CADEXAREVIEWS
Specification comparisonGuideDemo content

Best smart trainers for indoor cycling: a specification-based shortlist

No hands-on testing yet, and we say so. This shortlist is built from manufacturer specifications with sources, organised by the decisions that matter: drive type, price band, protocols and gradient.

Ole BirkelandFounder, Cadexa

Published
31 Oct 2026
2 min read
AI-generated image

Demonstration content. This article was created to show how the platform works. Specifications are manufacturer claims gathered from public pages and have not been independently verified; nothing here reflects hands-on testing by Cadexa.

Guide · Compared using manufacturer specifications and documented sources, not physical testing. How we work.

How this list was made

This is a specification comparison, not a test. We have not yet ridden these trainers side by side; the first hands-on reviews are in progress. Every figure comes from a manufacturer page or a cited secondary source and is visible, with its source, on each product page. Our selection criteria:

  1. Currently sold by the manufacturer or a successor model named where it is not.
  2. Bluetooth FTMS declared, so phone apps, including Cadexa, can control it.
  3. ERG mode available.
  4. Within one of four price bands so that each band has a clear pick.
  5. Ranked within a band by maximum gradient, claimed accuracy and connectivity breadth, in that order. Ties go to the unit with more concurrent Bluetooth connections.

Commission plays no role; several products on this list have no affiliate link at all.

Mid-range direct drive

The second-generation CORE keeps the 1,800 W, 16 % and ±2 % figures of the original and adds built-in Wi-Fi, three simultaneous Bluetooth connections and a 10 Hz data mode. It lost weight, and it lost the fold-out legs. Its flywheel is passive, so the −10 % figure on the spec sheet is a reporting range, not a descent simulation.

Premium direct drive

Elite’s current premium unit declares a 24 % gradient and a ±1 % accuracy claim, both ahead of the CORE 2, with flex feet that allow a little lateral sway. Firmware is managed through the Elite app.

Flagship

The NEO 3M is the one trainer here with a motor-driven flywheel, which means real descent simulation and road-feel effects, plus built-in multidirectional movement. It is also the heaviest and the most expensive band.

Entry level

Decathlon’s D100 brings direct drive to the entry band with FTMS and ANT+ FE-C declared. Expect a lower gradient ceiling and a lighter flywheel than the units above.

Wheel-on

If you swap between several bikes or want the quickest setup, the Tuo is Elite’s current wheel-on unit. Budget for a trainer tyre.

Side by side

Side by side

KICKR CORE 2 vs Justo 2 vs Tacx NEO 3M vs D100 (Home Trainer with Zwift Cog and Click)

Open the full comparison →

What would change this list

Hands-on testing, which is scheduled: ERG response time, accuracy against a reference power meter across a 90-minute session, noise at 200 W and 40 km/h, and how each unit behaves at 15 % and 3 km/h. When those numbers exist they will appear in a separate “Cadexa measured” column on each product page and this guide will be reclassified.

Products recommended in this guide

Alternatives worth considering

About the author

Ole BirkelandFounder, Cadexa

Builds the Cadexa indoor-cycling app in Bergen, Norway, which means living inside the Bluetooth FTMS specification and watching how trainers actually respond to it. Writes the technology explainers and runs the compatibility tests.

Related reading