Elite Volano Fluid direct drive trainer

The Elite Volano Fluid is a simple to use direct drive trainer that offers enough resistance for most types of riding, is quiet in use, and, for a turbo of this sort, isn't too expensive.

With a direct drive trainer you whip off your rear wheel and mount your bike onboard via its dropouts. The chain runs on a cassette that's attached to the trainer. You have to buy the cassette to fit to the Volano but, on the plus side, you won't wear out your rear tyre like you can on a standard turbo.

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Most of the time the Volano feels fairly realistic in use thanks to a fluid resistance unit, although the relatively light flywheel (3kg) means it can be quite jerky when you're riding at lower cadences.

The Volano rolls to a stop a lot more quickly than many other trainers. I found that if I rode in the 52-tooth chainring and the 12-tooth sprocket at 80rpm, then stopped pedalling, it took just 7secs to come to a halt. It took 14secs when I did the same thing with the JetBlack WhisperDrive trainer.  This means that the ride can sometimes feel a bit staccato compared to trainers that carry more momentum.

Buyers guide to turbo trainers

The non-adjustable resistance is progressive (it gets harder the faster you ride) but it's lower than that of some key rivals, and about half that of Elite's own Turbo Muin. With the JetBlack WhisperDrive trainer I mentioned before, I struggled to turn the pedals at 22rpm for a minute when using a 52-tooth chainring and the 12-tooth sprocket. With the Volano I could get 70rpm for a minute in the same gear combo without too much trouble, so it probably won't provide the resistance you need to do very low cadence/high power intervals. For everything else, though, I found the resistance perfectly ample.

The Volano is quiet in use. I measured the sound level at 70db 1m away from the unit while riding at 250w. For comparison, that's about the level of a vacuum cleaner. If you ride in the house, other people are going to hear you, but close the door to the room you're in and they probably won't find the noise too invasive. You'll be able to watch the TV while you ride – if that's your thing for taking your mind of the suffering – without the volume needing to be ridiculously high.

Although the Volano doesn't come with one fitted, it's compatible with Elite's Misuro B+ speed/power/cadence sensor (£59.99).  I tried one out. It's easy enough to fit: you just unscrew a couple of bolts on the back of the Volano to reveal a small compartment, sling the device in, and put the lid back on.

The Misuro B+ sends data via ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart to a head unit. I used it mostly with a smartphone equipped with Elite's myETraining app.  You get basic use free and the option of upgrading to more involved features for a subscription fee.

During normal use I found the wattage calculated by the Elite system to be about 15 watts higher than the power given by the Verve InfoCrank fitted to the bike I've been using. The data follows a similar track, though – the margin is quite consistent. In most situations, the actual figures given aren't all that important, it's the progression and consistency that counts and you can gauge that here. Plus, I guess that measuring your wattage a little high might come in handy if you're racing on Zwift!

The Volano measures 62 x 54 x 50cm in use and it feels stable enough. If you're on an irregular surface, you can rotate the feet to even things up. It can be folded down a little smaller (62 x 54 x 38cm) for storage and transport, and it's relatively easy to carry via a handle at the back.

The Volano can take bikes with 130/135mm quick release hubs and 142x12 thru axles, so that covers the vast majority of road and mountain bikes. It comes with a freehub for Shimano/SRAM 9, 10 and 11-speed systems, and you can swap it if you want to run Campagnolo.

In terms of price, the Volano is the cheapest direct drive trainer that we know of. Although it's not the most complete direct drive trainer out there, it's still a bargain if you don't need ultra-high resistance and even more so if you shop around because you can find it for considerably less than its suggested retail price.

Verdict

Quiet direct drive trainer that feels realistic in most circumstances and comes at a very good price