Smart turbo trainer ... completely lost. Please help thanks!

[anonymous-user]

My daughter wants one of these cycle trainers for her birthday. You take the back wheel off then attach it to this and weave the bike chain around the gears on the trainer and off you go -

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/turbo-trainers/sm...

The problem I am having is that as far as I can see the trainer doesn't come with any gears (they call it a cassette). Her bike has 8 gears at the back and is Shimano but the only cassettes Halfords do are 9 gears and above (and their live chat people were hopeless). So I looked on eBay and found this -

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Shimano-Acera-8-Speed-M...

So I thought if I buy the trainer + the cassette above + this tool ( https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/... ) then that is everything she needs.

However I have no idea if that cassette will fit to that trainer and that is the right tool? I haven't ridden a push bike in 30 years so no idea about any of this stuff nowadays.

Could someone advise if the 3 items I listed will work together? Alternatively is there an 8 gear trainer out there ready to go without all this faffing with tools and cassettes? It needs to be able to connect to the internet so she can cycle in a virtual world with others.

Many thanks. Birthday approaching fast :-|

[anonymous-user]

Thanks all. I'm going direct to the (Italian) manufacturer to list the various parts I need as her bike's rear hub (length x diameter) needs some adaptor too I believe. So all in all as her bike is only 8 gears at the back (3 at the front) it needs lots of odds/sods to get it all to fit :-(

I had assumed it was a 5 min job to just buy one from Halfords but the more you look in to it the more complicated it is.

[anonymous-user]

If you’re in Stroud as the name suggests, pop in and see Mike at Ark cycles in Bournes Mills. He’s the workshop guru and will be able to advise

[anonymous-user]

Not being silly but once you’ve costed it all up, you may find it easier, if space permits, to buy an old bike with a 10 speed cassette fitted and keep that permanently the trainer. You should find something suitable on Facebook for around £100 which will mean it’s simple to fit as the trainer will come with a spacer to fit 10 or 11 speed cassettes.

[anonymous-user]

@defblade - Thanks for comprehensive reply.

@pable - I remember Ark when it was Noah's Ark :-) As she lives in a flat in Devon she doesn't have the space to have a second bike but good idea. Do you know if Ark sells these types of trainer as I may give them the problem to solve.

I'm a bit lost with spacers and where to get them and will I get the wrong one etc etc. So I may just tell the shop her bike details and let them solve it for me.

Her bike incidentally is this: https://www.halfords.com/bikes/hybrid-bikes/carrer...

She likes the trainers with the interchangeable cassettes as she wants to get a better bike in a year or so.

[anonymous-user]

Yeah Ark sell trainers, definitely let them solve it!

[anonymous-user]

I'll call by Ark next week and see what they have in stock. Last time I went in Noah's Ark in Chalford was 15 years ago to buy a bike. I hadn't bought one in 30+ years so assumed £100 was enough, they didn't have anything less than £700 !!! So my visit was very short. Expecting to pay £500-£800 for this trainer thing.

[anonymous-user]

ian in lancs said:

I have an eight speed cassette on my elite diretto trainer - i haven't had to buy any more mechanical bits; just used the bits in the box. The bike has an old style qr skewer. All works fine with zwift with iPhone, iPad or MacBook. I needed a heart rate monitor.

Thanks.

I just had a look at that Direto. On Elite's web site it says it comes with an 11 speed cassette so assume you bought an 8 speed cassette and simply swapped it? Is it as easy as that?

On their web site they don't say they are compatible with 8 speed they say this below, I don't want to buy something that won't work:

"This trainer features a new structure which is perfect to house derailleurs with long cages that feature greater capacity on bigger 12-speed sprocket sets. This is how the DIRETO XR is compatible with 9/10/11 speed Shimano®/SRAM, 9/10/11/12 speed Campagnolo, 12 speed SRAM NX and 12 speed Shimano® micro Spline cassettes. "

[anonymous-user]

ian in lancs said:

I bought it from Halfords and it came without a cassette but with a Shimano freewheel fitted. Eight-speed cassettes slide straight on with a spacer. Buy the same ratio's as you have on the bike. You will need a freewheel tool and a chain whip to fit although its possible to stop the cassette from rotating holding tight with a rag to protect the hands. It's a two-minute job, especially for a bike shop. I'd buy a cassette and ask them to fit. The trainer effectively becomes the wheel and clamps to the bike instead of the wheel. A quick-release skewer comes with the trainer to clamp the trainer to the bike but you will need to choose the right spacer so as to not compress the frame too much. I'll do some pics and add shortly!

