Elite Direto Direct Drive Trainer

Fantastic, no issues from mapboy72 October 31, 2020 

Been using this for about 2 years, and no issues. Just not the best in ERG mode for short sprints.

Good value, fun to ride from Andreas_K October 13, 2020 

I own this trainer for 18 months and logged around 3.000 Km with it. I am still happy with the trainer and it is fun to ride. I have no doubt that a more expensive trainer gives a more realistic ride feeling and has less issues, but for the price it is okay.

Reliable and easy to maintain from joaojos3 September 30, 2020 

It uses an internal belt to transfer the spinning well movement to the internal load (as other trainners). The belt wears by the usage and that causes small deviations in power measurements along the time. After one year of use, the power measurement is offset by 5%, when compared with a Garmin Vector 3. I need to calibrate it again, what is very easy.
After two years of use (riding 3 times a week / one hour average / 200 Watts average) it is still very solid and quiet.
I broke its belt once during a very intense sprint. That was fixed by a contact with the manufacturer to order a new one. The new belt was cheap and was delivered very fast. The installation was simple.
After two years of usage I do not regret and would buy it again.

Still a Great Trainer from K.Lee xpd September 30, 2020 

I bought my Direto in September 2017 and usually ride it twice a week. I weigh 67-69kg and put out 600-900 watts during sprints on Zwift at the 100% Trainer Difficulty Setting. I’ve had no issues in the three years I’ve owned it, primarily using Ant+ connections. I do have to pay attention with the automatic pairing for the Controllable Trainer by Zwift because sometimes it pairs the Direto Power Trainer instead of the FE-C Trainer.

Solid trainer from Will985 September 30, 2020 

Easy to set up out of the box, pretty much ready to go straight away.
Solid and stable trainer (I am a big guy)
Not the smoothest or quietest but this could be down to the cassette chain combo I am using.
Legs fold in for storage which is useful as I live in a small flat

Happy boy with 1st gen Elite Direto from Faven September 29, 2020 

I got my Elite Directo in January 2019 and after more than a 1 year it's been a reliable and durable direct drive smart trainer. It pairs flawlessly to Zwift on my 4K Apple TV unit and Coospo heart rate monitor. Compared to the premium units, the Direto is a great entry budget, reliable smart trainer.

Bang for buck trainer – still going strong after almost 3 years and 13,000+ km on Zwift from WKG Go-Go Juice Berserker September 28, 2020 

Grabbed one of the first Direto's on the Dutch market in December 2017. It was half the price of a Tacx Neo or Wahoo Kickr. At the time I didn't know if I would even like indoor training, so the price was definitely a big factor for me.

Good enough from cowboy September 27, 2020 
Easy setup Accurate power Realistic inertiaWell-built

Elite Direto- Overall very good and worth it from Jan September 25, 2020 

Great overall as it is cheaper than the Kickr. Slower to respond to power changes in ERG mode and to short slopes in Zwift

KRT Rider review from johnny September 25, 2020 

Great trainer matches well again single sided 4iiii accurate description of 2-2.5%

Direto from gtom September 25, 2020 

Been serving it’s purpose well from SimonF September 25, 2020 

Overall this trainer is quite good. I haven't had any issues in the 2.5 years I've had it. There is some room for improvement in the speed of changes in resistance in ERG mode, but on a normal sim ride in Zwift it's perfect.

Elite Direto Durability from KLI September 23, 2020 

I have it for almost three years now, the band broke during Quarantine and the support I received from them was great, they send the band directly from Italy and showed me how to change it at no additional cost. Will buy again if needed.

Solid turbo from alexharris222_2 September 23, 2020 

Has always just worked. Can struggle in erg mode as it is not that consistent, but otherwise a good trainer.

GregorSterzingerEliteDireto from Gregor.Sterzinger September 18, 2020 
Easy setup Accurate power Realistic inertiaWell-built Helpful support Quiet Budget-friendly

Elite Direto works for me. from Mars2003 September 18, 2020 

Can't say much on the topic of power accuracy as I've nothing to compare against. It is however consistent with itself. I get a couple of connection drops per session, which can be a bit annoying as you go after a PB. Not sure if that's the trainer or the laptop (Surface Pro 7) that's causing the connection drop. May try ANT+ instead. So much more quiet than my old wheel on trainer.

Great value trainer from Tom September 17, 2020 

This is the first turbo trainer I've ever used. It's been great value and has been very reliable. Very happy that I made this purchase.

