If you are going to be constantly carrying the trainer between rooms, trainer weight should be one of your criteria. My old gen1 Kickr was hefty, and not something I’d want to be constantly moving. Especially if calibrating is too much of a chore.
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I’m guessing the Paris apt has wood floors/ceilings? The biggest issue for using the trainer will be rhythmic vibrations for your neighbors, so a pad and wheel-off trainer would be helpful as you’ll bounce less.
A proper spin bike helps here too as it won’t flex as much and has a smaller footprint. This is a good opportunity to score a Wahoo BIke, but any bike will do with a PM and you swinging your own resistance lever. I think a Keiser M3i would be among the smallest
With respect to space, If you can keep the rear wheel on, you won’t leave a grease mess around the apt, and not have to store the rear wheel somewhere. The front wheel isn’t that much of a mess. Your goal would be to reduce the bike’s wheelbase for static setup.
For smart trainers, I would think something like Wahoos new roller system would be best because you can keep the rear wheel on and it’ll store easily. The smallest footprint would be a PM the feedback sports one https://www.feedbacksports.com/product/omnium-portable-trainer/ or Minoura FG542 | MINOURA JAPAN . For wheel-on, the Tacx would have the smallest footprint. Keiter makes a fork stand to get the front wheel out of the way.
Let me save you a lot of shopping though… The Most Space Saving Stationary Bike @ SharperImage.com
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You like it?
I have the Stac Halcyon version of this.
Worked well until it didn’t.
4iiii said they would have an upgrade program for older Stac Halcyon owners, but I am still waiting. Want to retrofit the old trainer and let my wife use it…
Back on topic…
I think, the 4iiii is a good idea. It does have power limitations, but for the most part is absolutely silent and no vibrations… I would still put a treadmill thick rubber pad tho…
This ^^
Thanks! I’ve come across a lot of reports of Neo failures, and also a lot of reports of what a pain it is to fold/move around. We won’t have a balcony, at least not to start, so like the idea of being able to ride cord-free in the park across the street some days…but really don’t like the isles of paying $1k plus for a toy that will give out after a year or two. My Magnus was $400, is 4 years old, does almost everything I need it to do, and is still going strong. Just hoping to eliminate the extra wheel and find something a bit quieter. Will check out the Kickr/Kickr Core.
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I do. Had it for around 2 years now and it’s still going fine.
Haven’t run into the power limitations yet, but maybe if I train hard I might get there 
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I don’t have the Kickr Candy handy for a comparison but I believe the Neo will be easier to store as it will be “slimmer”. The folded dimension should be available somewhere online.
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Sorry to pull this bit out…but 750 sq ft, so about 83 sqm? That’s not small by European standards. My house (in the UK) has less than 45 sqm over two floors.
(485 sqf for us in the US)
Thats tiny by any standard in the US!
I think my house’s owner bedroom is about 350 sqf!
I couldn’t imagine living in a small place like that!
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That’s why there are so few Brits posting in the “show us your paincave” thread 
You get used to it, if it’s what everyone has. My neighbours all brought up their families with a couple of kids in these houses too.
In practical terms, the amount of rooms might make a bigger difference - can the kids have separate bedrooms, etc.
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I guess we are spoiled in the good old USA!
My kids each have a room, but they are both currently sleeping in a mattress next to our bed in the owner room!
So maybe not so bad…
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Ha, yeah, it’s 69.3 m2. Only slightly on the small side for a family of four plus a dog, by (bourgeois) Paris standards. Will feel like a palace relative to most places we’ve previously stayed (short-term) in Paris. I’m mostly mourning the loss of my pain cave (our garage), with its trainer, mountains of towels, bike repair stand, spare bikes, spare wheels, spare parts, tools, and scrumptiously cold AM temperatures. But totally worth it if I can make chocolate eclairs my recovery nutrition.
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Hah, yep, that sounds more normal. Agree that having a garage would help a lot, even if just to store all the bike-related stuff. Maybe there is a basement you can use?
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Could probably ride with the poubelle 
There is a small courtyard, but that might be weird.
It was mentioned a couple times above, but I want a dedicated post to this:
Wax your chain!
If you’re going to be in a compact space and are concerned about getting grease on things, wax solves that problem. Then instead of needing to give your bike a bubble of protection, you can store it away in a tight area without worry.
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Out of all the trainers I have, I could see riding the Saris H3 indoors in a small apartment. It has a handle, legs that fold in, is quiet, and works. It does require calibration, but it still works well. I also have a 2T, and took it on vacation once, and it was a pain to carry. I left it in the original box, which made it easier, but then it was heavy and awkward. It sits folded up well, but is thick, and the wing pads tend to fall out, making chasing them a potential issue. They tend to stick to some floors. And for a ‘virtual flywheel’, it sure is heavy. It also can’t be leveled, making sketchy floors a potential problem. The h3 does have adjustable levelers. The 2T also does seem to develop a harmonic at times, and could resonate through some buildings making one very popular with the neighbors. There are tradeoffs with all of them, and it depends on what you can live with. Thinking more on it, the 2T will lay down, making it slightly less tall, but it’s not going to fit under a bed, unless it’s one heck of a tall bed. But I’m sure you got a lot of other opinions. Good luck… Ride on!!!
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From the email it seems to be a full system, not upgrade.
@jessec In the end what trainer did you choose, and how happy have you been with it?
I’m also a Paris apartment dweller (63 m2) and looking to replace our 10 yr old Elite Super Crono wheel-on trainer. It’s big plus is how compact it is but it’s noisy.
To be on good terms with our neighbours, our pain cave is our kitchen, as the tile floor insulates the vibration. When not in use the trainer usually lives behind our living room couch (or hallway if in heavy rotation).
So main criteria are
- easy to set up and then stow away
- quiet: while direct drive is a bit more of a PITA for setup, the noise reduction will be worth it (I hope)
I’m thankfully in a bigger 1 bed now but I was in a smaller 1 bed before and had the same criteria and settled on the Elite Suito. My old set up:
The legs of the Suito quickly unlock and fold in on the pivot points and its about the width of the main unit and the integrated handle is good (this review gives you better pictures Elite Suito smart turbo trainer review | Cyclingnews), although its perfect for lifting up and storing anywhere.
I dont think Elite has the best ERG control but its setup/compactness won out for me.
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@shosking — Bonjour! I went the Neo2T. Have done almost all of my bike training for three full IMs on it.
Definitely quiet. Drivetrain and fan are the main noise sources (and me breathing through Mist ).
I also bought a trainer mat to reduce noise and protect floor. Not sure it’s necessary.
I like the folded size of the Neo — fits under most beds. The main downside of the Neo is it is heavy and a bit awkward to fold/move around. For a while, I was moving it back and forth between rooms about once a week. A one way trip (moving everything, including fan, mat, trainer stand, bike, etc) took 10-15 minutes.
Bonus upside is you can ride outdoors without power — I’ve taken it to the park a few times. A pain to move both bike and trainer, and you get curious looks, but great to escape the apartment. There’s an expensive rolling suitcase for moving the trainer around when traveling, etc.
I haven’t shopped around lately, so I’d definitely check out some of the newer trainers as well.
Bon courage!
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P.S. — Waxing chain is a must if you want to keep any roommates, girlfriends, wives, etc