Building an affordable indoor cycling setup
What you need, what you can skip, and the order to buy in. A setup that works well costs less than people expect, if you spend on the right three things first.
Ole BirkelandFounder, Cadexa
- Published
- 20 Oct 2026
- 2 min read
AI-generated imageDemonstration 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 · Editorial recommendations based on the criteria stated in the article. How we work.
The order of priorities
- A trainer that an app can control. Everything else is comfort. A controllable trainer in the entry band gets you ERG workouts and route riding; a non-smart trainer gets you a dial.
- A fan. Indoors you lose the wind that cools you outdoors. Without a fan your heart rate climbs and your power drops after twenty minutes. Any strong household fan works; smart fans are a luxury.
- A heart-rate strap. Cheap, and the second most useful data stream after power. Make sure it has Bluetooth for a phone.
- A mat. Sweat is corrosive and trainers are heavy.
- A phone stand or a desk. Prop the phone at eye level; a music stand or a shelf will do.
What you can skip at first: a dedicated trainer tyre (direct drive has no tyre), a second cassette (if you ride one bike), a rocker plate, a gradient simulator, a smart fan.
The trainer
Entry-band direct-drive trainers now exist with Bluetooth FTMS and ANT+ FE-C declared. Compared with the mid-range they give up gradient ceiling, flywheel mass and often accuracy, but they control the same way. If the budget is tighter still, a current wheel-on unit with FTMS is the fallback; budget for a trainer tyre and calibrate it.
Van Rysel (Decathlon)
D100 (Home Trainer with Zwift Cog and Click)
- Trainer type
- direct-drive
- Maximum resistance
- 600 W
- Maximum simulated gradient
- 6%
The heart-rate strap
A chest strap with both Bluetooth and ANT+ covers a phone today and a head unit later. Battery type matters less than you think; a coin cell lasts a season.
COOSPO
H6
- Sensor type
- chest-strap electrode sensor (COOSPO page markets a '2nd generation' HR algorithm)
- ANT+
- Yes
- Battery life (claimed)
- 300 h
The mat
The app
Cadexa is free, has no subscription and works offline, which keeps the running cost of the setup at zero. Pair the trainer under Devices and use the built-in simulator to learn the app before the hardware arrives.
A realistic total
The entry trainer dominates the cost; the strap, mat and fan together add a fraction of it. If you are choosing between a better trainer and a smart fan, take the trainer.
Selection criteria for the products named here
Current models, lowest price band in their category, with Bluetooth declared. This is a buying guide built from specifications; see each product page for sources.
Products recommended in this guide
Van Rysel (Decathlon)
D100 (Home Trainer with Zwift Cog and Click)
Entry-band direct drive with FTMS and FE-C declared.
- Trainer type
- direct-drive
- Maximum resistance
- 600 W
- Maximum simulated gradient
- 6%
COOSPO
H6
Budget chest strap with Bluetooth and ANT+.
- Sensor type
- chest-strap electrode sensor (COOSPO page markets a '2nd generation' HR algorithm)
- ANT+
- Yes
- Battery life (claimed)
- 300 h
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.