Firstly thanks for the trouble you've gone to here - very kind of you.

I think I am understanding it more now. So basically buy a trainer, buy a Shimano 8 speed cassette, fit that to the trainer. Then when you say "spacer" that is basically to pad out the distance from the cassette to the bike frame to avoid bending it? So "spacer" in old money can be a number of washers to fit over the "skewer" (axle in my old money).

That sounds very simple. Three questions:

1 - Looking at the spec for her bike it says the cassette is: "Shimano HG31, 8 speed, 11-34t". So from eBay I can buy the 11/34 cassette here and that will fit? - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Shimano-Acera-8-Speed-M...

2 - The rear hub is described as: "Black alloy, Quick release, 10x135mm". So I assume this means 10mm diameter axle/skewer. Is that diameter the same as the skewer supplied with the trainer as if the trainer's skewer is bigger or smaller then I guess it won't work?

3 - I'll need a tool to fit the cassette, does that come with the trainer or do I need to buy that separately?

Appreciate you have already gone above and beyond in answering my question I think I am getting a better understanding now.

[anonymous-user]

@Ian in Lancs

Apologies for another question. Do those accessories in the image come with the trainer or do you have to buy them separately? Accessories suggest they are extras not in the box. Thanks.

[anonymous-user]

Thanks Ian and all.

I have now ordered an Elite Suito trainer + Shimano cassette + chain tool/cassette tool etc.

When it all comes I'll see what additional spacers etc I need and go from there.

Thanks again.

[anonymous-user]

For some reason she is keen on a wheel-off solution; not sure why. Thanks anyway.

[anonymous-user]

Just to update on the outcome.

Finally bought Elite Suito trainer + Shimano 8 gear cassette to match daughter's bike + a cassette changing kit off eBay.

After a bit of faffing it all works superbly, the interactivity with other users on Zwift is great. With the legs folded in the Suito is very compact. I'm much happier as she now gets more exercise in a safer environment than on the dark winter roads.

So thanks for everyone's help :-)

PS - The faffing was because when putting the new cassette on to the part below with red arrow I wondered what would happen if I slid that part off. Well it slid off easily but then wouldn't go back on. Much twisting, pushing, scratching head, furrowing of brows etc eventually made me realise there are 3 little spring loaded tiny grease covered things that have to be depressed to get that part back on again. So with 4 of us we managed to do it (one person pushing the part back on, 3 others each responsible for depressing the springy things with a screwdriver each). My curiosity wasted 15 minutes. I dare say there is some tool that allows these to be slid back on; I can't imagine it's usually a 4 man job to do??!!

[anonymous-user]

defblade said:

MikeStroud said:

PS - The faffing was because when putting the new cassette on to the part below with red arrow I wondered what would happen if I slid that part off. Well it slid off easily but then wouldn't go back on. Much twisting, pushing, scratching head, furrowing of brows etc eventually made me realise there are 3 little spring loaded tiny grease covered things that have to be depressed to get that part back on again. So with 4 of us we managed to do it (one person pushing the part back on, 3 others each responsible for depressing the springy things with a screwdriver each). My curiosity wasted 15 minutes. I dare say there is some tool that allows these to be slid back on; I can't imagine it's usually a 4 man job to do??!!

Those would be the ratchet pawls, which let the freewheel wheel freely They are the things going tic-tic-tic when you stop pedalling at slow speed, or buzzzzzzz at high speed; then they spring back out and dig into the ratchet on the inside of the cassette hub (the bit you slid off) when you start pedalling again, so drive goes through into the wheel. If they're not playing ball with going back together, various versions of cable ties, elastic bands, string and swear words can hold them all down at the same time...

The hub slid off easily, couldn't believe it when it didn't slide back as easily :-( Another time I'll tie a piece of string around them then pull it off when the hub is almost home but I had assumed I was missing some secret in the trade of how to get this thing back on again!