Are you just getting started with indoor bike training? You might want to begin with our Ultimate Guide to Indoor Bike Training with all the tips and gear you need.
For a simple, effective indoor training setup, you certainly can make it work with a basic tire-drive trainer, your front wheel on a stack of books, a simple fan you already have, and your phone for entertainment and distraction.
Plenty of riders maintain fitness with their own minimal setup; it’s all I had as a budding young racer, and I don’t remember complaining at all. (Cellphones didn’t exist yet, so I just looked at tropical fish in a 10-gallon tank.)
Now, after decades of cycling behind me and 1% of the competitive drive I used to have, I find it difficult to train indoors for more than 30 minutes without proper distraction. Most importantly, my old regimen simply wasn’t enjoyable.
So, with the help of industry friends, I have slowly acquired the goods for what I consider the ultimate indoor bike training setup. The only way I could improve it is to use a giant, wraparound monitor. But my wallet isn’t that thick, and my living room is already stuffed with exercise equipment and bikes.
If you do a lot of indoor riding or are a seriously competitive cyclist and have the funds, a setup similar to this may exponentially improve your experience. And this can lead to improved compliance with your training program.
Ultimate Setup for Indoor Bike Training
Deluxe Smart Trainer
Like everything in cycling, there are things that get the job done, and then there are more expensive versions that are slightly more refined. Think of it as a bike that costs nearly twice as much, saves you a pound, and is presumably more aero. Some won’t care, but a few do. A less expensive bike still rolls down the road, but a super bike has more speed, maybe a little more comfort, and a lot more swagger. The same goes for smart trainers.
![Elite Direto XR-T bicycle trainer](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-11-at-2.33.48-PM.jpg)
After decades of getting by with a minimalist approach to indoor training, I decided to reward myself with what I considered the ultimate “pain cave” setup. At its core is a high-end smart trainer.
I chose the Elite Direto XR-T, which retails for $600 (some even cost more than twice as much). What did I get for the extra few hundred? For starters, accuracy. The Elite claims this unit is accurate to ±1.5% on power. That’s only a 0.5% gain over my Wahoo KICKR Core ($500), but twice as accurate as the one before that. This is one of those things that most won’t care about, but due to my kinesiology and cycling coaching background, I splurged.
I also wanted to climb the steepest grades possible, and the Elite Direto XR-T simulates grades up to 24% (up from the 16% of my last unit). To go along with the ability to generate this much load, this interactive trainer has a large footprint, so it’s much more stable than my prior folding direct-drive trainer. I routinely caused that model to jump around during hard efforts.
Additionally, since my ultimate indoor bike training pain cave occupies a third of my living room, I admit that the Direto XR-T looks cool. It matches the surrounding decor, which is a cross of a bike shop and a gym. (It looks better than it sounds, I swear.)
Shopping for an indoor bike trainer? Check out our guide to the best indoor bike trainers of the year.
Smart Fan
I used a barrel fan and a ceiling fan on high for eons. This combination got the job done and I had no complaints about it.
![Wahoo KICKR Headwind smart fan in front of a indoor bike trainer](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2025/01/Wahoo_KICKR-HEADWIND_WFBKTR7.jpg)
Ultimate Indoor Bike Training Rocker Plate
![KOM Cycling RPV1 Indoor Rocker Plate studio image](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2025/01/Screenshot-2025-01-21-at-3.44.18%E2%80%AFPM.jpg)
Interactive Riser
![Elite Rizer](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2023/01/IMG_0537.jpg)
Trainer Desk
![Elite Trainer Desk for indoor bike training](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2025/01/IMG_0364-2.jpg)