CYCPLUS T2 Smart Trainer Review: Affordable, Feature-Packed, and Ready to Compete

The CYCPLUS T2 Smart Trainer is making waves in the indoor cycling world, offering an impressive blend of affordability, performance, and innovative features. While earlier versions faced some technical issues, CYCPLUS has refined the T2, making it a serious contender to established brands like Wahoo and Zwift. With direct-drive accuracy, smart connectivity, quiet operation, and even a self-powered mode, this mid-range trainer delivers excellent value—especially at its competitive price point. In this review, I’ll take a close look at the unboxing, features, ride experience, and whether the CYCPLUS T2 is the right smart trainer for you.

The CYCPLUS T2 trainer has been in the market for a couple years now, and a quick look around the web reveals that this model was introduced a bit before it’s time, as earlier versions came with some performance issues.   But the design team at CYCPLUS has been serious about bringing a fully functioning and legit smart trainer to market, and I was satisfied these have been addressed before I agreed to do this review.

Even though the T2 shown here is NOT plugged in, it has a built in power generator – so you can use it anywhere – regardless of a power connection. 

Now you might be asking yourself – do I need – or does the world need – another smart trainer option?  The market is already filled with well designed and functioning smart trainers from dominant brands like Wahoo and Zwift, niche brands like TruTrainer, fitness brands like Peloton, and even defunct brands like CompuTrainer (remember those?).  Bottom line is that something already exist for all levels of riders from beginner to intermediate, to advanced cyclists.

And until recently, the entry level price for a decent smart trainer was around $1,200.  That was until Zwift came in to upset the apple cart, with their own fully equipped trainer priced in around $599.  That was enough to inspire a marketwide price reduction across all brands and categories of trainers, creating a huge benefit for riders, and basic economics would suggest a lot less profit for the manufacturers.

COVID was another game changer, causing widespread uptake in indoor training options like cycling – and spurring overall category growth.  Now that that blip in demand has passed, what’s left for the cycling trainer category is a lot more competition, lower profits, and more features being offered – consumers are the winners. And brands with access to high quality engineering and low production costs who are able to take advantage of global shipping, are emerging to challenge the status quo.

Enter CYCPLUS.  I recently reviewed their electric mini pump – the AS2 – and was curious to try their trainers.  They offer three levels – the T1 entry level smart trainer, the T2 mid-range, and the T3 with all the bells and whistles.  From a practicality standpoint, I requested the mid-range T2, because this is the level of trainer I’d consider buying for myself.  I’m too advanced for the T1 entry level trainer, and the T3 is just more money than I’d be willing to spend.

The T2 serves up all the features I need – smart connectivity to run with all the major training apps (Zwift, Rouvy, BKool, etc), its direct drive is efficient and accurate, it’s easy to set up and use, and maybe best of all –  it’s priced right at $699 (or $499 after using a special PEZ promo code – see below).

Unboxing & First Impressions

The box arrived in a few days, coming directly from China where they are made, and was solidly packed into styrofoam.  Naturally it’s heavy – the trainer weighs 33 lbs (15.2 kilos). This is a good thing – because a heavier flywheel means more realistic rolling resistance and ride feel – something I want in a smart trainer.

The T2 legs lock in place with the push of a button – no tools are required for assembly.

Build quality appears excellent, and the design is sleek and modern.  Unlike the Zwift HUB One trainer I reviewed here, the T2 requires zero assembly.  It comes with a cassette of your choice (Shimano 12-speed for me), and the legs simply fold out and lock into place without tools.

The T2 comes with a handy rubber mat to protect whatever floor you’re training on, options for both thru axle and quick release wheels, and the power cord and transformer.  Unboxing and actual set-up through mounting my bike took about 20 minutes.

Zwift found my T2 right away, and pairing was instant.

My initial setup and connection of the T2 went smoothly as well – my Zwift app on my desktop and the T2 bluetooth found each other right away.  CYCPLUS also offers mobile app designed for trainer control that connected right away too – more on this later.  Overall set-up was easy.

Key Features & Technology

Design
The CYCPLUS T2 design is sleek and modern.  The section housing the motor all fits neatly inside the bike’s rear triangle, and is not much wider than a normal rear wheel.  I do like the built in handle on top that makes moving this one around a lot easier than other trainers I’ve had.  The legs fold out for use, and tuck away snugly for storage – another feature that many other trainers don’t do as well.  And the rubber feet offer up to 8 degrees of lateral movement – a step towards simulating some real-world ride feel.

BLDC Motor Drive System
The T2 uses a BLDC motor – which I had no idea what it was until now.  It stands for Brushless direct current motor, and unlike electric motors that use “brushes” to pass magnetic charges and create motion, the brushless design basically offers a system that has less friction and can be lighter than a similarly powered brushed motor.  The reduction of friction allows greater accuracy in power output and measurement.  And it’s quieter too.  And with the cassette connected directly to the flywheel (unlike other designs that use a belt to connect), CYCPLUS claims a <1% variation in accuracy – and who among us, I ask, can not be satisfied with that?

There’s a claimed power of 1800 watts (continuous power the device can maintain during normal operation, representing its stable performance over a long period), with a maximum power output of 2200w.  I did not test this against a third party power meter (ie: power pedals), so can not offer any comparative testing stat of my own, but both these numbers are well above my own personal power output record, and I’ve been satisfied that the T2 has met all of my current power / resistance requirements.

