The 12 Best Bike Trainer Accessories for Zwift and Your Pain Cave

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Here are the best bike trainer accessories to take your indoor cycling to a new level, whether you use Zwift, ROUVY, or any of these indoor cycling apps.

You can focus on your performance and enjoy better riding comfort with accessories like a fan, rocker plate, or towel.

All these accessories are useful, but remember, you don’t have to buy them all at once. You can build your pain cave slowly. One item at a time.

Let’s dive in!

What Are the Best Bike Trainer Accessories?

Bike Trainer Mat
(must have)

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Indoor Cycling Fan
(must have)

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Also available at rei.com and competitivecyclist.com

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Rocker Plate
(nice to have)

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Skip to the comparison table…

A Floor Mat to Protect Your Floor

A trainer floor mat is an absolute must for indoor training. Quality trainer mats reduce vibrations, so if you live in an apartment, angry neighbors won’t go knocking on your doors.

The second major benefit is that it protects your floor from scratches and sweat. You will sweat more on the trainer than when riding outside. As a result, you will often be left with a pool of sweat underneath. You definitely don’t want it to soak into a carpet or floor, for example.

The pad will also prevent your trainer from moving around (e.g., when you start sprinting to meet the required intervals).

For these reasons, a mat is an investment that pays off. The one from Cycling Deal is a great choice because it combines great value for money.

Check out this selection of the best budget bike trainers. They are perfect for beginners and people with a limited budget.

A Fan to Keep Yourself Cool

My first training sessions on a bike trainer were without a fan. You probably know how they turned out. I was all sweaty, and my performance was poor.

A powerful fan is perhaps even more important for indoor training than the mat mentioned above. The importance of the fan was also emphasized by my friend, a professional cyclist who enjoys virtual races on the Zwift during the off-season.

There are hundreds of options on the market. I shortlisted them to the fan from Laska with the easy-to-remember name U12104 (who came up with this name?). It is ideal for undemanding cyclists who only need a powerful fan with several gears.

Wahoo KICKR Headwind takes indoor training to a completely new level. It is compatible with Wahoo trainers and can adjust the intensity according to how fast you ride in the virtual world or how your heart rate increases.

So which one do you choose? You may also check out my fully dedicated article on the best indoor cycling fans.

Interested in zwifting? Make sure to also check out smart trainers for Zwift.

A (Gym) Towel for Wiping Sweat

You will sweat even with a quality fan. So if you don’t want your dear half to be mad that you use your beautiful towels for training, I recommend gym towels.

They are very compact and can be used for indoor training, gym, yoga, etc. This set from OlimpiaFit contains three quick-drying towels of different sizes and is also available in different colors.

A Sweat Guard to Protect Your Bike

It is no secret sweat can damage the bolts (they will rust), so paying a few bucks for a sweat guard is a wise purchase.

This RockBros guard does even have a slot for a smartphone, making it ideal for people who need to be connected at all times.

A Laptop Stand to Have a Place to Put It

A stand is useful if you don’t have a table with a monitor or a TV on a wall that you could use for playing Zwift or any other indoor cycling app.

The stand provides your laptop space where you can place it. This RAD Cycle stand also has dedicated slots for a smartphone or laptop, cable management holes, and an anti-slip surface.

You can also adjust its height, and thanks to the three locking wheels, it is super easy to move around.

A Smartphone Mount to Have a Place to Put It

A smartphone mount is useful not only for bikepacking and bike touring but also for indoor training. If you don’t have a place to put your smartphone, you can attach it to the stem. Then, your smartphone can work as a replacement for a laptop or tablet, or you can use it for Zwift Companion and give ‘Ride Ons’ to others.

Quad Lock mounts are the best on the market because they are well-made, sturdy, and reliable. So once the season starts, you don’t have to be afraid of attaching your smartphone to them, even in rough terrain.

