turbo trainer bike computers

[barney]

family life now means pretty much all midweek riding is now on a turbo trainer. I pass the boredom with a laptop on a stool in front of me but I was wondering if there were any "indoor bike" computers out there to help add a bit of structure, thinking maybe a heart rate monitor. From my limited knowledge GPS units won't work indoors.

sadly got to be sub-£100 which rules a lot of Garmin type devices out or Zwift types apps.

cheers for any wisdom...

[whitestone]

It used to be that you could set up sessions using Garmin Connect and download them to the unit then "follow" the instructions. These days that's a bit "old school" and things have moved on with programs like TrainerRoad, Zwift, Rouvy, etc. As with much these days they are subscription based, most are US based so the pricing is in dollars meaning that with the current tanking of the pound you'll pay almost the same in UKP, I think TrainerRoad is $20/month for example but you can stop and start your subscription at will.

Modern "smart" turbo trainers will connect via Bluetooth or ANT+ to your computer, depending on the abilities or age of the computer you *may* need a specific dongle - I think my wife's iPad just works with the turbo - but you just have to try things and then try and figure out what isn't working! The dongles are maybe £20-£30.

[Bearlegged]

I'd suggest HRM and a free app on your laptop or smart phone. If budget allows, a cadence monitor would be nice too.
I think I got the Wahoo app working ok from my phone, along with Bluetooth HRM and cadence sensors from Halfords.
The Wahoo app has a subscription model which lets you follow preset workouts, but I'm sure you can find some free ones online to follow (will mean keeping an eye on timings etc., rather than the app telling you when to do what).