Good Smart trainer from Javisolivo September 16, 2020 
Realistic inertia

Elite Direto from GaryG September 16, 2020 

Have owned one of these since Nov. 2019 and use it very regularly. Was a life saver during lockdown! This is a case of a tried and tested machine that isn't the latest or quietest but just works very, very well. Easy to set up and fold away, easy to connect (quite instantaneously), smooth running, quite realistic in terms of feel and accurate power numbers. As others have said, the resistance changes are not the quickest but it has never bothered me as I prefer the power changes to be smooth. It is generally very quiet but does sometimes make a decent amount of noise at high speeds. I understand that the newer models have addressed this but, again, it has never particularly bothered me.
I have never really used the myETraining app except to occasionally check the calibration.
I hope that the unit proves reliable over the long term and I think it will be as it seems well built.
At the price I paid this was a very good purchase.

good and cheap from ralf.zigan September 16, 2020 
Easy setup Accurate power Well-built Portable/storable Budget-friendly

3 year review from Jamey September 16, 2020 

Have had trainer for 3 years without a single problem.

Great value from LucH September 16, 2020 

Very satisfied with the first gen Direto! 2 years without mayor problems. Minor problem had to do with bluetooth pairing on older model iPhone and MacBook pro (bluetooth of the direto apparently is more up to date. ANT+ however works like a charm, no problems there. I use the Direto combined with Zwift, very realistic and accurate power.

A huge upgrade, but I should have gone even better from Kiwifyx September 14, 2020 

I purchased the Elite as soon as it was released, as it was a good bit cheaper than the Neo and Kickr etc.

Elite Direto – 10 month review from ShakeNBake September 14, 2020 

Been riding a Specialized Allez on an Elite Direto with Zwift for the past 10 months, can't fault the trainer so far. 1400w max power is plenty for most cyclists, good slope simulation, had to turn down trainer intensity setting a bit because hills were too hard with it at 100%! Eats up everything my legs can throw at it. Finally found a form of cardio that I enjoy, and reaping the performance benefits in both cycling and other sports! With Winter coming and Covid not going away any time soon, get youself a decent direct drive smart trainer NOW, you won't regret it..!

Great value from jk September 13, 2020 
Well-built Budget-friendly

Reliable and accurate from johnclees September 12, 2020 

Had this trainer for 2 years and it's been faultless. Power is accurate as measured against my vector pedals and the calibration has remained spot on with no adjusting necessary.

Direto has been flawless from raysephton11 September 11, 2020 

Just works

Two years and going strong from RockJock September 10, 2020 

Purchased this trainer in December 2018 and have since logged about 3000 km on it over two seasons. Easy set-up (provided you have the right cassette), but the calibration using Elite's myETraining app was a bit confusing (make sure you check out the instructional videos on their YouTube channel). Pairs easily with Zwift on my MacBook Pro every time, but Elite's own myETraining software is pretty yawn-worthy (not as interactive as Zwift). The trainer provides an excellent workout and simulates slopes up to about 14% -- pretty quiet, and not noticable at all with headphones on. Highly recommend -- it's been a very reliable trainer since day 1.

Great trainer but slow to respond from dirkdierickx September 10, 2020 

This really is an awesome trainer, there is very little to fault, except one thing - it's slow to respond.
Not really a problem for longer climbs, but if you ride Titans Cove, which goes up & down the whole time at a rapid pace, the trainer can't keep up with the constant changes in elevation, giving a strange type of disconnect between what you see on the screen and what your legs feel. Mind you, you'll learn how the trainer works and get kind of 'used to it' and anticipate.
The same problem also manifests itself during training sessions with ERG mode, again not a problem if you need to maintain a powerlevel for a longer amount of time, but sometimes you have these very short burst of power blocks, then it struggles.
All in all, i would buy this trainer again, and from the reviews i've seen/read about the newer model, the reaction time has been much improved.

Works great. Terrible app, but mostly you don’t have to use it. from Ross September 9, 2020 

I like this trainer, which I've had fora while. I don't think it's a current model. No trouble setting it up physically, but I have not yet succeeded at calibrating it. Seems to work fine without it, but i have no idea how accurate it is uncalibrated. It's not like I'm trying to make a Pro Continental team, so i don't worry about it much.

Easy to use and setup along with the price being reasonable from Marty September 9, 2020 

I purchase this trainer going on 2 years and coming from a wheel on trainer this was night and day. I have logged in a few miles over the past 2 years without any issues. The main reason why I purchased it besides the cost of being below $800 was the capability of switching out the cassette hubs from Shimano to Campagnola since I own bikes with these systems. Having the capability to switch was very convenient especially when my main bike using shimano broke and if i had not had the capability to switch over the Campy system I would have been awhile to ride especially when the weather got nasty outside. That is one of the nice things about having an elite setup I can swap out the cassette hubs while the trainers that do not have this capability, which kind of is a drawback for those die-hard Campagnola riders!!

