If you are looking for a low cost turbo trainer (aka bike or cycle trainer) but do not know which one to get, then you have come to the right place. How do we know what the best cheap turbo trainer is? Because we have asked people who own and use turbo trainers regularly to vote/recommend their best choice. Review sites are good, but really we know the best people to give their option are the people who actually use them regularly.
We opened up a poll and asked 'What is the best turbo trainer under £250'?. There results are here for you to see.
New to Bike Trainers?
If you are looking to use your bike indoors or convert your road bike into a stationary bicycle for extra fitness training, then you need a turbo trainer (also known as a cycle or bike trainer). Read more about turbo trainers and the different technologies available here. If you are new to turbo trainers you probably do not want to spend several hundred pounds (or even £1000s) on a trainer just yet, so we have identified the top 3 turbo trainers for around £200. These turbos have been recommended by those who actually own then, and they all offer excellent value for money.
#1 ' CycleOps Classic Mag Turbo Trainer (58% think this is the best)
The CycleOps Classic Mag Turbo Trainer is possibly the cheapest of the bunch but it does the basics well, and is therefore a great unit for beginners. You don't get a remote shifter in with the kit this costs an extra £25, so to change resistance you have to dismount the bike and manually change the resistance on the device, which is not ideal. That being said, it all depends on what your needs are, and if you do want a unit that allows you to workout effectively when the weather is bad, then this is a robust and smooth turbo that you will be more than happy with.
Best price:
[DFR:Compare Prices?p=10200120889827]
#2 ' Tacx Satori High Power Turbo Trainer (19% think this is the best)
The Tacx Satori is the trainer that a lot of pro teams use to warm-up their cyclists prior to races. It offers 10 levels of resistance control and uses a magnetic break to provide a high level of resistance, which is particularly good for someone who wishes to train at the higher power output range. While not having all the bells and whistles that a really top end trainer such as the Tacx i-Genius virtual reality turbo trainer, it is still a great lower cost turbo for those looking to get a solid workout with their road bike.
Best price:
[DFR:Compare Prices?p=2297402088403889]
#3 ' Elite Crono Fluid ElastoGel Turbo Trainer (12% think this is the best)
The Elite Crono Fluid ElastoGel Turbo Trainer is, as the name suggests, a fluid based turbo trainer. As is the case with wind bike trainers, fluid based trainers generally do not offer any built in mechanism to control the resistance, and instead the resistance is simply progressively increased as you change gear and the cadence rises. If this is the type of trainer you are after then the Elite Crono Fluid ElastoGel is a good choice. Fluid based trainers tend to offer a higher level of resistance and are generally quieter than wind based trainers.
Best price:
[DFR:Compare Prices?compset_id=53183]
Summary
There is a huge amount of choice when it comes to turbo trainers (just head to our homepage and do a search and you'll see), and everyone will have their own opinion. So this is exactly why we decided to ask for yours. General reviews are fine, but ultimately the most important people to recommend a low cost turbo trainer are those who actually own them and use them regularly. Our poll saw the CycleOps Classic Magnetic Turbo Trainer claim the number 1 spot for the best cheap turbo trainer under £200. There was some stiff competition though, with the Tacx Satori and the Elite SuperCrono being well liked.
Need more help? Visit the homepage and browse/filter all turbo trainers, or check out our popular Best Turbo Trainer 2013 Guide or our new Best Turbo Trainer 2014 Guide.
