I had a wheel on turbo trainer before. It was ok however it was very noisy. I made the jump to purchasing a direct mount trainer and it's brilliant. The main things I've noticed are (1) how much quieter this trainer is and (2) there is no slippage when you put the hammer down. Even if it's only 750watts (But watch this space) If you are looking to increase your power, speed and really test your ability then get this trainer. For the cash it's good value.. If you get bored you can always hook this up to zwift etc

I've had this for six weeks now and am thoroughly enjoying it whilst still getting to learn how to use it. I did a lot of reading about the various turbo trainers available and chose the Tacx Flux S as a mid to higher end option. The spec offers 1500 watts resistance and a 10% slope. I felt at aged 61 that would be more than adequate! I set up my Cannondale Synapse on the trainer. The advantage of this was that my bike was already configured for me after a bike fit so was comfortable. Because the Synapse has a 105 group set, I put a 105 cassette on the trainer too to make it directly parallel. The Flux S does not come with a cassette so there was a slight extra cost there, together with an even smaller cost for the tool that enable you add or remove a cassette. Initially I just rode a few power rides to get a feel for the machine.Once I knew I was around for a few weeks, I initiated the 31 days free trial of the Tacx interface. I set up my old 49" LED TV in the garage with an old surround sound Blue Ray player with the plan to plug the laptop in to get an immersive experience of the software. Sadly, the HDMI ports failed on the TV but I can watch DVD movies via a component lead. The Tacx app comes with rides that can be logged as power or slope workouts at no charge. Then there is a fee for the training programmes and the 'movies' which are classic rides from around the world. You watch the ride unfolding (hence the big screen TV!) and the app simulates gradients by adjusting the resistance on the flywheel via Blue Tooth. I've now started the Tacx training programme which will take me through various rides with incremental effort. The programme starts with a measure of Functional Threshold Power (FTP). I think I managed to set my first FTP st too low a level by not quite realising when I was supposed to exert myself maximally. This will be rectified at the next FTP test! Whilst reading about trainers, many reviewers wrote about the need for a fan to keep cool as obviously there is no headwind. Despite it being set up in my garage, and despite very cold weather, I still got very hot and sweated out at least 1kg despite drinking water so I guess a fan is the next expenditure with which to annoy my lovely wife! Finally, how nice to be riding with no worry of SMIDSYs, close passes or any other road misdemeanours that we normally risk on the road. No significant negatives to report. I did find the app slightly clunky initially but I think that was just normal learning. Also, don't forget to hit 'start' for the programmed rides. I was 10 minutes into this mornings 90 minutes before I realised! Final word of thanks to the Sigma team who answered all my questions by email prior to purchase and are providing me with good after sales care too. If you're thinking about it, go for it. You will not regret it.