Elite Direto XR-T Smart Turbo Trainer review

Elite’s top-of-the-range trainer comes without a cassette, while the XR version comes with an 11-speed, Shimano 105 cassette; otherwise, they’re the same product.

A riser block and adapters for disc brakes are included, as are one-year Elite My E-Training and one-month Zwift subscriptions.

At 16kg it’s not difficult to move around and is ready to go out the box; you just need to unfold the two sturdy legs and plug in.

The Direto’s ride feel is second-to-none, while the power adjusted quickly and smoothly in every session, overshooting slightly on shorter intervals with ERG mode turned on, but nothing out of the ordinary.

A huge 2,300w max resistance means even your most furious sprint won’t trouble it an inch.

Verdict: Outstanding deluxe smart trainer that’s worth the cash

Score: 92%

Also consider…

ThinkRider X7 Smart Turbo Trainer

It’s Bluetooth ANT+ compatible, which means you should be able to easily connect up to Zwift and other virtual reality platforms.

The Y-shaped design is said to reduce any damage to your bike frame that may occur when hooked up to a standard trainer. It also has a five-degree tilt to provide a heightened real ride feel, as well as the ability to measure and control temperature.

ThinkRider claims that the power reading is highly accurate with a discrepancy of only +/- 2%. It’s also worth bearing in mind that a UK 3 pin plug adaptor & Shimano/ SRAM 9/10 or 11 speed cassette will be required to set-up and use this trainer.

Jack Sexty Editor at road.cc

About

Former 220 staff writer Jack Sexty is now editor at Road.cc. Jack has raced everything up to Ironman distance, is a sub-2hr Olympic-distance athlete and has represented GB at the ITU World AG Champs on several occasions. He's also a regular kit tester on the pages of 220 and holds two world records for pogo jumping – Longest distance pogo stick jumping in 24 hours and Most consecutive jumps on a pogo stick.