I work in the offshore industry and have now been told I’ve got a new placement on a boat. The boat is lacking room inside to set up a trainer. The only real option I have is to set it up somewhere that there is no power supply and I don’t think the crew be eager to help me get power to my new pain area. So that leads me to a trainer that doesn’t require mains power. Has anyone got any recommendations for such trainers. Internet is a no go so it just need to be compatible with trainerroad so I can get my lycra fix.
It (Tacx Neo) does not (need power). Haven’t tested extensively, the behavior is a little weird when you’re starting or stopping in unpowered mode, but it works.
Kinetic Road Machine Fluid trains is “dumb” and requires no power. The latest versions offers a virtual power Inride sensor, or you can add/use a bike power meter.
As mentioned, the Tacx Neo can be run with no external power. That and the older Tacx Bushido are the main ones available for smart control.
Jet Black offers one AFAIK, but I don’t know the model or availability.
You still need internet somehow to at least download the TR workout - afaik you can load a workout while you have internet, and then take it to where you don’t.
I’d go dumb trainer + power meter personally, you don’t really need ERG mode for training and without internet, you won’t be zwifting anyway.
Assuming you load the TR app when wireless access is available, it will pull all the existing workouts from the library. You can run any of those workouts, without the need to be connected to wireless.
You DO need wireless access in order to upload the files to the TR web and calendar services though.
That being said, you can run a smart trainer off a battery. Do some googling for set ups. There are also several threads on this forum too. Here’s one Turbo Trainer & Solar Panels - #21 by STP
Ah, I thought it would only download the scheduled workouts? If it downloads all of them, that explains why it takes up an insane amount of space on my phone!
As for no internet - newer Garmins (and I assume Wahoos too) can run erg mode on smart trainers. Preload workouts.
However you might be trying to hard to fit a square peg in a round hole. This sounds like a perfect situation for going old school and using a dumb trainer with a power meter on your bike and doing workouts either by following along on your Garmin or just writing them on a piece of tape and sticking them to your stem.
And, they won’t be long workouts since it sounds like you’re not going to have a fan in your powerless cabin deep in the bowels of your ship
KK dumb trainer is bulletproof and will work. Skip the virtual power for it. Either use TR’s virtual power (I have been since beta) or get a PM on your bike.
Support@trainerroad.com will help you out. Used to be TR had to check in 1x every 30 days to show you have an active account. Everything else is downloaded to your device.
I love the “no mains” feature of the Neo (I have the original Neo) and use it all the time. It’s so convenient when travelling not having to take the power brick. In my opinion an underrated feature!
Thank you all for your input. I’m leaning towards a cheaper trainer as it’s going to have to be left on here when I’m not on shift. Lighter the better for transport. Ideally as long as it gives a power reading then I can work from there, doesn’t have to have the fancy ERG mode. I have a Kickr at home so this will be something I to try and limit my losses as much as possible while I’m away. It’s not a holiday camp so I will be aiming to get on it for a hour each night after a 13/14 hour shift. I do have internet out her so I can upload the workouts to my phone and I have got a ANT+ dongle to insert to my Iphone.
I use a tacx flow smart Trainer and currently leave it unplugged. It’s pretty much a magnetic dumb trainer. So far it hasn’t had issues, I just make sure the tire is pumped up to 90psi and nice and tight.
If size (packed) matters most, it is a great option. If road feel matters to the rider, I see this as a poor option. It’s got the same fault as many rollers, a near lack of any spindown inertia. These are worse since there is a minimal amount of material actually spinning. It leads to a dead, stuck in sand, pedaling feel with no help over the top. It may or may not matter to some riders, but I wouldn’t be happy using them as more than a warm up tool.
Looks like the tacx bushido is the winner. Now just need to buy a bike to leave on here too. Cycling is an expense life choice haha. Thank you everyone
