Turbo Trainer Advice

yeah, that would be a bit much.

Wiggle, Chain Reaction, Evans.

Okay so they have strong men and vans but it can be done.

That’s a good deal on the Cyclops. Mine is still going strong after five years.

not retailers*

Exactly

Kickr in classifieds https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/318530/#comment14152850

Massive thumbs up for the Cycleops Hammer.
Previously on a Tacx bushido, which is great, but the feeling of the direct drive and flywheel is awesome.

Tip: don’t use the calibration option in Zwift for a Cycleops Hammer, completely fucks it up.

So Mrs Sparky is keen on an "exercise bike" and I could be tempted by a turbo. We looked at WattBike because it'd be easy to swap between her size and mine but they're pricey. They occasionally do reconditioned ones but they have none at the moment.

So I look at Kickrs but then we'd have to have both bikes in the flat, and she wouldn't find swapping them over easy. Plus her only bike is an 8-speed hybrid so the cassettes wouldn't match.

Am I missing a solution here?

Cheap turbo specific bike, with long seatpost and adjustable stem, maybe?

buy my kickr so I can buy a wattbike atom

My wife and I are fairly similar size, and a cheap seatpost with quick release seatpost clamp gets us most of the way there, with a shorter positive stem.
I feel very upright, but better for watching Netflix...

She’s 5’ 6” and I’m 6’ 1” so I don’t imagine we could both fit on any one bike. Might be wrong...

Turbo trainer tandem?

Turbo trainer BMX

Hire one for a month, realise you don't actually like using it, return it so it doesn't become another turbo gathering dust in a house somewhere?

Why not use a normal tyre-roller turbo - then both your bikes will just drop into it (assuming both 700C) when you want to use it. They fold up too. My JetFluid lives in the cupboard most of the time as I have a Computrainer setup out permanently.

This:

...use a normal tyre-roller turbo - then both your bikes will just drop into it (assuming both 700C) when you want to use it. They fold up too

Is why I am considering selling / swapping my Elite Direto for a wahoo kickr snap.

Any comments / advice whether to / interest from anyone (i.e. not a Q directed only at @hippy)

Then I'd have to have a turbo tyre on my road bike, and swap them all the time, or have two wheels. And Mrs Sparky would need to do the same.

Or have a single dedicated cheapo turbo wheel that you can drop into both of your bikes?

(assuming you'll be on the same speed drivetrain, etc)

No you don't. I don't use a turbo tyre on any of my turbo sessions.

I had one years ago and hate that I couldn't take the bike off the turbo and ride it so I sold it.

Well, I manage just fine using old school (non-direct) turbo setups with normal tyres. Turbo tyres might make a bit less noise if you're in a shitty thin-wall flat or something but no one has complained about my training and it's much quicker to rip the bike off the turbo and ride it than fanny about with hard-to-fit plastic tyres of doom.

I used to do that as well and even that became a burden to using the turbo so I sold it.

Remove as many obstacles to training as possible.

It isn't even the turbo tyre change that is the convenience factor - being able to swap GFs bike in, and then being able to take bike off turbo and ride it / clear bike away without needing to dismantle the bike / turbo and put a new wheel on is the main aim.

Just not sure if there are any other disadvantages to the wahoo kickr compared to the elite...

Yeah, I have a bike that's often in the turbo permanently so that's less of an issue. I used to use the PX in the turbo and for long rides on the weekend. Dunno anything about kickr and elites. I'll wait for my Computrainer to die before I look at new fangled stuff.

Remove as many obstacles to training as possible.

Very true, I suppose it depends on your setup and needs. My TT bike is pretty-much permanently attached to my very primitive turbo, only coming off on race days.

My obstacles are purely psychological at the moment - Once I've spent an hour putting the kids to bed, I'm really not in the mood to do an hour session in a cold garage :/

I took the PX off and started using the Shiv on the turbo this year since I was returning to racing, but now that I'm actually racing (okay, "touring" TT courses) I don't want to swap the Shiv's wheels all the time with race tyres so I just leave the PX on the Computrainer like I used to.

I signed a NATO release agreement vouching to provide ongoing safety to this planet and as such cannot be allowed to breed.

The point is, if I'm borderline about training, one little hiccup will see me put it off - it's totally a head game these days. So remove as many delays, obstacles, etc and I'm more likely to make it to the bike.