Best turbo trainers 2024 — improve your cycling and get fitter by training indoors

Bearing in mind the Zwift Hub One also comes with a year's free Zwift app membership, the Hub One provides a very affordable way into smart training. The ingenious Cog system also means you won't have to worry about swapping cassettes, spacers and other compatibility headaches, because the Hub One is designed to work with pretty much any 8 to 12-speed bike. 

Replacing the Zwift Hub that did come with a cassette (that was basically the same as Wahoo's Kickr Core, included in this guide and highly rated) the Hub One replaces it with the Zwift Cog, so there's no need to put a cassette on the trainer - just put your chain around the Zwift Cog, line up the gearing so it's centred on the Cog, and you're away. The trainer is also supplied with the Click system which gives you 24 virtual gears. While it's not quite as sweet as proper shifting, our reviewer said it was fast and responsive enough for most indoor riders. 

The power accuracy is claimed to be +/-2.5%, and we found the Hub One's accuracy to be well within the range we expected. It has a maximum resistance of 1800W and can simulate a gradient of 16%, which are good numbers at the cheaper end of the market. 

If you have more than one bike you like to use on the trainer, then the Hub One makes a lot of sense. For everyone else it's also very capable and comes highly recommended, if you don't mind the slightly unusual feeling of the virtual shifting. 

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Garmin's Tacx Neo 2T has now technically been replaced by the Tacx Neo 3M (we'll be reviewing it in full soon), but we can still vouch for the 2T being an exceptional trainer, and the price isn't quite so stinging nowadays 

This very quiet trainer is a highly capable piece of equipment that's easy to set up as well as store, and has a resistance unit that’s able to simulate road surfaces by altering the resistance hundreds of times a second. It replicates a realistic riding experience on Zwift (which it is compatible with, plus many other training apps) from the comfort of your own home.

The Neo 2T improves on its predecessor by adding even more resistance and even greater accuracy, claimed to be within +/-1%. At lower speeds, the 2T will produce powerful resistance and is also capable of very quick changes in ERG mode. Overall, it's quiet (which neighbours will of course be thankful for) as well as capable. 

If you're looking for a top-of-the-range turbo trainer then this is a solid choice that you certainly won't regret. Although you can go much cheaper, the Neo 2T is still one of the best out there because of its impressive features such as the sophisticated cadence sensing, ability to power itself wirelessly and its realistic ride feel. 

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The Flux S direct drive turbo is an excellent and pretty affordable smart trainer from one of the biggest companies in the business: Tacx. This pick in our best turbo trainers selection offers a smooth ride quality and doesn’t produce much noise at all. It’s also very accurate and offers great consistency of numbers, so it’s a great option for those wanting an indoor trainer for the colder months or to mix up their training. 

Tacx claims the Flux S reads your power to an accuracy of +/- 3%. As well as that, this model can also simulate a maximum resistance of 1,500W which is very reasonable and good enough for most riders and their training needs. Additionally, the Flux S can simulate a climb of up to 10%. It’s also worth noting that the latest version now allows for the use of both gravel and mountain bikes as it has enough clearance for a long-arm derailleur.

Overall, the Tacx Flux S smart trainer is a solid option for training purposes. It’s easy to set up and connect to your other devices which is great, but on the other hand, the max resistance offered is a little lower than other direct drives. Also, it does notably struggle at delivering lower levels of resistance. But for the price, it’s a great option.

This smart trainer from Elite is very solid and delivers highly accurate power numbers. It also beats most of its competitors in the premium smart trainer space for price. 

The Direto XR holds your bike firmly in place with no side-to-side movement, and although some could find this more anchored position uncomfortable, it's one of the best if you like to be planted and for the trainer to feel rock solid underneath you. It's impressively quiet and your drivetrain and fan will likely be louder than the noise it generates. The flywheel isn't too heavy but we found this didn't negatively impact the ride responds, and the trainer responds particularly well to sprint efforts.  

It's no longer top of Elite's range with the recently launched Justo now the brand's most deluxe trainer, but if your budget can't quite stretch to a grand then the Direto XR is very capable indeed. 

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The Saris Fluid2 is straightforward, affordable and simple: a classic wheel-on style turbo trainer which does its job very well, which is why the design hasn't really changed for years. At under 100 quid at numerous online retailers at the time of writing, there's little reason why you wouldn’t pick one up to use on the less than favourable winter days, unless your budget stretches a lot further of course. 

The Fluid2 uses fluid resistance as the name suggests, which technically means there is no limit to how much resistance this trainer can handle (although it will start to feel unstable if you really sprint). There's a handy click mechanism at the back to tell you when your tyre is properly mounted, so there's no guesstimating involved during set up. 

But, just because this offering from Saris is cheap, it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on riding with friends or using your favourite indoor riding apps. Usefully fitted with a speed/cadence sensor, this means that the unit works with training apps like Zwift and Rouvy. Therefore, although basic, you can still enjoy some visual stimulation and motivation for a fraction of the price of other turbo trainers. That being said, it isn’t as quiet as a direct drive turbo and the simulated power reading will just be an estimation. 

If what you want is a standard, simple, easy to use turbo trainer that is both user-friendly and much cheaper than what’s currently available on the market, the Fluid2 is a very good option. It’s basic, but it does the job and does it well. 

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The Saris H3 is another very good direct drive smart trainer which offers the rider a quiet, solid and accurate ride for less than numerous rivals within the market. It’s also pretty user-friendly in terms of setting it up, and is a great all-round option for those looking for a high-end trainer with a quality ride feel. 

The H3 is capable of simulating a gradient of up to 20% and can also produce 2,000W of resistance, more than enough for training and racing. Additionally, while in ERG mode, the H3 is very responsive in adjusting the training load when swapping between easy to hard and back again. It also produces accurate and repeatable numbers which is really useful for training of course. 

If accuracy is your thing, we'd highly recommend the H3. There has been talk of a Saris H4 for a while now, but it never materialised, and we can't see any reason to wait as the H3 is difficult to improve upon. You can also pair it with a Saris MP1 rocker plate for some added movement and realism if your budget allows. 

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