An ANT+ Receiver for a More Reliable Connection

ANT+ receiver is useful for ensuring ANT+ FE-C connectivity between your trainer and computer or laptop. This means that these devices will be able to communicate with each other and ensure proper functionality.

In other words, the ANT+ receiver will allow you to display data like power, cadence, speed, etc., on your laptop. To find out more, I recommend this article by DC Rainmaker. He explains this in-depth.

I selected a dongle with an extension cable (CooSpo) that is useful if your computer is far from the trainer.

The Garmin ANT+ USB provides the same functionality, but it is sold without the extension cable. It will be enough for most use cases.

A Trainer Tire to Save Your Tires and Improve Traction

Trainer tires are useful for riders who have a wheel-on trainer. They reduce your tire wear, so you save those expensive tires for the season.

They are also made from different materials than standard road tires. It makes them quieter, and they provide better traction, which is very important when you start pushing hard during intervals or sprinting.

It almost doesn’t matter whether you go for Tacx or Kinetic Trainer Tire. Both cost similarly, and it is more of a question of color preference. Just keep in mind that trainer tires are not suitable for riding outdoors.

A Front Wheel Riser to Improve Your Bike Position

You can replace a front wheel riser with books. However, if you want extra stability, I recommend buying a riser. This riser from Kinetic is cleverly designed, providing you with three heights.

But why is this accessory useful? Well, wheel-on trainers require your rear wheel to be lifted. This means that your bike position is similar to a position when descending. From my experience, this is not the most comfortable position for indoor training.

That’s why it is better when you put something under your front wheel to make your bike level.

Direct-drive trainers do a better job of keeping your bike level so you can use them without a riser. You can also use the riser to simulate climbing better.

A Gradient Simulator to Make Indoor Cycling More Engaging

If you want to take your training setup to a new level, use a gradient simulator instead of a wheel-riser block.

KICKR Climb will raise (or lower) the front of your bike depending on the gradient you ride. This simulates road-like conditions even closer (from -10% to +20% gradients).

Those who don’t use third-party training apps can adjust the height using a remote so they won’t lack this unique experience.

The unfortunate thing is that Climb is compatible with Wahoo trainers only. That’s where Elite RIZER steps in (read this comparison of Wahoo Climb vs. Elite RIZER).

Also available at competitivecyclist.com

Don’t miss this selection of the best bike trainers on the market to find a trainer that suits your budget and needs.

A Chamois Cream to Avoid Saddle Sores

Chamois creams are great products not only for riding outdoors but also for riding indoors on a bike trainer. They reduce friction in your intimate areas and thus improve your riding comfort. Furthermore, most chafing creams have anti-inflammatory effects and soothe your skin.

I compiled a list of the best chamois creams for men and women. However, the overall winner is the Chamois Butt’r Original.

Thanks to its non-greasy structure, it is easy to apply and wash. Depending on how much you ride and how much cream you use for a ride, it will last you for several months.

A Cycling Rocker Plate to Improve Your Riding Comfort

If you don’t know what to do with money and are an avid cyclist, rocker plates, also sometimes called cycling platforms, should catch your attention.

A bike rocker plate allows you to attach your bike trainer to it. Thanks to the lateral and longitudinal movement, they make your bike’s movement more realistic and engaging. Furthermore, these movements force you to balance and thus engage your core muscles.

TIP: Use a cycling rocker plate with a smart bike trainer to get the best ride experience possible.

Skillful DIYers will be able to assemble a similar board themselves. However, companies like TurboRocks sell out-of-the-box rocker plates like the one above.

Or browse the best rocker plates on the market.

Summary

I hope you find these accessories useful and that they will help you make your dream pain cave come true.

Remember, you don’t have to buy them all at once because the costs will add up. Feel free to upgrade your indoor training setup slowly. Start with the most important accessories and continue with the less needed ones.

Can you think of other helpful accessories for indoor cycling and Zwift? Let me know your tips in the comments.

Bike Trainer Accessories FAQ

Preview picture source: Kurt Kinetic