00:00Tax, Wahoo, Elite or someone else entirely. There's definitely plenty of options out there
00:06when it comes to indoor trainers but the good news is that in 2026 you can enjoy your favourite
00:11indoor training software for a lot less than you might think. Not only is there excellent
00:17indoor training software available for free but indoor smart trainers have come on so far in the
00:22last few years that I now don't think it's worth spending more than most brands lowest tier option
00:27of trainers. But which one should you choose? Well we've tested them all and here's our top picks.
00:40If you want to indoor train on a budget then this is for you. The Van Riesel D100. It was
00:45released
00:46earlier this year and has an RRP of £230, €250 or $299 and it's more than capable of getting you
00:54moving in the virtual world. For example, on the software that we've been using to test these
00:59trainers, Mywoosh. The stats might not be the highest. For example, this one has a maximum
01:04resistance of 600 watts and can simulate climbs of up to 6%. But it does get you a direct drive
01:12trainer for a lot less than just about anything else out there. What that means is that compared
01:17to a wheel on trainer you're not going to wear out your tyre. It's relatively quiet, it's easy to put
01:23a through axle or quick release bike on it and it has a good ride feel. The power accuracy is
01:30well it's
01:31around 5% which is some way off the other trainers that we're going to see in a minute. But
01:36for people
01:36just starting their indoor training eras and especially lighter riders this should be more than enough to
01:43dip your toe into workouts, free rides and even a bit of amateur racing.
01:53Taking things up a notch though is this, the Elite Revo. You may have recently seen the video
01:59where I challenged my mum to set this exact indoor trainer up, something it's fair to say she has
02:05struggled with in the past. The main benefit of this one over let's say the best overall trainer that
02:12we're going to see in a minute is that it's surprisingly small, compact and light. It also
02:17has a handle which means it's far easier to carry around or tidy away than just about every other
02:23indoor trainer that I've used. Even my mum could pick this one up and carry it around the house which
02:28she can't do with most turbo trainers. The setup was as simple as it gets. Again,
02:34it's a direct drive or wheel off trainer so you get all the benefits of that and the specs should
02:39be
02:39more than enough for the majority of riders. A power accuracy of plus or minus 2.5% will be
02:45sufficient for anyone that isn't racing professionally and most importantly that stayed accurate even when
02:51the unit heated up on long rides. Something that can't be said for lots of the other budget
02:56indoor trainers that we've tested. It's also got WiFi connectivity, something that used to be reserved
03:02for much more expensive trainers, so it will automatically download and install firmware updates.
03:08What else? Oh yeah, the price. So this one is £449, 499 euros and $499.
03:17Before we get to our best overall indoor trainers, we'd like to say thank you to this video's sponsor,
03:22Mywoosh. Mywoosh offers a huge number of worlds where you can enjoy racing, pro level workouts
03:28and social community rides, including our favourite with the Cycling Weekly team. We might be a bit
03:35biased though. What's more, it's free. Not just a free trial, like actually free free. No in-app purchases,
03:42you get it, all of it. The workout plans, all the worlds, customise your avatar and everything you need
03:48to help you get back to fitness for the summer. If you want to check it out, then there's a
03:53link
03:53down in the description below.
04:01With a max power of 1500 watts and a 12% simulated incline, the Kickr Snap boasts direct drive-like
04:08numbers from a wheel-on trainer. Personally, I would be looking to buy a wheel-off or direct-drive
04:15trainer, but I realise that they're not for everyone. And if you do want the ease of loading
04:21up your bike without the hassle of taking a wheel off, then the one that I would go for is
04:25the Wahoo
04:26Kickr Snap. It's simple to set up, worked seamlessly with our indoor training software during the review
04:32period and bikes come on and off it in a flash. It can usually be found for under 300 quid,
04:38although it
04:39has now been discontinued by Wahoo. We thought we'd still include it as it is still available from
04:44quite a lot of stores, but if you can't find it, then my next pick would be the Elite Tuo.
04:56Taking the overall crown though, my favourite indoor trainer is the Wahoo Kickr Core 2. It does
05:03everything that I want an indoor trainer to do, and that's why you certainly won't find me spending
05:09anything more. The design is tried and tested. It's a really stable platform, even if you want to do
05:16sprints. It's got more than enough resistance, up to 1800 watts, and it can simulate 16% inclines.
05:24And with a 5.4 kilo flywheel, you get some really good ride feel as well. This second generation unit
05:32also gets
05:33Wi-Fi for additional peace of mind whilst racing. And speaking of which, it's got a race mode, which
05:38bumps up how often it kind of sends data to your software to make it ultra reactive. So your virtual
05:45self will do exactly what real you is doing. Wahoo has also made a lot of efforts to make this
05:51super
05:52simple setup, and I'm really not sure what more you could ask from an indoor trainer. Maybe it could
05:58wobble around a bit, or it could have a handle actually. That is one thing it is missing. Other
06:03than that, it does literally everything that the top trainers do, but for half the price. Speaking of
06:09which, this one will set you back 499 pounds, 549 dollars, and 549 euros. And that happens to be a
06:16fair bit cheaper than what it costs when the first Kickr Core hit the shelves. So there you go, actual
06:22proof
06:22that you get more for your money when it comes to indoor training now than you did a few years
06:27ago.
06:27We're always excited to try out new indoor trainers. I've got the Psych Plus T3 and T4 on my list
06:33to try
06:34in 2026. Let us know any others that you'd like us to review or that you think we've missed in
06:39the
06:39comments below, and we'll see you next time.
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