cwc which of the 2 do you suggest? or should I be adding any other options to that list?have a look in the classifieds and negotiate with the kickr sellers https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/category/62-indoor-trainers/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awesme Posted December 15, 2017 Share Only run mine in ERG mode G which training program do you use with your kickr's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pusher Posted December 15, 2017 Share which training program do you use with your kickr'sI use TrainerRoad with an Elite Direto which is also a direct drive trainer. TrainerRoad is well worth the $12 a month. HUGE amount of training programs to choose from to suite any cycling discipline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pusher Posted December 15, 2017 Share My budget for a smart trainer is around 11k, based on that and current specials its either Wahoo kickr snap 2 R9,999 from sportsmans orTacx flux R11,900 from cwc which of the 2 do you suggest? or should I be adding any other options to that list?Have a look at these reviews. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFTmD9zM9D4 https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/07/wahoo-kickr-snap-2017-v2-trainer.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2wieltjies Posted December 15, 2017 Share which training program do you use with your kickr'sMostly(99.9%) Zwift, but have BKool as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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