Will this set up work as I hope it will or not?

Im currently looking at buying a ‘smart’ trainer but im on a budget (wifes rule not mine) so im looking at this Elite Novo smart trainer from halfords http://www.halfords.com/cycling/turbo-trainers/trainers/elite-novo-smart-turbo-trainer?cm_mmc=Google+PLA-_-Turbo+Trainers-_-Trainers-_-461874&istCompanyId=b8708c57-7a02-4cf6-b2c0-dc36b54a327e&istItemId=xatiwmpwwq&istBid=tzwt&_$ja=tsid:94971|cid:868641114|agid:42483203943|tid:aud-385313868933:pla-330490608911|crid:203186067057|nw:g|rnd:9810589682750999351|dvc:c|adp:1o1|mt:|loc:9045152&gclid=CjwKCAiA07PRBRBJEiwAS20SIMWKuvAOHp2ofDEUPPwpOGvH3sArmo4tf9eJuxstBoFiFenGw_2xJhoCHvwQAvD_BwE I intend to use this with Zwift app and the Zwift link on my iPhone (iPhone 6s)…Now, the trainer says its resistance is automatically controlled…so will this be the case by just connecting via Bluetooth? I dont want to go out and spend out, what is probably a small amount of money to some, on a turbo and not get a more immersive experience out of Zwift…and more to the point give my missus the ammo she needs to give me the “I told you so” look lol 

Cheers in advance…and hopefully I will be Zwifting very soon!

I had to make a difficult choice to wait and save or run out and buy a “good enough” smart trainer knowing that waiting meant spending a lot of money on a product that I knew little about in a tactile sense as a relatively new bike rider.  However, I decided to wait and get a Tacx Neo and I could not imagine a better experience.  I would advise you to get a trainer equivalent to it, or the Neo itself.  One thing I have seen talked about that I will never know on a personal level is spin downs and calibrations for various trainers, something that would drive me nuts.  This probably doesn’t help you since you seem pretty fired up to buy a trainer within your budget but reconsider if you can find the strength.

 

Good luck.

I have a Kickr and a Kickr Snap. I’m happy with both, but if I had to do it again I’d just buy two Snaps (for me and my wife). It’s very quiet and the experience is very good. You can probably find it for 20%off right now somewher.

I started with a Tacx Flow from Halfords which was great but I kept getting punctures! I think the tyre and tube get hot and causes the problem. 

I switched to a Tacx Neo and the experience is awesome. It’s the nearest thing to actually being out on the bike you can experience. 

Buy cheap, buy twice… 

Definitely go for a direct drive trainer if you have time to save up for it. I can highly recommend the Elite Direto which is one of the best value-for-money smart trainers on the market right now. Also one of the most accurate on power measurement. I use it directly connected via Bluetooth to Apple TV 4K. Super easy to set up and amazing quality.

Hi Mark, Like you, I’m restricted by budget (especially at this time of year!) I picked up one of these in Halfords (it’s a halfords exclusive and not listed on Zwift website) and I can confirm it works via ant+ for zwift in terms of resistance. It’s actually one of the better trainers i’ve had. I prefer it to my wife’s tacx vortex. 

 

 I’ll try and hook it up via bluetooth this evening and leave another comment to let you know how it goes. 

 

 J

Hi Marc, or to anyone who got here researching if Zwift and Elite Novo Smart are compatible…

I picked up one of these from Halfords couple of weeks ago. It works with Zwift. It’s fully controllable… BUT there are some more details you need to know.

With Zwift running on PC, and if you have MobileLink installed on an android device on the same wifi network, you can use the bluetooth of the phone to give cadence and speed data to Zwift. However, when connected like this, Zwift CAN NOT control the resistance on Novo Smart - so it’s more or less like a dumb trainer + speed sensor. Elite’s own MyETraining can control Novo Force’s resistance over bluetooth if you attempt one of their own programs (code for a years subscription comes with the trainer). However Zwift can’t do that.

What you need is an ANT+ dongle. With that on the PC/laptop, Zwift experience is perfect (just managed to get that going today and had quick spin). Resistance goes up and down, and everything is working as expected. Cheap smart trainer, once you acquire an ANT+ dongle (and a USB extension lead).

Hope this has been useful!!