Hi All
Looking to getting on to Zwift but just wanted some advice. I cannot justify the cost of a Smart Trainer straight away and would more than likely go with a non smart trainer to begin with.
Can anyone help on what else I would need and what I can do in a budget to get the most out of it.
Some related discussion here:
You need a bike and tire on roller trainer a blue tooth cadence and speed sensor, a decent computer, phone or tablet to get started. Before messing with the bike and trainer I would check that zwift runs on your computer and that the screen is a decent size. I had to borrow a laptop and eventually buy a new ipad and hdmi connector.
To be honest by the time you’re done all this the smart trainer won’t seem so expensive 
If you’ve got a classic trainer and computing device that runs zwift ok, just get a cadence and speed sensor from eBay etc either bluetooth or Ant+ to suit your set up and Ride On!
Loads of good advice on Zwiftinsider and YouTube.
Haha! There are lots of ways to economise. The bike I’ve got sitting on the trainer cost me £40. The trainer cost me 10x that. Definitely worth it though.
Get a kurt kinetic road machine trainer, if you can find one used they work great and have a lifetime guarantee. You can also use the kurt kinetic inride sensor, which will register as a power meter as opposed to the dreaded “zpower”. This review may help:
Don’t settle with magnetic non-smart trainer, you’ll want to get a fluid trainer at minimum because it gives a “road like” feel, meaning the way it works your muscles is more equivalent to riding outside. You’ll also have a very high max wattage, whereas some trainers cap out at 400 watts, which may sound like a lot now but once you start getting in shape you will realize that it’s not very high.
This trainer by kurt kinetic is what I’m talking about. It says smart-trainer but it really isn’t. Smart trainers automatically change the difficulty depending on the gradient on the zwift course. This is a non-smart wheel on trainer:
You can also purchase this instead of the newer version of the inride if you plan on using bluetooth only since it is not compatible with ant+:
The sensor registers as a power meter in zwift so you won’t need to purchase a separate speed and cadence sensor, which will likely cost as much or more as the kurt kinetic inride sensor.
The other accessory I would get is a wahoo tickr heart rate monitor. I prefer the chest strap since it seems more accurate than the arm band sensor:
Other than that you’ll just need the bike with gears and a trainer tire. I think you should be able to get all of this for $300 or less if you can find a used kurt kinetic trainer.
I have the Kurt Kinetic with the InRide sensor 3 and it is GREAT.
James has given you good advice.
Keep your tires inflated and do a spin down calibration each use (takes 20 secs) and you’re good to go.