Upgrading to a dumb trainer

I would recommend a direct drive dumb fluid trainer. I have an Elite Volano, which works perfectly with TrainerRoad, which I bought used for $200. I would not spend money on a wheel-on dum trainer. Elite has a few other dumb direct drive trainers, which also fit the bill.

The Volano is the “weakest” of Elite’s dumb fluid trainers as it is rated up to 1,400 W. I did 1,300 W for a second or two on it, no problems. I reckon going even higher would not be a problem for short periods. If your FTP is 200 W, then I reckon 34/25 or equivalent is as low as you will ever go. The Muon 2 has a different resistance curve, so you might need 34:28 or equivalent.

The resistance curve is quite natural, and while resistance drifts slightly as the trainer warms up, it’s totally fine (for me). The only thing which is IMHO neutral is that you could be slightly off your optimal cadence. But that’s what happens when you are outdoors, too, so it teaches you to be a bit more flexible.

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