Do you ever find yourself stopping your “ride” on the trainer to get more water, eat nutrition, or even flip through ads on YouTube?
We all know the feeling and it doesn’t feel quite right to stop everything for something so trivial.
This is why some cyclists and triathletes have opted for a bike trainer desk to make their pain cave more comfortable.
This is an adjustable desk with wheels that sits in front of your bike.
On the desk, you can keep your tablet/laptop, nutrition, extra water, and whatever else you need.
This comes in handy when you’re on the trainer for a couple hours.
In this article, we’ll review our top picks for indoor cycling desks and why you might want one.
How to Choose an Indoor Bike Trainer Desk
We’ll keep this as short as possible.
When you’re shopping for a cycling desk, here are a few things to look for:
The desk’s height should be adjustable. Best to look for desks that can be adjusted with one hand. This would let you make any changes mid-ride.
The desk should have wheels. You should be able to move the desk around. Either mid-ride or when it needs to be stored during the spring and summer months.
Stable base and roomy platform. You need to look for a desk that can handle everything you could put on it. And, can be moved without knocking all your smart trainer tools off.
Easy assembly. You need something easily to put together. Bike trainer desks shouldn’t be complicated like other equipment you might have. Let’s give yourself a break from following intricate directions and drawings.
You can definitely find a cheap desk that has all these features. Or, even make one yourself if you have more time.
Best Bike Trainer Desks
Wahoo KICKR Indoor Cycling Desk
The Wahoo KICKR trainer desk looks simple but was designed with a few key features that make it stand out.
The desk is made with wheels so it can easily slide around mid-ride and can be stored away between rides.
The desk surface is made with a non-slip material so that things won’t move that much if you bump into it. There aren’t any water bottle holders so you might need to be careful with how to place things.
The front and back edges of the desk have small channels so you can place your tablet, iPad, or phone there. The grooves help your electronics stand up and free up more space on the desk’s surface.
Additionally, you can charge your electronics on the desk. There are small holes at the bottom of the groves so that charging cables can pass through. This would be helpful if you frequently do long rides on the trainer.
On the far corners of the desk, there are two larger holes that you can place towels into.
And, lastly, you can adjust the height of the desk with the blue buttons on each side of the desk.
The desk height ranges from 33-inches to 48 inches, which is quite a range. And, can even go over aero bars, even if they are pointed up.
The desk is made from steel so you can put a few heavy objects on the desk during your workouts if you wish.
The one downside is the wheels; they don’t lock into place once you found your “sweet spot”. This really is only a problem if your floors are uneven. This can result in the desking rolling away or towards you during a workout.
Luckily, there is an easy fix for this. You can put a free weight, cable cord, or even a book, and the desk will stay in place.
Triathletes who have bought this bike trainer desk like it because it’s solid and will hold a lot of things while you’re on the bike. The desk also can charge your electronics without using an extension cord. The desk is easily adjustable so it takes less than ten seconds if you need to move it during a workout. The small inconvenience is that the wheels don’t lock. And, that’s an easy fix if that does become a bigger problem for some. Even though the desk is more expensive than others, some say that the price is worth it. And, others may just want to support Wahoo and buy all its products.
I’d recommend this desk, if you’re a fan of Wahoo products and want to continue to support them. The desk is more expensive, but it might be worth it for those who are dedicated to the Wahoo brand.
RAD Cycling Desk
If you’re looking for a high-quality desk with all the features as the “big guys” then this option might be for you.
The pieces come in the order they need to be assembled in, which makes it very intuitive even for those who don’t consider themselves engineers.
Placing the table part of the desk can be a little tricky at first. You need to make sure that you press the buttons to lock it in.
You can easily fit a tablet or computer on the desk along with your phone, TV remote, water bottle, and nutrition. The desk also has a place to put extra towels.
The desk actually has water bottle holders for your extra hydration. When you bump into your desk- and you will, your bottles won’t fall over.
For your tablet, there are grooves around the top of the desk. You can put the tablet in the grooves so that it can stand up and at an angle if you wish. It’s a sturdy feature and not many reports of tablets or iPads falling off.
The desk surface itself is made from non-slip material so things won’t slide when you bump into the desk. It’s made from the same material you’d find on a more expensive cycling trainer desk.
It’s advised to adjust the height (by pressing the blue buttons) so that the desk can clear your handlebars. If you have trainers that adjust the height of your bike. Or a smart bike whose handlebars turn, be sure to adjust the desk’s height that accommodates those features.
If you don’t need to move the desk around while you’re on the trainer, no worries, The wheels lock in place. This is a feature some big-name companies don’t have. And, this feature is great if your floor isn’t especially level.
The one area the desk falls short is no power. If you need to charge your tablet, you’ll need a long cable for it.
Triathletes who have bought this bike desk like it because they get a lot of features for nearly half the price of other desk trainers. The desk surface is well-designed and has enough room for everything triathletes need. The cup holders and locking wheels are a nice touch. The desk won’t wheel away and water bottles never fall off mid-ride.
I recommend this desk to those who want one a high-quality desk without paying a high price. The desk offers some features such as locking wheels and water bottle holders that might seem insignificant but do make a difference once you’re on the trainer.
