The Best Indoor Bike Trainers

February 07, 2023 6 min read

Thebest indoor bike trainersare designed with performance and personal training goals in mind. From overall fitness, cycling ability, or injury recovery, everyone’s targets are different. Our guide pedals you through the ways Wattbike indoor trainers can help you check goals off your list, and points you to the best indoor bike trainer for you.

Table of Contents:

Best Selling Indoor Bike Trainer - the Atom

The Wattbike Atom smart bike is our best selling indoor trainer. Our award-winning indoor bike trainer helps you properly invest in a life-time of fitness improvements. First-timers and athletes love our indoor bike trainer, the Atom for the same reason - accelerated gains in performance, power and technique - from the comfort of your home.

Best Indoor Bike Trainer for Beginners

The best indoor bike trainers aren’t complicated to use. The Wattbike Atom is the ideal solution for those starting out. If you’re a beginner to indoor cycling or you’re new to smart bikes, it doesn’t matter. The Atom requires minimal set-up, and you can get pedalling in no time.

You can easily connect to the Wattbike Hub to see your cycling data, and you’ll find our beginner’s guide to the Wattbike Hub tells you exactly what to do.

Our workouts are designed for a range of abilities and experience levels, so you don’t have to be a pro to get started. That way you can enjoy every aspect of the best indoor trainer for beginners.

Best For Upgrading from a Turbo Trainer

When it comes to picking between a turbo trainer and a smart bikethe choice is clear. Smart bikes allow you to adapt your training, remove the hassle of connecting your road bike, and offer tailored data to support your fitness goals. If you’re used to a turbo traineryou’ll find adapting to the Atom straightforward and comfortable.

It’s the best indoor trainer for upgrading from a turbo, without losing the real-road feel.

  • A turbo trainer will leave your road or mountain bike out-of-action, whereas the best indoor bike trainer is ready for use whenever you are.
  • You'll need to swap out the bike for each person who wants to train indoors on a turbo, but the Atom is adaptable so you can tailor it seamlessly to each member of the household.
  • Connecting your tyre and chain to a turbo could cause you to unintentionally damage your bike, but the best indoor bike trainer lets you train indoors while leaving your bike in action and free-from damage.
  • Turbo trainers also have a habit of being noisy, whereas the Atom produces minimal noise so you can train at any time.

Say goodbye to cleaning your bike every time you want to train indoors, and hello to stable training, without risking damage to your road bike. It’s no wonder most turbo trainer users eventually buy a smart bike.

Best Electromagnetic Resistance Trainer

The best indoor bike trainers allow you to adjust the level of resistance to create a tailored workout. The Atom interactive smart bike harnesses electromagnetic resistance in order to change how hard you have to pedal. Electromagnetic resistance is the most sophisticated way to provide resistance as you ride.

You can adjust this resistance automatically through the Wattbike Hub cycling appin ergo mode, or by changing the resistance yourself as you ride. Either way, you’ll be able to change how hard you have to pedal, in order to recreate a real-road feel on one of the best indoor bike trainer for pushing yourself towards your targets.

Best Air Resistance Indoor Bike Trainer

Another type of resistance trainer is an air bike. The Wattbike Nucleus uses air resistance to provide the best indoor bike trainer for adapting to your fitness needs. Air resistance works by supplying air to a fan connected to the flywheel. When there is more air reaching the fan, the harder it will be to pedal. That way, you can complete cycling workouts which push you to your targets, or you can take it easier for a slower day.

Whether that’s a lighter session for someone starting out, or a more intense sprint to recreate High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)You can do it all with an air bike. The resistance is adjustable by a lever, so you’re always in control. with one of the best indoor bike trainers.

Best Indoor Bike Trainer for Real-Road Feel

The best indoor bike trainers provide you with the feeling you’ll expect from your outdoor trainingThe Wattbike Atom automatically reacts to elevation changes in your virtual rides through the Wattbike Hub, so you can recreate the feel of climbing on a real-road route. This is called ‘ergo mode’, meaning you don’t have to think about the resistance, it will automatically adjust. Thanks to this precision electromagnetic resistance, you can train quietly, day or night.

However, if you want gears-based riding, you can! With customisable virtual gearingyou can change gear at the push of a button. Just like you’re out on the road or track.