Elite Direto from Joey September 9, 2020 

My first and only direct drive trainer, so I cannot claim to have much experience. That said, it was very easy to setup for zwift. Simple plug and play. Had a friend compare accuracy to his assioma pedals and it was right on. Spin down calibration test with elite"s app is not very intuitive, but a bit of google searching and some forum reads will give good direction. The noise of the trainer is not a concern. My fan is 10 times louder than the trainer. I am very happy with the trainer after a year of regular use. Definitely a good buy at 2/3 the cost of other high end DD trainers.

Elite Direto – Good Trainer, bad support (especially if you live in the US). from LinuxForAll September 9, 2020 

I have owned the original Elite Direto for 3 years. It works great with Zwift, Trainer Road, and My E Training. It is easy to swap bikes as long as both bikes use the same cassette. This was the case with my bike and my wife's bike. I got a new bike with a thru axle. Elite has adapter for it which work fine, however once installed they are very hard to get off without destroying the aluminum adapters so a bike with traditional quick release can be used. If you live in the US, getting parts is difficult and expensive. I needed to get the adapter kit and I could not find a supplier in the US that had them. I had to order them from Italy and pay almost $30 for shipping for a $10 adapter set. There support is also poor. I had an issue with their My E Training software not being able to recognize my combination cadence/speed sensor. After going back and forth with tech support we were able to diagnose the problem. They said that a fix would be out soon. It was over 2 years before any fix was available.

Good budget direct drive trainer from Mike September 9, 2020 

No direct drive trainer is cheap, but relative to other DD smart trainers, I really think you get the bang for your buck. I have had no issues with the trainer itself after having it for about two years. I know some owners had belt issues, but that can easily be fixed. Elite's customer services is very good. I am a 65kg male with an FTP of around 200, and a sprint of around 800 watts. I had no issues with overwhelming the trainer ever. ERG mode worked perfectly, depending on the device, really. I used IOS and iPadOS which worked perfectly. The ERG did not work well on my MacBook Pro, but that's a software issue on Zwift/Apple's side, not the trainer. The in-game Zwift simulation lacks nothing, except when it comes to higher gradients. The Direto specs say that it can simulate up to 14% gradients, but I tended to not feel any difference in the gradient from about 10% upwards. In terms of portability, I brought it along on many holidays and have not experienced any issues. I honestly cannot see why one would need to spend more money on a trainer, unless you put out of 2000W on a sprint or you want accurate simulation for above 12-14% gradients.

Keeping me motivated through Scottish winters + COVID lockdown from 12sixc September 9, 2020 

Have had this for 2.5 years now and overall would highly recommend it as good value for money and great features for use with Zwift.
The first turbo I received got jammed in first week, think the belt had not been put on properly / come off in transit; but the Elite customer care were great in helping replace it (where the retailer were terrible!).
Well built and easy to link to PC using Ant+ dongle. (Did try with bluetooth but didn't work well with Zwift in this set up).
The instruction manual text is a bit confusing, I think some of the meaning has been lost in translation from Italian to English, but the pictures make it relatively clear.
Elite's own software is functional but not particularly exciting - and I never renewed the paid for subscription after the year trial that was included as Zwift just fit me better and more fun. Even without subscription can still use the app for the basic uses and the calibration.
According to Zwift account my current totals are 240 hours and 7235 km, and that has been a good mix of steady rides, races and workouts. I don't have the legs for short sprints and high power efforts, but it's dealt admirably with my 100 kg weight and ~300 (+/-50) W riding.
Big fan of ERG mode and do a lot of workouts - and it works well for me >99% of the time with connection and holding power - really great for the longer intervals I typically do. The only time ERG struggles a bit is with short intervals of less than 30 seconds at high power, particularly with short rests and I often miss the rest stars in the really short rests as it never gets back down before the next interval starts - this doesn't trouble me much as I train for long distance triathlons and not any sprinting.
Calibration has held pretty stable over the years but I have adjusted the tension once to get it back into +/-5 as recommended once - following the youtube video Elite has made, which was pretty straight forwards.
Pretty quiet in use - with bike drive train and fan noise probably more noisy - no concerns about using later at night / early morning and disturbing the neighbours though.
The legs do fold in - but it's pretty bulky and heavy still and I just leave it out with bike on rather than pack away.
Overall I'd say it's great value for money and really helped me be motivated to train through dark, cold wet winters and throughout lockdown when combined with Zwift.

