Exactly. And with a good, sticky tyre, maximum tyre pressure and high clamp force, there’s no slippage or wear to speak of.
@FatBoySlim I got in on that bargain! My “platinum” insert laugh kickr was faulty out-of-box. Got so pissed I washed hands of wahoo. My H2 comes in Tuesday. On a side note, I don’t drink often, and wife and I went to a 50-year-old birthday party…I’m still intoxicated, and I feel like crap 
1 Like
If you are sure you don’t need a smart trainer with erg mode, how about Elite’s semi-smart direct drive trainers? I have a Volano, one of Elite’s fluid trainers, and that thing is great. I considered a wheel-on trainer, but then I would have wanted to get a training wheel (I’m not sacrificing my expensive Vittorias on a trainer), so I would have had to change wheels one way or another.
Regarding wear, well, the wear will be less than riding outside, especially if you keep the chain clean. I just put my old Ultegra cassette on my trainer and treated myself to a new SRAM Force 1 cassette 
Thanks, @hvvelo! This is exactly what I’m trying to figure out–if there is any reason to go for direct drive given my situation. The only argument I’ve heard that is at all convincing is the possibility of not slipping when doing grinders. I bet with the clamping mechanism where I can tighten it down more, as @hugo1 suggests, I think I might be better off. The Clever Training/REI sales are the things that got me thinking about the Core, though, which is why I was considering it in the first place.
The whole “keep the chain clean” thing is possibly not going to happen on this bike… I ride it in the rain, and so it’s more likely to be messy. I pretty much just assume that this bike is going to need a drive train overhaul more often than the other one.
It sounds like I think I may go for the Snap, after all of this conversation, since I can’t seem to find a really good reason to go for the Core or any other direct-drive.
1 Like
After a lot of reading, in early Oct 2017 took advantage of a club discount and bought a Kickr 2017 direct-drive. Love it, and I’ve got a one road bike (thru-axle) with 11-32 cassette and 11-28 came with the Kickr. Absolutely no issues, and the last thing I think about is the cassette (just looked - no wear).
The primary reason for going with direct-drive was a clear preference for direct-drive from those with access to both wheel-on and direct-drive. The second reason is my buying behavior is “buy quality and use it until its done” and so I’m ok with paying a small premium.
I also wouldn’t worry one bit about slippage. Your pressure has to be way off - like unrideable to get a slip. I think wheel slippage is in the category of vanity concerns about how hard our sprints are 
1 Like
IMHO you assume wrong. You largely overestimate the effort needed here.
Direct drive trainers can be a lot quieter. Some of them are so quiet that all you hear is drive train noise.
The STAC Halcyon is one key exception, is actually the most quiet trainer on the market, and it’s a wheel-on design.
1 Like
Ah, yes, and it is quite unique in that it isn’t a wheel-on trainer either. For that reason I didn’t think about it. But I think you need aluminum rims, correct?
Yup, aluminum rim is a requirement.
You have a power meter
You don’t want to ride ERG
You’re not looking for direct drive.
You don’t want Cycleops
The answer to your question is a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine.
I don’t understand why you’re looking at smart trainers if you’re not gonna use the smart feature.
1 Like
Good point… I missed the no erg mode part. Although I would suggest the snap to have that option, if set against it, go even cheaper.
Noise on the snap is only an issue riding big ring x smaller ring in back and not sure how that compares to direct drive at similar flywheel speeds… Small ring up front and mid cassette in back is super quiet and recommended for better erg feedback.
1 Like
Not sure where this noisy Snap concept is coming from, all I really hear is my drivetrain. I guess if you want to workout next to your sleeping baby, seek out the quietest trainer availability, however the Snap is plenty quite with the correct trainer tire, pressure and gearing.
I have a power meter and I ALWAYS use ERG. Powermatch has been less than stellar unless you’re at a consistent power and consistent cadence. Powermatch does not do well with sudden power changes or cadence drops, at least with the Kickr Snap and my experience. Luckily my ERG is within 1% of my PM so all it good, your results may vary.
1 Like
In regards to noise, it will depend on what you use. You may be lucky with using a good tube, tyre, wheel or something, like myself, use a cheap wheel that came with the bike and it’s not even perfectly round. The drum on the turbo, it doesn’t seem to be exactly centered either. There is a lot more opportunity for the noise on Snap than on the direct drive. By no means any of that is of an issue to lose sleep about. Rather just to mention. Snap is a great unit in my experience. Also, mine is gen1 snap, perhaps later models are made with better tolerances.
That reply was for the OP.
1 Like
I got a Core last fall and love it. I had run a dedicated trainer wheel for several years so I was always swapping out the rear wheel anyway so it was no added work for me. The direct drive is better than a wheel on trainer but if you get a killer deal on a used Snap you’ll be no worse off than you are now but a few hundred dollars richer. I would think you might find the 100% no slippage a nice feature for your low rpm high power repeats though. A direct drive trainer really shines in that scenario.
As for removing the rear wheel, there is a technique to it. After getting a car that required me to remove the rear wheel to get the bike in the trunk, I finally buckled down and watched some YouTube videos and can now swap out a rear wheel as quick as the front. If you apply yourself, you can get Tour mechanic fast in about 15 minutes of study and practice.
As for the cassette, the motivation of avoiding having to replace two instead of one if you let your chain go too long might actually save you a lot of money in the long run 
1 Like
Here, I beg to differ: I train in the morning, and while it isn’t my sleep that I need to worry about, it is my wife’s my daughter’s and my neighbors’s. I specifically chose a fluid trainer for that reason.
1 Like
Just N=1, but I’ve had a Kickr Snap for just over 2 years and haven’t had any issues with it. I’m not religious about doing spin downs, maybe once every week or 2. Folds up pretty small (like my former Kinetic road machine) and sets up in just a couple of minutes. Mount the bike, check the pressure, turn knob 2 full turns after contact (I put a little mark with a white pen on the knob so it’s easy to tell a full revolution).
I have an old wheel with a Vittoria trainer tire on my road bike most of the time and then swap wheels if I’m taking it outside. Makes it pretty easy to just put it on the trainer and get rolling. Anyway, it’s pretty simple and has been a rock solid set up so far (fingers crossed!).
4 Likes
I have a smart trainer now, and I like how it feels. I have a Kurt Kinetic, and have done workouts on it, and it’s not quite the same. In particular, when I do grinders (similar to slow-force repetitions), I really need the ability to increase the resistance. This is why an electronic trainer is useful, even if you’re not using its smartness.
Thanks to everyone. I don’t really care about noise–I do my workouts in the garage, and no one else is bothered by me. I am pretty sure I’ll just go for the Snap.
2 Likes