It might never have occurred to you to consider the best bikes for indoor cycling and we, of course, fully understand you don't need a specific bike in order to go nowhere, but there are certainly arguments to suggest it's worth considering.
If you're spending a lot of time riding indoors using the best indoor cycling apps, even with the best turbo trainers you'll have a degree of faff to swap your bike between indoor and outdoor use. That may be just removing a wheel and slotting your axle into the trainer or you may need to change to a separate rear wheel with a trainer-specific tyre if you've got a wheel-on trainer.
For many people, this is enough of a reason to consider buying a smart bike or an exercise bike, but an equal number of people simply don't have a bike to use at all, so are forced to look at dedicated indoor training bikes. There are plenty of them out there, such as the Wahoo Kickr Bike, the Wattbike Atom or options from Peloton and Echelon, but the best exercise bikes are rarely cheap.
Luckily, there's an alternative. What if you could spend less, while still solving your indoor cycling needs, and getting a new bike for the real world all at once?
Intrigued? Read on.
Buying a turbo trainer and one of the bikes listed below will provide an indoor setup that can add a little extra versatility to your stable. Whether you're buying your first bike that gets split between indoors and out, or you're buying a second (or third, or fourth) bike that can provide an alternative type of riding to your life - be that gravel, time trial, or even a mountain bike.
Read on for our picks of the best bikes for cycling indoors, or you can jump to the bottom, where we'll provide a guide on choosing the right one for you.
Best bikes for indoor cycling
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Coming from Vitus, the Wiggle/Chain Reaction Cycles in-house brand, the Razor is an entry-level alloy road racer. The frame is made from 6061 double-butted aluminium with a carbon fork.
For under £1,000 the frame is quality but, at this entry-level price point, it's no surprise to see an 8-speed Claris groupset, complete with a 50/34T chainset and 11-32T rear cluster.
The Vitus Razor and a Tacx Neo 2T as a package is still less than what the Neo Bike costs, and you then have a bike that can also be ridden outdoors.
Adding a couple of gears at the rear, Cube's Attain road bike has a full Shimano Tiagra groupset with 50/34T chainrings at the front and an 11-34T cassette. The frame is based around Cube's Road Comfort geometry, meaning as you slog through a long structured workout, the relaxed position will temper some of the non-aerobic discomfort.
With the bike being a disc-equipped roadie, the rear hub spacing is 142x12, so when you mate it with your direct-drive smart trainer, make sure you have the right adaptors. Most direct drive trainers come with these so you should be ok, but it's worth checking the specs before you buy.
If you're running a wheel-on trainer, you will also need to get a trainer axle like the Kinetic Traxle, Tacx E-Thru-Axle or Robert Axle Project trainer axle.
Among the best aluminium road bikes, Cannondale's CAAD is probably one of the most universally loved and race-ready, and the Optimo borrows most of its design cues from past models of the frame. Compared to the CAAD13, it has a slightly shorter reach and taller stack, meaning its position is fairly upright and relaxed, so it won't push your flexibility to its limit after 90 minutes of riding.
This particular version of the CAAD Optimo comes with Shimano's Claris groupset with an 8-speed 11-30T cassette paired to an FSA Tempo 50/34 crankset.
Giant's Contend is the brand's entry-level road offering. The frame is made using Aluxx-Grade aluminium and sees plenty of design elements borrowed from the Defy — so don't expect it to flex under power. At the same time, the all-rounder geometry provides a comfortable position for hours of riding on the smart trainer.
The Content AR 3 sees a 2x9 Shimano Sora groupset bolted on, and the chains, cassettes and chainrings won't break the bank when they do eventually wear out over time. It's a bit more expensive than the Vitus and the Cannondale above though.
Direct-to-consumer brand Ribble, is usually found pretty close to the top spot in 'bike of the year' roundups which says a lot about the quality the UK outfit is producing, and also the performance-to-value ratio.
What's nifty about Ribble, especially if you are looking for a bike for the indoor trainer, is you can use its bike builder to hand-pick almost every component. This allows you to prioritise drivetrain components while opting for the cheapest available components everywhere else where they won’t have a major effect on your ride.
With the swap to disc brakes, the Endurance AL now runs on thru-axles, so figure the cost of these into your set-up. The base model comes with 10-speed Shimano Tiagra, but if you want to spend a bit more, you can upgrade to 11-speed with either Shimano 105 or SRAM Rival.
Indoors is a great place to get used to holding your triathlon or time trial position. A turbo with a power meter is a good way to fine-tune it to ensure that you can push out maximum watts over your chosen distance, and it's a safe way to test a new position that you're not used to before heading out on the open road. Some top triathletes do the majority of their training on the turbo.
Another opportunity to use Ribble's Bike Builder to select a budget spec, the Ultra Tri Disc can be kitted out with non-aero Mavic Aksium wheels and an 11-speed Shimano 105 groupset to keep the price down. You'll probably not want the 50/34T chainrings, but you can swap them out for a 53/39T and choose between four crank lengths and three cassette options at no extra cost.
While a gravel bike might not be your first port of call when looking for an indoor-specific bike, we think it's a great option, especially if you're using training software such as TrainerRoad or Wahoo Systm with ERG mode. By allowing the trainer to dictate the resistance, there is little or no need to shift, and even less reason for a front derailleur.
If you're riding in Sim Mode on Zwift, the GX 1x10 drivetrain with an 11-40T cassette and 40T chainring provides plenty of range, and fewer moving parts also means less maintenance. The Gridd's frame is 6061 aluminium and the cables are routed externally, so when it does come time to replace the shift cable it won't take too long. Plus the more upright gravel geometry will add comfort over the course of an extended session.
