Review: Pinnacle HC Turbo Trainer

Indoor trainers are an ideal way to maintain or build cycling fitness when you can’t ride outside. They’re also mind-numbingly boring.

Smart trainers enable you to pedal through the more motivating, virtual worlds of Zwift, Rouvy and so on. While they all used to be expensive, Evans’s own-brand £700 trainer is now just £209.

It’s compatible with 130/135mm QRs and 142/148mm thru-axles, and Shimano-HG-spline cassettes with 8-12 sprockets. To run the software, you’ll need a phone, tablet or computer.

A bigger screen makes for easier viewing. I just positioned my iPhone right in front of my face by mounting it on a Joby Gorillapod fixed to a workstand. You’ll also need an internet connection and a subscription to your preferred virtual training platform.

The Pinnacle HC (‘hors categorie’) is a direct-drive trainer. Your bike goes on rear wheel off, with its cassette (or a spare) fitted to the trainer’s freehub. There are four wheel-size settings to balance the trainer’s axle height with your front wheel’s: 600A, 650C, 26in MTB/700C and 650B/29in MTB.

The trainer doesn’t have height-adjustable feet for stabilisation and there’s no front-wheel support.

Getting started is as simple as turning on the trainer and opening the app for Zwift (or whatever). The app will find the trainer and connect to it, usually via Bluetooth. Windows users may need to connect via ANT+.

The Pinnacle HC measures power to a claimed accuracy of +/- 2%, and it’s pleasantly quiet in use. Power, in Watts per kilo, determines how fast you virtually ride. Max output supported is 2,500W, and it will simulate inclines of up to 20%.

The power data I got was consistent and it corresponded with indoor trainers I’ve used at the gym. By contrast, cadence numbers were erratic.

Verdict

At £209, the Pinnacle HC Turbo Trainer is one of the best-value direct-drive smart trainers available. Hard-core racers will want better trainer stability and more precise metrics (notably cadence), but for fitness-focused virtual riding, it’s all you need.

Other options

Van Rysel Interactive Turbo Trainer D100 £229.99

Reduced to £179.99 at time of writing, this looks fine for casual use. Power measuring is accurate only to +/-5%, with a max gradient of 6% and max power of 600W.

Wahoo Kickr Core 2 Smart Trainer £499.99

The least expensive Wahoo Kickr has +/– 2% accuracy, a max power rating of 1,800W and built-in wi-fi. It simulates climbs of up to 16% and descents of up to 10%.

First published in Cycle magazine, February/March 2026 issue. All information correct at time of publishing.