One more benefit here is that the system does not require calibration – so you can hop on any time and know that power numbers will be consistently accurate.

Red light = power on, solid blue light = Bluetooth pairing is connected, green light = Ant+ is connected.

Smart Connectivity
Connecting to all your devices is covered for both ANT+ and Bluetooth compatibility, so riding with Zwift, TrainerRoad, and other apps is fully accessible.  One issue I had was that the T2 trainer will only connect to one bluetooth source at a time – which means that I either choose to connect to a training app like Zwift, OR I choose to connect to the CYCPLUS app, and use it to control resistance, either through the app, or through their BC2 virtual Shifter.

The BC2 shifter is a tiny thumb-sized button that straps onto the handlebars in a few discrete spots, and when used with the CYCPLUS app, will adjust the resistance of the trainer to simulate changing gears, or incline.

Self-Powered Option
This is one that I really liked, and have not seen on any trainer before. So, the T2 is designed to run best with all features engaged when plugged into a dedicated power source, but it’s also designed so that simply pedalling generates enough power to basically run your workout with almost the same sensations and results.   This has huge implications for portability – like warming up or down at a race, training at your rustic cabin, or even lakeside on your summer holiday.  The CYCPLUS website says: “All of its smart functions are available if you keep pedaling, maintaining energy to the trainer.”  The main difference with being fully plugged in, is that the realistic free-wheeling feature doesn’t operate, because that feature requires constant power.

This raw video shows the sound levels of teh T2 under constant mid-watt load.

Noise Level & Ride Experience

My overall ride experience has been solid with no issues like skipping out that I’ve seen reported on older versions.  It does appear these have been fixed.  The beltless direct drive and brushless motor are indeed quiet – with the main sound being my chain whirring along as I pedalled – so hearing whatever I’m watching as I train (music, podcasts, Netflix) is not an issue.

Portability & Storage
One of my favorite features of the T2 is its compact size… Storing a smart trainer has never been exactly easy, since the bulky and awkward shapes just don’t make it easy to find storage places.  But the T2 has been designed with folding legs, that tuck away at the click of a button to create a 12″ x 10.5″ rectangular base.  Coupled with the 20″ height of the narrow motor stack, this is the most compact smart trainer I’ve seen.

Adding to the portability is the sleek handle, designed right into the form of the trainer.  It’s easy to grab and move the trainer around – which really helps, coisering it weighs around 33 lbs. .  I found this especially handy setting up training sessions that required moving the T2 into place close to my computer monitor, and then pulling it back out of the way after I was finished.  By comparison, moving the Zwift Hub One trainer was a pain, because it has not build in handle.  Point to CYCPLUS on this one.

Performance Testing
I ran this through various training rides on Zwift, from dedicated big climbs, to rolling group rides and some intervals, and overall the T2 performed just as I’d expect.  I’m not breaking down a bunch of technical points on my rides here, because the outcome has been consistent and I’ve had no issues.  The unit does what’s promised and has performed well for me in a variety of training scenarios.  If anything changes, I’ll report back here, but for now I am impressed.

Pros & Cons

I see the biggest issue facing CYCPLUS has been some bad press around the early models, which undoubtedly damaged the brand name – especially for a new brand coming into a market dominated by 2-3 establish big players.  Those outdated Youtube reviews and rants should be ignored, because they’re simply not relevant anymore.

What is relevant is that, political preferences aside, some of the world’s best manufacturing is in Asia, they’ve been building factories and training skilled workers for decades and their lower labor costs have provided us here in the West with basically everything we’ve wanted, at prices far lower than what we could make ourselves.  CYCPLUS has demonstrated a willingness to address technical issues and have continued to make the product better.  I’ve also found them to respond quickly to my own questions and technical issues I had with their original electric mini pump.

And then there’s the price.  Listed at US$699 – this is right in the ball park for a smart trainer of this level, and shows up with a few features that are just better than what the the big guys are offering.  Then – toss in a $200 discount to PEZ readers – and this trainer is pretty hard to pass up.

With inflation set to hit consumers even harder after Trump’s tariffs and trade wars take effect, stretching discretionary income will be tougher than ever.  So here’s another benefit to the T2 – CYCPLUS told me they will absorb the tariff these fees instead of passing them to consumers, making their T2 smart trainer a strong contender. In today’s global market, finding high-quality, affordable options matters more than ever, so if you’re looking for a very good option in smart trainers – the CYCPLUS T2 is worth considering.

Final Thoughts: A Smart Trainer That Delivers Value

The CYCPLUS T2 has proven itself to be a reliable, well-designed, and feature-packed smart trainer that competes with bigger brands at a more affordable price. With its direct-drive system, smart connectivity, quiet operation, and even a self-powered mode, it delivers everything most riders need—at a very good price.

While earlier versions may have faced some performance issues, CYCPLUS has refined the T2, showing a real commitment to quality and improvement. At $499 with the PEZ reader discount, it’s hard to ignore the value this trainer offers, especially in an industry where high prices have long dominated. If you’re looking for an affordable, well-built, and fully capable smart trainer, the CYCPLUS T2 is definitely worth considering.

PEZ READERS BONUS OFFER
Earlier I mentioned the PEZ Bonus offer – so here’s where reading this to the end pays off.  Buy a T2 Trainer from the CYCPLUS website here, and use the promo code

“PEZ$200Off”

to save $200 bucks off the price of the trainer – for under $500.  Pretty good.

CYCPLUS T2 Technical Specs

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