Originally Posted by brawlo

Fair point on the Elite, I just looked it up. Like I ended with, horses for courses. It all depends on what the OP wants to do with the trainer. I pointed to the non technical trainer because the OP had his eyes on a $2-300 spin bike. That's definitely not a high end bike, so presumably there's not a lot of money to throw around. I'd be super happy to spend $150-200 on a used Kurt as they're almost bulletproof and so robust. That's cheap, and you can still attach the power unit to it.

With the workouts I do, there are few trainers that fit my requirements. The Elite would never make the list. But my workouts are related to track racing and so my needs are different to others. I also have a Cyclops 2 that I have kept for my daughter to use. There is definitely a difference, and the Kurt is a winner, but it comes down to intended purpose.

If you wanted the controlability in the future, then I'd look for a cheap trainer in the meantime and save up your money. I know a lot of people that use zwift now that have all started on a variety of trainers and trialed via friends a variety of trainers. Almost all of them would say that if Zwift was your thing, then the Kickr is the start point. Anything less is just a stepping stone.