Elite Direto after 20.000km from novydan September 9, 2020 

I bought the original trainer new (at a bargain), when it came out 2017. Coming from a Tacx Vortex it resembles a big upgrade in both accuracy and noise - that said it's not dead silent, especially compared to newer models. I recommended the Direto a few times and nobody regrets buying it. Could be my imagination but i think it got a bit louder over time - still has the original belt and everything - no maintenance what so ever. Only downside i see is the delay in jumps, let's say 10s intervalls and shorter... it's just not quick enough. Also it makes a motor sound when it changes resistance. We are two people in my household putting some serious milage on the trainer - as for that i could justify upgrading to a top level trainer like a kickr (mostly because of noise and response time) next - but for midrange: total recommendation.

Elite Direto from Johnno September 9, 2020 

I bought the trainer In Septemeber 2018 and after i done 7000+km on it I needed a belt replacement, trainer was still under warranty and belt was replaced for free and Elite dealer serviced the unit and replaced pulley all included. Elite service is brilliant

Impressive direct-drive trainer from chaeks September 9, 2020 

Very simple to setup, well-priced, superb after-sales service from Elite. Initial power readings too high, but after replacing the drive belt this is now correct.

2 years of satisfaction from Kroostybat76 September 9, 2020 
Easy setup Accurate power Quiet

Its all good from DocG September 8, 2020 

Never had any issues with it, haven't had to use support as it hasn't given any problems, ANT+ chip on computer died but that was replaced easily, not related to the trainer specifically

Happy rider from Jas September 8, 2020 

This is my first trainer, and I’m really happy with it. Set up took a little while and a lot of YouTube video watching, but I got there (I am not mechanically inclined). I got a lot of usage out of it last winter and spring (about 10 hours a week) and I’m looking forward to putting it to good use later this fall. It reacts quickly when the road starts to climb and vice versa, and to speed changes. The one complaint I have is the lenght of the cord. It could be longer. As for the rest, for my level of cycling, it’s more than enough. And it doesn’t take to much space when you want to store it.

Good trainer, poor belt, great customer service from AndrewConnolly1709 September 8, 2020 

Belt broke after only about 2000km in the middle of the first COVID lockdown which was annoying.
Customer service sent a replacement out straight away no problems, no questions, got here within 2 weeks and I was up and going again with a 30 minute fix and re-calibration.
I have the original one, it's quite noisy altering resistance although I hear that there were noisy and quiet ones (I obviously got the noisy one !)
Inertia feels good although perhaps a little *too* much on the flywheel as the wattage doesn't drop to 0 as quickly as my Favero pedals
Dual power analysis suggests < 2% difference (trainer reads higher, should actually read a fraction lower) vs my Assiomo's but close enough. Difference is mostly made up from the 0's on the pedals (accurate) not being reflected on the trainer quickly enough.
Handles 1400W sprints fine and I can't go any faster to test it out beyond that !

Strong, Reliable but Slow from hernejj September 8, 2020 

My trainer generally treats me well. It was easy to set up and calibrate. It never seems to suffer from Ant+ dropouts and it has far more power than I can make use of. My only complaint is that is takes 3-5 seconds to stabilize in ERG mode after a large instantaneous increase in resistance. This makes it tough to nail some of my Trainer Road HIIT intervals. I've noticed I can mitigate this problem if I stop or slow down my pedaling about 5 seconds before the high intensity interval. This seems to allow the trainer to add resistance which it then just keeps in response to me spinning my cadence back up as the high intensity interval starts.

Original Direto has been SUPER reliable and steady! from Tofu Smuggler September 8, 2020 

10,000+ miles and still providing quality watt readings and resistance. Our house bought two of these at the exact same time, the other did have a belt snap early on, which Elite took care of quickly. No issues on that trainer since.

For price/quality I would recommend the Elite Direto from Hulk Hogan September 8, 2020 

Very consistent output, had no problems with it for the last 2 years. Rides well, not too bad on the noise front. Packs away well & easy to calibrate whenever it does show a discrepancy on power/output which happens occasionally.
The plug can be a bit niggly to get in/out & the cord is short so need an extension which adds to the items. Considering the lower price vs competitors and the quality of the trainer I rate it very highly.

Does what it’s ment to do. from Dixy SA1 September 8, 2020 

I’ve only used elite so can’t compare to any others but stepping up from the wheel on B+ was a massive jump in technology for the good.
I’ve used with computer - phone and Apple TV.
Apple TV far superior so if your budget can stretch to combine my advice is to do so.
The Zwift experience is so much more pleasurable.