It also provides an alternative outdoor riding option, in case you decide to return to the great outdoors, but want to avoid the busy roads.
If you want to keep up your mountain bike fitness indoors, there is a good range of budget MTBs available, although the cheapest tend to run triple 7-speed chainsets.
The Lava Dome 29er has a 1x9-speed set-up though, with an 11-46T cassette and a 28T chainwheel, giving you the option to train for steep climbs on your turbo. The Lava Dome has a 135x10mm quick-release rear axle, so you should be able to slot it into most trainers without needing adapters.
There's an air spring Suntour fork with 100mm travel with preload adjuster, although there's no lock-out, so harder out-of-saddle efforts may cause a bit of bobbing. An inexpensive solution would be to swap it out for an alloy rigid fork.
The other option is to look for something second hand or to use an old frame. Buying a bike second hand, you never really know what it has been through or if/how many times it has been crashed, so there is some degree of risk. That said, if it's only going into the trainer, equipment failure has a much lower consequence than something you'll be riding outdoors.
The advantage of using one of your old bikes is that you know it fits, you know its history and it probably already has your preferred touchpoints installed. That said, some of the parts may already be worn and this will be further exacerbated the more you ride indoors.
How to choose the best bike for indoor cycling
Why have a separate bike to ride indoors?
We've mentioned at the top the hassle of prepping your bike to ride indoors. If you're short on time, spending an extra 5 or 10 minutes getting your outdoor bike ready to ride indoors may mean that it's not worth the effort. So having a bike that's ready to roll for a turbo session is an advantage, particularly if you're riding indoors regularly and have space to leave your bike set up between sessions.
You're going to save wear on your best bike too and you'll have a budget bike you can take for an outdoor ride in poor conditions if you want to. There are other reasons to keep your best bike for best too, as we'll explain below.
What should I look for in an indoor bike?
Most of the things that we bang on about such as weight, compliance, aerodynamics and handling characteristics don't come into play with a bike that is going to be used indoors, because you're not actually going anywhere.
With that, the most important factors are really bottom bracket stiffness and geometry that fits. If you're training for TTs or triathlons, being able to set up your aero bars to mimic your race position is an important part of training too.
Obviously the drivetrain is important as well, and this will weigh heavy on the price, based on how many gears you want at the back. If you're only going to be riding in ERG mode, you don't really ever need to shift so you don't need 12 cogs at the back, but if you're competing in Zwift rides and races, you may want to opt for more gears.
Will using my bike on a turbo trainer damage the frame?
When you're chasing attacks on Zwift or pushing through a VO2 max interval, there is a lot of force going through the frame. When you're out on the road, the bike can move around underneath you, and some of that energy can dissipate through this movement. When riding indoors, however - unless you've bought one of those Saris MP1 Infinity trainer platforms, have a latest generation Wahoo Kickr or built a DIY rocker plate - every bit of that force will be absorbed by your bike.
These forces won't break your frame, but they will introduce additional fatigue over time, not only to the tubing but also to bearing systems like bottom brackets.
We've all heard the horror stories of brands voiding the warranty on a frame due to indoor use, but the likelihood of damaging your frame in the indoor trainer is pretty low. We've been riding carbon frames with all types of turbo trainers for years, and never had an issue.
Will sweating more corrode my bike?
While we've never seen a frame break that has been properly installed into a trainer, we have seen handlebars snap due to salt corrosion. While most aluminium bars are anodised to stave off corrosion, scratches or imperfections can allow the nasty salty bits inside and sweat can also corrode or freeze bolts and shifter mechanisms.
You are going to get exceptionally sweaty when riding indoors and that sweat is going to drip off and make its way onto your bike, stem bolts, bearings and whatever else.
This can be avoided with a sweat net or a beach towel but there will still likely be a bit that finds its way through.
It's also worth bearing in mind that aluminium and carbon are on the opposite ends of the galvanic scale, and when you connect them with an electrolyte, like sweat, it can speed up the corrosive process. That's why almost all the bikes we've recommended here have alloy frames.
How long will my drivetrain components last?
When you're riding inside, there is no such thing as just spinning along, and the majority of your time on the trainer will be high-intensity intervals and plenty of watts. Whether using a smart trainer or a dumb trainer or even rollers, we tend to stick to only a few gears on the rear cluster, whereas if you're using ERG mode, there is no need to shift at all.
All of this can prematurely wear out drivetrain components, so it's especially important to clean and lube your drivetrain to prolong its life as much as possible. Don't fall for the trap of neglecting it because "you've only been on the trainer."
The good news is that if you've got a cheaper bike with a lower spec drivetrain, the cassette sprockets and other components are likely to be more robust than those from a flashy groupset and the cost of replacement parts will be a lot less too.
Which type of wheel axle do I need?
Regardless of what bike you're using, we cannot stress enough the importance of using a steel skewer rather than the lightweight titanium one you're using with your nice wheels for riding outside. The skewer is taking on far more force than it would outside, and needs to be more stout to prevent damage.
Additionally, lightweight skewers don't always interface well with wheel-on indoor trainers and can be damaged or even pop out. While we've never seen frames damaged because of significant efforts on the trainer, we have seen broken frames as a result of people falling out of trainers because their skewers weren't mounted correctly in the trainer itself.
With regards to the type of axle - quick-release skewer vs. thru-axle - most, if not all, turbo trainers come ready for a quick-release skewer, so if your bike has thru-axles you'll need to buy a separate adapter to make them compatible with each other.