Your indoor riding starter guide

What kind of smart trainer should I buy?

There are three main paths. A wheel-on smart trainer presses a roller against your rear tire for around $300–500, keeps your existing bike, and sets up in seconds, but it’s louder and wears out tires. A direct-drive trainer replaces your rear wheel and your bike mounts straight to it: quieter, smoother, and more accurate. Budget direct-drives start around $400 (a few, like the Magene T100, dip near $300), a popular mid-range pick like the Wahoo Kickr Core 2 is about $550 with a cassette, and premium units run up to roughly $1,300. A smart bike is an all-in-one indoor bike with no bike to mount, ideal if you don’t own a bike or several people will ride it; they range from about $1,300 (Zwift Ride) to $4,000.

Because budget direct-drives now cost about the same as a wheel-on, most people with a bike should go direct-drive for the quieter, more accurate ride. Wheel-on still makes sense if you want the lowest possible price or need to pack it away after every ride. If you have no bike or a houseful of riders, look at a smart bike.

Whichever you pick, make sure it’s an FTMS trainer. FTMS is the open Bluetooth standard for smart trainers (sometimes printed as “FTMS” or just “smart trainer” on the box), and it’s what lets an app read your power and control your resistance, so the trainer works everywhere instead of locking you to one platform. Ride Cave connects to FTMS trainers out of the box, including popular models like the Wahoo Kickr and Kickr Core, Zwift Hub, Tacx Flux and Neo, Elite Suito and Direto, Saris, Stages SB20, Magene, Wattbike, and Van Rysel, plus older Wahoo and Tacx trainers over their own protocols.

What else do I need besides the trainer?

A trainer mat to protect your floor and cut vibration, and a strong fan are the two things every indoor rider wishes they’d bought first. A fan is genuinely non-negotiable: indoors you superheat the air around you, and moving air is what lets you keep producing power. You’ll also want a tablet or phone mount at eye level to follow workouts and routes, and a free app to actually ride.

Optional but worth it: a heart-rate strap for a second intensity signal, and (for direct-drive trainers) a cassette that matches your bike’s drivetrain, since many ship without one.

How do I keep my trainer quiet in an apartment?

Most trainer noise travels through the floor as vibration, not through the air. The biggest wins are a thick rubber mat (or stacked gym/horse-stall tiles) to isolate the trainer from the floor, and choosing a direct-drive trainer, which has no tire-on-roller hum at all. Keep your drivetrain clean and lubed, since a worn chain is often the loudest part of the whole setup, and ride at neighbour-friendly hours.

What is FTP and why does everyone talk about it?

FTP, or Functional Threshold Power, is roughly the highest power in watts you can hold for about an hour. It’s the single number that structured indoor training is built around, because your training zones (easy, tempo, threshold, VO2 max, and so on) are all defined as a percentage of it. Knowing your FTP lets an app prescribe the right intensity for every workout.

You don’t need a fancy lab test. Once you’re set up, a 20-minute test or an automated ramp test gives you a solid number in under half an hour, and you re-test every few weeks as you get fitter.

Do I need a smart trainer, or will a basic one work?

A basic ("dumb") trainer works for just pedaling, but a smart trainer connects to apps and changes resistance automatically for workouts and virtual terrain. For structured training and virtual rides, a smart trainer is well worth it.

Can I do indoor cycling without buying a bike?

Yes. A smart bike is an all-in-one indoor bike with no separate bike required. It’s pricier than a trainer but ideal if you don’t own a bike or multiple people will use it.

How accurate is the FTP estimate in this guide?

It’s a ballpark based on your body weight and self-described fitness, useful as a starting point, but not a measured test. Once you’re riding, a ramp or 20-minute FTP test gives you your real number and your zones update automatically.

Is Ride Cave free?

Yes — Ride Cave is free, and most features always will be. Workouts, training plans, eRoutes through real-world scenery, and 3D track races are all included, with no trial and no credit card. A small optional Cave Crew membership adds extra perks and supports development. You can even ride along without a trainer to see how it feels.