M2 Smart Indoor Electromagnetic Resistance Bike Trainer, Compatible with Zwift App

When I ordered this trainer I also ordered a QR skewer kit which had plastic adapters which fit in the frame and wheel to allow using the included QR skewer with a thru axle wheel. The adapter and skewer fit the wheel and bike well but sadly the setup is too wide for the Saris M2. As far as I can tell Saris does not offer an axle for the 142 x 12 1.5 pitch frame and wheel my carbon gravel frame requires. After much angst and research I ordered a Rapidlock Through Axle Kit from an Amazon seller in hopes that it would work. It came today and in fact one of the combinations works perfectly with my axle (photo). I hope this info is helpful to others who are considering the M2 trainer.As far as the trainer itself goes so far so good.Assembly: It took a bit of finagling to get the bolt that holds the resistance unit to the frame lined up to go through the holes. I took on assembly star off for this although it is not a big problem, it just requires a bit of patience and in my case a few blows with a short piece of 2x4 I keep on hand for such problems. The assembled product is as solid and stable as a rock. It appears to be a fine and durable piece of hardware which will probably outlast me.Software: I am using the trainer with the Rouvy app. It is very simple and I had no problems connecting trainer to the app and doing the setup.Riding: It is the work of a few minutes to change the bike's thru axle and put the bike on the trainer and start the software. I started out with the Rouvy @2 mile tutorial ride. I was surprised at how much resistance the trainer had until I noticed that the ride starts with a steep climb. Even on flat terrain the trainer has more resistance than riding on the road but I have quickly gotten used to this. My second ride was/is the first 11 miles of an 18 mile 1% max 85 foot elevation gain route in Korea (I wanted to start easy). For me it is harder to stay motivated on the trainer at least so far. Unlike riding outdoors which requires returning home from any point on a route on the trainer it is easy to stop and either end or pause the ride. I am on a pause and will finish the ride Korea ride after I finish this review. This is not intended to be a review of the app but it appears it will work out well for my purposes.Summary: I considered a popular low end direct drive trainer but opted for the Saris M2. It is 1/2 the price even with the axle adapter and the folding feature is important in my limited space. I am concerned about wearing out my almost new Gatorskin rear tire on the roller. I set up an old rim brake QR wheel and tire in hopes of using it with the QR adapter kit mentioned above. Since this does not work I plan to find a way to convert the old wheel to thru axle or buy an inexpensive thru axle disc wheel to use with the trainer and one of my old tires. Although I have not ridden a direct drive trainer for comparison I think the Saris M2 is a fine and solution for indoor riding.

I wanted a trainer I could use with Zwift and Rouvey. I considered trainers that cost over $1000 but could not appreciate the value without actually trying one.Bike in use with Saris M2: 1984 Schwinn Super Le Tour steel frameRide Stability: Quite good. Cruising while encountering hills on Zwift I have to crank down a bit on the peddles and there is no wobble to the bike or handle bars. For reference, I ride about 200W and hills push me to about 250-275W. If I have to spring hard, I stand up to crank out 900 to 1000 Watts and I notice very little bike wobble.ERG Performance: SARIS recommend calibrating it each time it is used. This takes about 2-3 minutes and I do this every time I use it as it serve to warm up the bearings and my legs before a ride. The SARIS app is easy to use and has not been problematic on my iPhone. ERG works well with Zwift as it simulates and responds to the scenery in life-like fashion. If you are new to ERG trainers you will love this feature. Training Mode: You basically pick one gear to ride and let the training program change the resistance for you. Free Ride: If you are not in a training mode, then you have to shift your gears just like on the open road.Software: I've had this unit for the past 9 months. I believe I've only had to update the software two times. It was very simple and pretty fast. You must go into the SARIS application on your phone to know if you need a software update.Storage: When I'm not riding for a few days, I take my bike off the trainer and fold the M2 up and set it aside. It folds up to a very small footprint. Folding down the arms requires a little force. Opening them up is quite easy. That's all there is to storage and setup after it is assembled.Assembly: Instructions are fairly clear. They get a little tricky with the installation of the compression bolt that holds the bike's rear axel and with the tension screw. But if you read carefully and pay attention to the illustrations, it should take less than 30-45 minutes to set up (that includes a few mistakes and rework steps). Connecting and disconnecting a bicycle is really fast and clean. You don't have to handle a chain, gears and you don't have to take off your rear wheel like some other trainers. You do have to replace the quick-release spindle on your bike with the one SARIS provides. After that, you can put your bike on the training in less than 30 seconds. Or you can take it off in about 10 seconds and hit the real-world road right away.Customer Service: I did manage to get my tension knob completely frozen on the tightening bolt. I ended up having to cut it off with a hack saw. SARIS was kind enough to swiftly send me a new knob and bolt. Communication is via email. I had to send pictures too. No phone service, but it was during COVID too.