Minimum "smarts" on a smart trainer?
 

Contemplating getting a trainer here, newish casual rider in the cold Northeast...

I was thinking good quality dumb fluid trainer (new or used) plus some YouTube videos for scenery stimulation.

IF I were to go with a smart trainer, what is the minimum of smarts I should be looking for, keeping in mind I will never use Zwift or similar social riding themes?

Confusing.
Advice appreciated.

There are a couple of things that "smart" does for you. The main one is that the level of effort can be controlled by the computer, but some models also have a power meter included (which of course drives up the price a good bit). And there is something called "Erg mode" where you can configure the thing so that you have to put in a specific level of effort (say 150 watts) no matter how hard you pedal - this mode is useful for some workouts.

The resistance can be controlled directly from an app (such as a phone app). Or it can be controlled by a PC app such as Zwift or some other more training focused application.

If you are not going to use something social like Zwift, and you aren't going to use another training type of app (watching youtube videos for scenery) then I am not seeing a whole lot of benefit to having a smart trainer.

If I were you I would look for a used kurt kinetic fluid rock & roll trainer. I love using mine.

Honestly, if you're not going to be using a training app such as Zwift, Sufferfest, TrainerRoad, etc... I'd just go with your first thought and get a decent fluid trainer. I'd strongly recommend shopping Craigslist. I found a very lightly used Elite fluid trainer that currently retails for over $250 for $70 locally on CL.

Personally, I generally ride rollers and watch Netflix when I'm indoors [I do record with Zwift as it's a good approximation of milage]. I have a cheap $160 set of rollers from Performance that I added resistance to with magnets. I like rollers better as I honestly can't stand not being able to move around a bit when I ride or have the bike completely fixed when out of the saddle.

I did give some thoughts to rollers.

Going to do a forum search on "rollers learning curve"..!

It's kinda steep, but not insurmountable. If you have a doorway or a narrow hall you can put them between, that's probably best starting out. I didn't at the time, so I set up a chair on either side close enough to my handlebars that I could grab them quick if need be. Also, start with regular shoes, don't clip in. You will inevitably have issues until you finally get it, it's best to be able to get your feet down quick. Tip: The faster you get the wheels going, the more stable you will be. Ive found 20-25mph wheel speed to be about my sweet spot. Anything below 10mph is going to be squirmy as hell.

It's easiest to start out with one hand on your stable object (chair, wall, door frame, etc) and one on your bars. I feels really awkward at first, kinda like riding on ice. Spin up your wheels and then practice taking your hand off the object until you can ride with both hands on the bars. I've been riding rollers for about 2 years now and I still have them setup within arms reach of my workbench so I have something to grab onto in case of complete loss of focus. I would expect that you will ride off the rollers every now and then unless you get ones with bumpers or the parabolic ones, but it's really not that bad. Your wheels just stop, and if you get unclipped quick you will probably be just fine. I've never actually fallen due to riding off the rollers.

The major downside to rollers unless you do some modifications or spend some money is that you're not going to get a lot of resistance. I have aluminum rollers, so adding an array of magnets I was able to get mine up to about 600-700W max, but without that, I spin out at about 35mph pushing only about 250-300W.

The benefits, if you can do 10+ min without taking your hands off the bars on rollers, you will be holding laser straight lines out on the road. I've had times where I've spent a week on the rollers due to weather, gotten out on the road and it's like I have to make a conscious effort to change lines. The bike just feels amazingly stable when you have more than 18" of space to work with.

Zwift is only social if you want to be social. I generally ignore the dialogue or thumbs up aspects, etc

As already said, the apps provide the smarts that control the trainer. But the other factor is time. Without the apps you enter a time warp where each minute gets stretched out to an eternity from falling into the black hole. The apps can control that by displaying something on a screen that is meaningful to look at, and that brings time back closer to reality. It may still be stretched by a gravitational wave, but at least it advances.

As for rollers, I don't know why that gets brought up every time someone asks about a trainer. Trainers are easier to set up, are easier to ride when distracted, and have better control. Rollers may be great if you want more "biking" feel, but riding the trainer is an end to itself.

Kinda answered you're own question. Rollers don't have the resistance that static trainers have [you can add resistance in various ways], but they have better feel and they actually help with on road skill and stability. Personally, I absolutely cannot stand the bike not having some movement to it. Currently the only other option I've seen is the Kurt Kinetic Rock and Roll, which is more than double what I paid for my rollers.

I see kurt kinetic rock and roll fluid trainers on Craigs list for less than 200.oo. that is a steal and if used right will take your riding levels to new realms. And you can get her a rockin.

This is so true. A question that is perhaps not asked enough is what will it take to keep oneself motivated to ride the thing. For me, I am much more motivated to ride in a virtual world in a game environment (and no, I’m also not very social in Zwift)

A couple of times I get up in the morning looking forward to riding something specific, only to find that the official world is somewhere else. I can of course use the world hack to switch it to what I wanted. You end up in a place that is almost completely depopulated - just a handful of other people out there doing the same thing I am. It doesn't really bug me - in some ways it is more peaceful.

Agreed, unfortunately too difficult to change Zwift worlds using AppleTV- so I just ride what’s on the schedule.