Original and still good! from PoorPossum September 8, 2020 

Pros:
- Wide base - sprint with no fear of rocking
- Reliable - if you do have an issue, even now, years after release, Elite will help you to fix it

Elite direto smart trainer from Russ September 8, 2020 
Easy setup Accurate power Realistic inertiaWell-built Portable/storable Budget-friendly

Excellent Mid-Priced Trainer from kevin.j.flamm September 8, 2020 

This was my first trainer and I loved it. It was accurate, and very responsive. I was very pleased with performance of the Direto especially since I am a larger rider (started at 270 and now down to 250 pounds). Elite Customer Support is second to none. They are responsive - both via e-mail as well as monitoring the Facebook users group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1380212845399014) and VERY customer focused. If looking for a mid-range, direct drive trainer, the Elite Direto, or it s successors will serve you very well.

Elite Direto from jpuchy September 8, 2020 

Good home trainer, I was really satisfied, precise, quiet, easy for assembling
but after 7th km something happen and it started to work loudly,
Great "+" for service, because they replaced it for new one 🙂 Direto X - so after few months I will add my comment also to this

Original Direto ! from Toutou September 8, 2020 

I had to replace the belt after 6 months, Elite support sends me a new one in one week, easy replacement.

Easy access smart trainer from Hugues September 8, 2020 

This smart trainer is quite easy to install and configure, I'm using it for 2 years now without noticing any decrease of performance. I've never had anything to complain about

First Direct Drive from Welshlady Sue September 8, 2020 

After years using a Tacx wheel-on trainer, we switched to the Elite Direto. Much more realistic power output and far more responsive than the wheel-on trainer.

Elite direto weak belt from STT89 September 8, 2020 

Overall nice tariner, smooth and nice shapebody

Elite Direto is tough enough from EricM September 8, 2020 
Easy setup Accurate power Well-built Quiet Budget-friendly

A very worthy mid range smart trainer from O Freegard September 8, 2020 

I have been the happy owner of my Direto since March 2019, having made the upgrade from a dumb trainer.
The price was an immediate selling point given the specs, appearance (sturdy yet attractive) and what others had said when using it themselves. Immediately, with the benefit of some included promo codes, I was able to experience a far more realistic sensation using it. Some very straight forward set up and all calibrated for my new found passion for zone based training.

Still going strong. from Mawds September 8, 2020 

Nearly 2 years since I purchased my direto. 1 snapped belt the only problem during this time. Slight delay in gradient response time but not noticeable during 99% of the time. Very good build quality although the bolts to replace the belt were a night mare to remove. Level 46 on zwift and a veverest testament to a solid piece of kit.

Elite Direto gen 1 from jones.spence September 8, 2020 
Easy setup Portable/storable Budget-friendly

Great bang for your bucks – unfortunately no raiser block from GeertCab September 8, 2020 

I have tested both the Direto and Direto 2. Both very good and similar trainers.

great “budget” wheel off smart trainer from Tall_Tri_Guy September 8, 2020 

This is a great little trainer for the price. Way cheaper than the heavy hitters. Very easy to setup and connect. I only have two minor gripes with it, the first being the cadence can spike massively once you get over about 90. This is easily rectified by using a different source for cadence. I use my power pedals for cadence and that works great. I say its minor as most people who would pay this kind of money for a trainer most likely already had some kind of cadence sensor on their bike. The second issue is there is a bit of a delay with power changes in erg mode. I dont know if its the connection type (I use ant+) or just the trainer itself. But again its minor and really only poses an issue for things like 10 second intervals. The power measurement is very accurate and pretty much matches my power pedals readings.

Efficient & silent trainer from GordonKhor September 8, 2020 

smooth usage, no drop signal or any issue since mar2020 i bought

Accurate and trustworthy direct drive trainer – but a spare belt may come in handy from eskolius September 5, 2020 

Again, with Direto, Elite found a sweet price-feature point. I've been happy with mine. Power difference between Direto and Favero Assioma Duo power pedals less than half a percent. DC Rainmaker & others have written well about this, so do some searching. The belt is prone to break at some point, and the trainer cover bolts may be difficult to open. I lost my first belt at 7,000 km and have since ridden about a similar amount with the second belt. Hope it lasts longer. Elite customer support is quick to send a spare belt, though.

Solid Trainer with Great Support from eeney September 3, 2020 

I've had this trainer for 2 years, at the time I bought it the Direto was cheaper than all other direct drive trainers. Despite the lower price the trainer provides great power accuracy, ride feel and durability (I've used every single day on average for two years), I've done almost 30,000km on the Direto, using it happily across all the online training platforms but mainly zwift. The unit just works despite buckets of sweat dropping on it and zero maintenance (just a monthly calibration).... I would definitely buy this trainer again, or a newer model from Elite.