I bought a wheel-on trainer (Tacx blue matic) because I thought I’d give indoor training a try, and I’m absolutely hooked (which explains why I keep asking all those questions on the forum, sorry about that, it’s the excitement !). Truth of the matter is : I don’t have any available space at home in my 600 sq ft appartment, so I trainer I could just tuck in its small place and just take out whenever I need to train is perfect.
But now I’d like to go smart (so to speak) with something like a wahoo kickr. I can’t fold it, but I’m sure I can find a little space somewhere for it. But I won’t be able to just leave my bike on it all the time, as I ride in my dining room (I have no garage, obviously and no room at all in the bedroom)
Here’s my question: is it as easy to put the bike on and off as on a wheel on trainer ? I saw a few videos on youtube but I can’t really tell how annoying it is in the long term…
Don’t overthink it. It’s super easy. Just don’t forget to shift in small small for a easier bike change. With a little practice it’s done in 10 seconds.
The kickr is probably better than the neo or Kickr core. The feet can fold away nicely and there is a carry handle. Having said that: It’s a heavy beast - you don’t want to carry it too far.
Including rolling out a mat, setting up the trainer, bike, fan and plugging everything in, I think you can do it in under 5 minutes. Good upper body warm up ;).
I live in about half your space (270sqft) and have to set up and break down every time [my set up]. It takes me about 20 minutes to set up and get changed and riding, and 10-15 minutes to break down.
I fold the Direto up and tuck it out of the way (my GF sewed a cover for it to keep dust out of the electrics and keep the cassette off other things), fan goes back in the box up on the wardrobe and I use the ironing board as a laptop stand.
I’m pretty sure the Elite Suito? is extra-flat too incase you can tuck it under the bed.
My apartment is probably smaller and I went for the aforementioned Elite Suito. It’s fairly easy and quick to fold the legs out, rear wheel out and mount and after a session do the opposite and store the trainer under a bed or somewhere. Having said that living alone I tend to leave the bike set up on the turbo and use it as a bike stand. If I need more space the turbo leg closest to the wall is collapsed so I can move it closer. If I was sharing an apartment I’d probably have to put things away more regularly
I just got a Kickr and I’m actually finding it easier than my wheel-on trainer because I used to swap my wheel for a training wheel that didn’t have an expensive tire on it.
Overall, taking your wheel off and putting the bike on a Kickr is super easy. I just started using a wax based lube and I think that helps because I don’t have a black greasy chain and thus the cogs on the Kickr stay pretty clean as well.
The legs on a Kickr do fold in so the total footprint can be made smaller for storage.
If you get a Kickr, get the latest one that was just released. It should be more reliable and has the new cushion/rocker feet feature.
Once you perfect your your rear wheel technique (and removing and installing a rear well quickly does involve specific technique), its faster and easier than a wheel on trainer. Practice and be systematic and you’ll be Tour mechanic fast in no time.
I live in small one bedroom flat with a small front room. I do all my workouts in the small hallway using a Saris Hammer (H1) trainer. I assemble everything before a workout and disassemble and store it all after. Everything is stored in the bedroom, which is adjacent to the hall. It takes literally five minutes to assemble everything. Thought you’d like to see my set-up to see what’s possible in a small space.
I use two Vacmaster air movers to keep me cool. They’re superb little blowers. I position one just to the left of the front wheel and the other to the right. With this combination, I find that the lowest setting on both blowers is sufficient. However, on hot days I have them on the second setting. You only need one wall socket, as one blower can be plugged in to the other. Genius.
Through a process of trial and error, I’ve established the ideal position and tilt for the blowers and have set up a mounting board for the fans and a worktop for my laptop. The blowers have little rubber feet, and I’ve found that these fit perfectly into Shimano cleats. So, I’ve fastened four cleats to the board, which provides me with the optimum set up and position for the blowers, first time every time.
On the same board I set up the laptop worktop. This comprises three Ikea screw on legs for one of their tables (cost £2.50 each - search for " adils legs" on their website). I then rest a wooden board on top of them for my laptop.
Seriously, five minutes to assemble from a standing start.
When I was at this point (TR was in beta), I just left everything setup in my living room. Just off to the side so I could walk by. Girlfriend was a little shocked, but she quickly understood.