Without the wind in your face to cool you down, you may think you’ll overheat. However, simply adding an indoor cycling fan to your set-up can help to restore that real-road feeling and cool you as you ride. along on the best indoor bike trainer for real-road feel.

Best Trainer for Connecting to Indoor Cycling Apps

Indoor training may leave you feeling somewhat on your own when it comes to getting in a ride. Whilst you won’t have the great outdoors to distract you from your fitness goals, you may miss some of it. The best indoor smart trainers allow you to connect to cycling apps to support your fitness journey. The Atom is a "smart" trainer, meaning it can speak to third party apps to unlock every aspect of your training goals.

You’ll be able to sync your cycling data, enjoy training plans and workouts like you would with the Wattbike Hub. Training with indoor apps can help you to stay on top of your training, and offer a sense of comradery to your exercise plan. Find some of the compatible apps to find the best indoor trainer experience:

  • Zwift - Reach goals in a virtual world with an online community.
  • TrainingPeaks - Accredited coaches support you through fitness plans.
  • TrainerRoad - The personalised AI-powered tool helps you reach your targets.
  • Rouvy - Find realistic riding through augmented reality workouts.
  • Strava - Track, analyse, and share every aspect of your performance.

Best Indoor Trainer for Improving Pedal Technique

Whether you’re an avid cyclist, want to improve your technique, or you want to support your fitness, the best indoor trainer helps support your pedalling.

Through the Wattbike Hub, we designed the Polar ViewThis means you can clearly see your left and right leg revolutions, making improving your pedalling more visual than ever. Not only that, we developed our very own Pedal Effectiveness Score (PES)so you can harness your pedalling and see real improvements over time.

Best Trainer for Off-feet Conditioning

Indoor cycling isn’t just about reaching targets and improving your sprint training. The benefits of the best indoor bike trainers go much further than that. For those wanting to support their athletic performance, air resistance bikes can provide the opportunity to encourage off-feet conditioningWhether you’re preparing for the rugby season or you’re supporting your running endeavours.

Training on the best indoor air bike can help to keep a load of your musculoskeletal system, while providing an effective workout. Not only that, you can find a rugby training plan in the Wattbike Hub to support your performance on the field.

Best Indoor Bike Trainer for Time Trials

Testing yourself against the clock is easier than ever on the best indoor trainer. There are no traffic, potholes, or other cyclists to contest with. You only have to beat your own time! The Wattbike Atom makes this simple. Connect to the Wattbike Hub and complete your time trial

There are multiple workouts on the Hub to help you improve your time trial speedand you don’t ever have to leave the house. You can get pedalling in no time, and test yourself as often as you like!

Best Indoor Bike Trainer for Injury Rehabilitation

Recovering from an injury can be a daunting prospect, but there are ways you can continue to exercise, build strength and endurance, without overloading your musculoskeletal system. Air resistance indoor trainers are a great solution! With adaptable resistance levels, you can apply as much pedal power as you need.

The best indoor bike trainers allow you to adjust them to support your cycling recoveryWhether you are just getting back on the bike and need a lighter workout, or you’re building up your strength, the Wattbike Pro/Trainer allows you to do just that.

Tailored Training with Wattbike

We’re passionate about providing the best ways to support your indoor training. From performance tests to winter trainingyou can make the most of your cycling data with Wattbike by your side.

Also in Product guides

Wattbike X Zwift: Get the most out of your training at the gym.
Wattbike X Zwift: Get the most out of your training at the gym.

September 13, 2024 4 min read

Setting Up Zwift on a Wattbike at Your Gym 

When time is precious, and every moment counts when it comes to your training. Imagine making the most of every minute by turning your indoor cycling sessions into adventures and putting to good use the time you put aside to train. That's what the power of Wattbike & Zwift offers—with a popular virtual training platform that transforms your training into dynamic, simulated experiences.  

Read More
ATOM X, Gym, ThirdSpace
Spin Bike VS Wattbike ATOMX: Why the ATOMX is the Best Choice for Your Gym

June 12, 2024 4 min read

Read More
Best Smart Bike for Indoor Cycling
Best Smart Bike for Indoor Cycling

January 10, 2024 5 min read

Discover the best smart bike for training with Zwift, testing your ability, & recreating that real road feel indoors. Explore the best from Wattbike.
Read More