Conquer Cycling Trainer Desk
For half the price of a Wahoo desk, Conquer offers similar and some of the same features as a Wahoo bike trainer desk. The desk does have Zwift orange colors accenting the desk to give it some character.
The desk’s height can range from 35 inches to 47 inches and is easily adjusted with the button on the side. If you have aero bars, the desk can easily clear them. Or, you can wheel the desk in front of your aero bars so your screen is still at eye’s height.
Unlike the Wahoo bike trainer desk, the wheels on this one actually do lock. So if you have uneven floors your desk won’t start rolling away while you’re in the middle of a workout. And, if you bump the desk, the desk won’t become off-center either.
The top of the desk’s dimensions is 14 inches by 28 inches, which gives you more than enough room for whatever you need up there. The desk is made with a non-slip material so all things will stay there unless they fall off.
The desk also has two cup holders so you can safely put your hydration and snacks on the desk without the fear that the water will damage your electronics. There is a tablet and phone stand along with channels for cables so you can charge your electronics during long rides.
Additionally, the desk has two handles at the end so you can easily move around the desk. And, once it’s in place, you can put extra towels there.
The whole desk is made from steel so it is very strong and can handle what you’ll put on the desk. And, the steel does last a long time, so for the money, this desk is a good deal. Especially if you want something comparable to a Wahoo desk.
For assembly, it is very self-explanatory and takes less than five minutes. Having said that, there are instructions if you really get lost during the process.
During the spring and summer, you can use the desk for your home office if you’d like. There is enough space to set-up a functional and efficient workspace for yourself.
Triathletes who have purchased the desk like it because it is cheaper than other desks on the market, but offers the same features. The cupholders and handles for towels are small features but make a big difference during workouts. Triathletes can store extra water and snacks without worrying about making a mess on their tablets, phones, or computers. The desk makes room for cables to seamlessly be threaded through so it keeps things organized. Triathletes all say the desk takes less than 10 minutes to assemble and has easy-to-follow instructions.
I highly recommend this desk if you’re looking for one that is similar to a Wahoo bike trainer desk, but can’t justify paying nearly $100 more for it. The desk has all the features of the Wahoo desk and some that it doesn’t such as wheels that lock the desk in place.
Saris TD1
The Saris TD1 looks simple but hopes to your all-in-one station for all your needs during your long and short trainer rides this winter.
The skeletal rundown of the desk features:
- Built-in power strip with a 6-foot AC cord
- Adjustable height ranging from 40 inches to 55 inches
- 12 inch by 20-inch tabletop made from laminated birchwood
- Built-in cable management and stainless steel hardware
The desk is more like a control panel where everything can be kept neat and organized. The cord is retractable so that there is an easy clean-up after each workout and especially when it comes time to store the trainer and the trainer desk during the spring and summer months.
The desk top is supported by steel legs and base. The steel is high-quality and is stainless so it won’t build up corrosion over time.
Since the charging station is built into the desk, you won’t need to drag a long cable from across the room or attach a heavy power strip to the desk. It’s all included. This will help keep your desk organized and declutter it. The desk has two plugs and two USB ports so you have a lot of flexibility with what you want to put on the desk. And, if you’re device starts to lose battery mid-ride, the plus is close by which is very convenient.
Although the desk’s surface isn’t made from a non-slip material, the laminated surface is easy to clean up if your spill something on it. The non-slip surfaces have grooves in it and liquids and crumbs from your snacks get stuck in it. With this desk, you won’t have to worry about it. And, the laminated surface looks nicer compared to non-slip surfaces.
If you’re looking for a bike trainer desk that has a “professional office” look to it, then this might be a good option for you to look into.
If keeping a clean and organized desk is important to you, this desk might be a good option for you. So far the features listed all help keep a desk organized and free of clutter.
Adding to this control panel’s features, its height is also adjustable and can work with any type of bike. And if you have aero bars, there’s a way to make it work well for you. Although the bike is adjustable, riders cannot adjust the height mid-ride. The desk doesn’t feature buttons that allow the desk to easily adjust. You’ll need to get off and adjust with tools.
The best advice is to find a height that you can manage with all your electronics, snacks, and hydration, and keep it there.
The desk doesn’t have grooves to help your electronics stand up, but that is an easy fix. You can lean your phone on your water bottle. Or, tablet or iPad might have a case that lets the device stand up and give you a good shot of the screen without glare. It’s a small inconvenience for some so be sure this is something you can manage if you decide to buy the desk.
Water bottle holders and desks handles are other features that are not offered on this desk. Again, this may not be a deal-breaker for some. There are ways around it such as installing more water bottle cages on your bike or having a few on the floor you can easily reach down and get. Or, just using the desk unless you don’t want to mix water and electronics.
The desk stays put because it doesn’t have any wheels so you won’t have to worry about it rolling around during a workout. And, once you find the “sweet spot” you’ll never lose it. For some, this might be better than wheels. This makes things simple, once you’re set-up, you’re good to go for the rest of the trainer season.
Triathletes who have bought the desk like it because it a lot simpler compared to others and it has built-in plugs and USB ports to charge electronics. This makes it awfully convenient for a mid-ride charge. A desk without wheels really works well for those who like the desk. They don’t have to worry about the desking rolling whenever they bump into it.
I recommend this desk if you’re looking for a simple desk with minimal features and need one that can charge your electronics during a ride.
