Turbo Trainer Advice

Was about to say that, I have the big one and it's well solid but even if the turbo can take it forcing the frame sideways with the rear dropout fixed on place is asking for trouble.

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floor mats, which ones effectively damp noise AND are easy to roll up?

can't vouch for its noise dampening quality but I've just ordered one of these for my new turbo - decent price and looks like it will be easy enough to put away

Agree with @onyerbike it handles the swing of out of saddle sprints of my kind 80kg with no wobble at all, more flex from the frame/carpet underneath

I think the difference in base is more noceable when you go and store it. The footprint (what matters for stability) is wider in the Core if anything.

and smart trainers outdoors whenthe weather is like it is now. normally i ride my dumb trainer while sat under a patio brolly.
OBVS THE THREAT OF POWER AND RAIN ETC IS A DECIDER.

Mats: get some washing machine underlay.

that's good I have some of that.
outdoor training with them though?

My turbo journey took a slightly unexpected twist when a V2 kickr popped up not too far away at a really good price, a perfectly timed eBay £1 seller fees deal shifted the the Tacx I had bought originally and provided a newfound obligation to justify the hasty upgrade with some hungover exertions...

All going well so far - after messing around with Tacx / RGT at first, I decided to give sufferfest a go & throw myself into some kind of structured plan rather than randomly choosing any old course based on time / effort available, actually quite enjoying it which I didn't expect, even 2hr sessions aren't quite as boring as I would have thought & are a great way of justifying another half pannetone.

Only issue I'm having is the cheap ant+ dongle I picked up to get my Garmin vivoactive to talk to the app (Mac) to get some kind of hr data - first few times I used it the connection was a bit temperamental but now I can't find anything at all - have made sure Garmin connect etc. aren't running in the background & checked the Mac is recognizing the dongle (sometimes yes, often no) - sounds like the dongle is knackered eh? The Bluetooth connection to the kickr / cadence is solid, but it's a nightmare getting anything connected via ant+ it's not just the Garmin it won't find, its the trainer & cadence sensor too - have tried an extension cable / swapping the ports around but nothing seems to make any difference, it seems like pure luck whether it connects or not - anyone any ideas before I fling it in the hedge?

I would almost certainly get a bluetooth HR strap.
I have a vivoactive and I find the HR recording unreliable for cycling and sports in general.

You'd find a strap for not much more than a new Ant dongle.

Keep the cable extender in place. Do you know what band your wifi is operating on? I think it doesn't like 2.4GHz so if you can get shit running on 5Ghz bands you might have some luck?

Cheers - I had wondered if that would be the simplest idea rather than flogging the dead horse any further, initially I wasn't fussed with how accurate the HR tracking was but some of the 1.5hr+ workouts go from fairly comfortable to decidedly uncomfortable over quite a small power / hr increase so I might as well do it as accurately as possible - any recommendations for cheap hr strap - cheapo amazon / Decathlon / wiggle lifeline?

@hippy hadn't thought of that - might try that just to see if it makes a difference but tbh even the thought of staring at the ant+ status indicator waiting for a signal fills me with rage, ha!

I had constant and infuriating random dropouts with a cheap Ant+ dongle (and a kickr 2, but also my previous trainer). Tried all sorts of things, messing around with USB settings, bought a repeater cable, etc, etc.
In the end I bought the cheapest Lifeline Ant+ dongle off Wiggle and it solved it instantly, even without using the repeater cable.
So might be the HRM, but seeing as you could easily return the dongle to wiggle if it doesn't work, that might be worth trying first.

any recommendations for cheap hr strap - cheapo amazon / Decathlon / wiggle lifeline?

Magene from aliexpress. I have one knocking around which was fine. I don't use it so much any more since I got a Wahoo Tickr for free.

Cheers for the tips guys - decided to abandon the ant+ option & take a pop on the highest rated cheapest dual BT / ant+ option with 24hr delivery on amazon - signed up for a free trial to get fast delivery & my ".ac" email address gave me 6 months gratis - so i've stuck it to the man in the process, take that The Man!

not bad for a tenner tbh. thick enough and long enough for a bike. thumbs up

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I didn't realise you lot actually drank Irn bru all the time!

Does it stay put with the carpet underneath while riding?

literally just arrived so not had a go on it yet. will report back. I have cork flooring so suspect it may slip, without an anti-slip mat underneath (which will add a bit more onto the £10 baseline price). will try without first though

Link?

Edit: Ta.

link

Cheers, do you think it can be cut to size easily (thinking about buying double that for my shed but would need to trim it a bit)?

omg I have the same nalgene bottle

it's about 12/15mm thick and seems like it would be easy enough to cut. reviews on halfords suggest so:

Covered the whole garage with this, it’s easy to lay and cut with a Stanley and metal straight edge. It’s perfect for my turbo trainer to sit on as it ‘gives’ a bit and is warm to walk on barefoot. On the downside, it punctures easily if you drop a sharp tool onto it.

hi5, living that BPA-free life