Best advice I received, go read https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/10/annual-trainer-recommendations.html. It is probably the most comprehensive review of trainers available. I ended up purchasing the Cycleops Magnus Smart Trainer https://www.westernbikeworks.com/product/cycleops-magnus-smart-trainer.
My deciding factors were:
- Smart options (Power Meter, Cadence, etc.)
- Climbing simulation
- Cost (under $500)
- Local bikeshop inventory
I wanted the ability to connect to the computer for fun (zwift) and training because I'll be on it 5+ hours a week for the next two months. I considered a dumb trainer and smart bike compenants as well.
Riding on Zwift has been more fun than I expected and having the computer control the amount of effort needed to simulate cimbling a mountain was suprisingly nice. There are social aspects as well, but I'm still learning about them.
I ruled out any "custom" tech via DC Rainmaker guides, sticking to ANT+ so that I can integrate with an on bike computer or smart bike components some day.
For me, this basically meant that the trainer needed to be able to generate greater than 500 watts and have an accuracy of 20% or better. There are some other cool features on the market (from Wahoo), but they stepped out of my budget.
If I could have found a used trainer with my desired wish list I would have bought it, but I didn't manage to snag any of the ones that were posted in the PDX area.
When looking at new, I heavily favored the inventory of the local bike shop I hang out at (WesternBikes link above).
Models like the Wahoo Kicker look awesome, but were more than I wanted to spend and I wanted components on the bike to wear at the same rate (a cassette on the trainer is used in these setups). Friends that do have them love them.
A dumb trainer, like the Cyclops Fluid Trainer, was really tempting especially since they can be picked up for $60-$90 used, but to get the smart features I would need to buy components (power meter, computer, etc.) for the bike ($600+). If I cared less about having the smart features today or the components didn't go outside my budget, then I probably would have gone with the dumb trainer. I still really like this option and I hope several years from now this is what my setup will look like.
I did seriously consider the StacZero which looks pretty cool, but keep in mind that one needs metal wheels to use it. If I hadn't gone with the Magnus Smart, I probably would have tried this trainer.
When a friend who uses trainers a lot said that is the Magnus Smart is what they would buy today it influenced my decision quite a bit. Then the local bike shop had a sale ($470) and that sealed the deal. If you care about it, my understanding is that the power accuracy on the trainer is not the best in the market, but pretty good and consistent to itself. All I care about is consistent to itself so that I can nerd out on the numbers a little bit.
At the end of the day, there are quite a few good options and brands. The DC Rainmaker blog and talking to folks at the local bike shop is how I narrowed down what was important for me.