Indoor trainer help needed

[Quintin Baker]

Hi All,

 

I want to get a smart electric indoor trainer that I can stream with all the new apps and so on. Long and short is, we are 3, im running a xl frame tru axle 12 speed, my wife, med frame quick release 11speed, my son is having a s frame tru axle 11 speed. What trainer can work? Do you get trainers that you leave you're rear wheel on? Because we are having 3 different setups, and will be a mess to get all 3 sorted on the trainer, any advice will be appreciated 

[docja]

[NC_lurker]

With that range of setups you'd be better off looking at the trainer bikes, something like a Wahoo Kickr bike. But they're pricy!

https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/indoor-cycling/smart-bikes

[Mamil]

The core with the zwift cog is the cheaper way to go - easy to change it from through axle to QR - and drivetrain differences are irrelevant with the zwift cog.

[Quintin Baker]

5 hours ago, Mamil said:

The core with the zwift cog is the cheaper way to go - easy to change it from through axle to QR - and drivetrain differences are irrelevant with the zwift cog.

Is the core also a smart trainer that we can run with all the apps and so on for training purposes?

[Mamil]

18 minutes ago, Quintin Baker said:

Is the core also a smart trainer that we can run with all the apps and so on for training purposes?

Yes - IT will run with all the gaming platforms (Zwift, Rouvy, MyWhoosh) as well as Trainer Road etc etc.

Connects via bluetooth or ant+ to phones, computers, tablets, smartwatches, headunits .... 

 

[Duane_Bosch]

Nice question @Quintin Baker Multiple issues for you to deal with there. And you haven't even asked which app to use yet.

First up forget wheel on trainers. They absolutely suck. Yes they are cheaper but you are going to just end up with a cobweb collector lying in the garage.

One trainer can work IN THEORY. Most trainers will have all the little adapters so you can run all of those setups but you aren't realistically going to swap out cassettes and axle attachments every time someone wants to do a workout. Also. If you share a trainer you're going to be the one doing the bike swapping. Trust me I know.

The zwift cog will solve your cassette issues but it won't solve your axle issue. 

If you want to use a single trainer for all 3 of you the only realistic thing to buy is a smart bike or a spinning bike. That will give you the adjustability you need. I know some spinning bikes are compatible with cycling apps but more than that I don't know.

Here is a 2nd hand smart bike that will give you everything you need. But 35k for a 2nd hand bike that can't actually go anywhere is a number.
https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/indoor-trainers-and-accessories/844191/tacx-neobike-smart-trainer

Another alternative is to buy 2 trainers. You can get a 2nd hand one for around 8k. One for you and one to share between your wife and son. You'll also need to get them a cheapie bike to mount on the trainer permanently so the axle issue goes away. The reason i say they share a trainer is because they are closer in size and might be able to reach a compromise ITO a trainer bike. Also you can then train together which is less torturous.  
 

The third alternative is to join a gym and do some spinning classes. Don't laugh. You can get super strong if you smash 3 spinning classes a week.

 

 

Edited September 30, 2025 by Duane_Bosch

[VALO CYCLING]

I think with the 3 of you training  it has to be a smart bike too. I hope your budget allows for it. Everything else is going to be a compromise I feel. Keep and eye out for deals or 2nd hand option on the hub like @Duane_Bosch mentions. I assume the Zwift Ride isn’t sold in SA, real shame as you are a great user case for it 

[Quintin Baker]

Thanks a mil for all the replies, lot's of people say I must get the wahoo core v2 with the zwift cog on, will that work? A trainer bike is a bit out of the budget, looked at spending around 20k

[Mamil]

8 minutes ago, Quintin Baker said:

Thanks a mil for all the replies, lot's of people say I must get the wahoo core v2 with the zwift cog on, will that work? A trainer bike is a bit out of the budget, looked at spending around 20k

Trainer bike will be the most convenient - I am a one rider household so I have an old cracked frame trek emonda that lives on the trainer.

Changing bikes between the QR frame and the through axle is a matter of changing the little socket adapters that come with the unit, removing the rear wheel and placing the bike on the trainer. It's a 5 monute job to remove one bike and put the other one on. A schlep to be sure but as you point out the kickr bike is pricey.

Your pain points will be not losing the adapters and the effort and physical space needed to maneuver the various bikes around. If that schlep factor is too high to stop your training then the bike is a better option.

Another point to consider is that bikes that get used on indoor trainers take a beating, not from the riding but from the corrosive effects of the sweat. Salt accumulates under bar tape, in the headset, just anywhere where the sweat goes and can be a big deal because it is very corrosive.

In a one rider household, a kickr core and a dedicated el cheapo frame is probably most bang for buck. In your 3 person household it is doable but subject to caveat by the above.

[Quintin Baker]

7 minutes ago, Mamil said:

Trainer bike will be the most convenient - I am a one rider household so I have an old cracked frame trek emonda that lives on the trainer.

Changing bikes between the QR frame and the through axle is a matter of changing the little socket adapters that come with the unit, removing the rear wheel and placing the bike on the trainer. It's a 5 monute job to remove one bike and put the other one on. A schlep to be sure but as you point out the kickr bike is pricey.

Your pain points will be not losing the adapters and the effort and physical space needed to maneuver the various bikes around. If that schlep factor is too high to stop your training then the bike is a better option.

Another point to consider is that bikes that get used on indoor trainers take a beating, not from the riding but from the corrosive effects of the sweat. Salt accumulates under bar tape, in the headset, just anywhere where the sweat goes and can be a big deal because it is very corrosive.

In a one rider household, a kickr core and a dedicated el cheapo frame is probably most bang for buck. In your 3 person household it is doable but subject to caveat by the above.

Luckily we have room with all our bikes in and it's dedicated to our bikes, work stand and all those stuff, I want to place the trainer in there, the stands that we use hooks on the rear arms and lift the rear tyre off the ground. So I can remove all 3 bikes rear wheels and keep them like that and just switch between them as we go on, will also get a dedicated place for all the parts for the QR or TA, I would love to get a trainer bike but they are ridiculously expensive, and would also like to get a bike only for the trainer but the issue is my son is 10, wife is about 1.6m and I'm close to 2m, so that really doesn't make it an easy time for me

[Mamil]

10 hours ago, Quintin Baker said:

Luckily we have room with all our bikes in and it's dedicated to our bikes, work stand and all those stuff, I want to place the trainer in there, the stands that we use hooks on the rear arms and lift the rear tyre off the ground. So I can remove all 3 bikes rear wheels and keep them like that and just switch between them as we go on, will also get a dedicated place for all the parts for the QR or TA, I would love to get a trainer bike but they are ridiculously expensive, and would also like to get a bike only for the trainer but the issue is my son is 10, wife is about 1.6m and I'm close to 2m, so that really doesn't make it an easy time for me

Go for it. The smart trainer was a gamechanger for me - particularly because the gamification of zwift races works for me. As the roads get worse and the crime risk gets greater I find myself training indoors during the weeks and going on long gravel and mtb rides outdoors on weekends. 

Post snaps of your setup when it arrives