CXWXC Smart Bike Trainer – Fluid Bike Trainer Stand for 26-29” or 700c Wheel – Fluid Stationary Noise Reduction Bicycle Stationary Stand Compatible with Zwift App

I’ve been a cyclist for 40 years, I love being outdoors, you get to travel about and get great exercise at the same time. I ride year round except with the occasional snow or icy day we can get here in Seattle. Stationary riding is too boring for me. But I needed a stand that I could use for testing not just the bike but me too. And I was curious if I could be persuaded to ride in a video game.

The stand is not that sturdy. Even the lesser expensive trainers for around 50 bucks have a full bar underneath both sets of legs to add strength. But this is only on one side making it less stable as the two legs are a bit wobbly and the legs stick out taking up more room.

To ride in the virtual world first requires a battery for the main unit which you have to buy separately. And the battery compartment is behind the tire, you have to remove the bike to replace the battery. Would have been more efficient to put the battery compartment on the opposite side… So put the battery in before you mount the bike. There’s no on/off switch so I have no idea how long the battery lasts although it does to appear to have auto shutoff after a while.

You download the Zwift app but it requires a login before you can do anything at all. It did pair with my iPhone. You will also. need to by an iPhone bracket to hold it to your handlebars. The app is in landscape mode at all times. It doesn’t tell you the password restrictions but eventually after several tries you can figure it out. Once you create a login they try to get you to commit to a $20 MONTHLY subscription with a 2 week trial. I finally got past an annoying popup “Your purchase was canceled” and then I finally noticed the little button to try a simplified ride before you subscribe. At least they allow that.

It’s like an animated video game, no real scenes just follow the road as others pass you by. It’s entertaining in that sense but I prefer the real world. It really only tracks speed which indoor equipment is never accurate. And I guess you can share your rides…

Overall, it’s overly priced, 200 bucks plus 20 a month. There are sturdier stands that take up less room and cost less. If you like the indoor gym atmosphere and riding in a video game this will work. But it does not replace outdoor riding.

I’ve been cycling outdoors for over 50 years in the spring, fall, and even in the 100º + days of Texas summers, mostly because I don’t like riding inside. I only ride inside in the dead of winter, when I use an old indoor stationery bike, but when I saw this CXWXC Smart Bike Trainer with its built in Bluetooth 5.0 or ANT+ connections, I thought I would give indoor bike training on my outdoor road bike a try this coming winter.

The positive things I noticed is this is a well made machine. The assembly is simple, but the instructions could have been better with larger graphics. My main reason for ordering this was it’s built in Bluetooth 5.0 or ANT+ connections and they worked fine on all my devices, iPhone, tablet, and computers. I was very impressed because the minute the trainers battery was turned on, it found my computer and updated the firmware in the trainer instantly without me having to do it manually. Once I placed my bike on the trainer it was very stable, and it connected and paired to my iPhone, and iPad easily. The next thing I tried was installing the Zwift app, and a few other cycling apps, but found they all charge fees, but after some searching I was able to find a free app called Whoosh that works great.

The other thing I learned, and didn’t know is this is just a trainer, and will not increase or decrease your pedal resistance while connected to an interactive riding app.

I set this up just to test all the apps available, and to see how well it rides. Now after testing, and finding everything is working great, I have quickly and easily folded it up and set it next to my bike work stand ready for use this winter. At that time I will buy and put a training tire on my bike, or just maybe one of my old road tires and be able to ride inside all winter.

Ease of setup and removal, noise, and build quality on this bike trainer are very solid for the money. It works perfectly, all you have to do is some moderate assembly, then get your bike tire centered on the surface of the chrome resistance bar.
I have not used it with any of the mentioned apps, they are not free to use. But it works just as well without any electronic input. When winter season is over and you can bike on open roads again, the bike is easy to remove, and the product has collapsible stand legs so it can be stowed away easily.

I liked the trainer and used it about 6 times, the 7th time it worked initially and then started reading my power at 700w+ and would not properly calibrate back to a more realistic reading. I don’t know if the one I got was defective or not. I am going to try a different brand because I would rather not give this one a second chance and get burned outside of the 30-day return window.