Dumb trainer vs. Smart vs. wheel on vs. direct drive vs. power meter...*sigh*

Thanks for the MTB PM thoughts. IF I got a PM, I would probably just get it for my XC FS bike. It’s the one I ride most locally and what I race on. Pedals seem uber expensive (new tech though) and ideally I would like a 175 crank arm…seems like easiest route. I also saw that Raceface makes the Cinch PM…looks interesting, guess I would just need to make sure of compatibility…

So you like PM on dumb trainer? Does the PM sync with a Garmin? Mine is about 6 years old (Edge 510 I think). Just trying to figure out what will play nicely…SO MANY OPTIONS!