I bought a turbo trainer for winter training last year, but the hassle of using it (lugging my bike up the steps and into my narrow apartment, changing the wheel to one with a trainer tyre, setting up some thing to watch at the same time, getting the bike computer set up right), plus the noise (the NOISE!) whenever I get up to a decent speed, mean I probably won't be using it much.

So I was thinking of getting a standalone exercise bike instead, figuring it will be easier for me to hop on when I feel like it and less noisy.

I was wondering what other people's experiences were of using exercise bikes as opposed to turbo trainers, and if there are any drawbacks (other than the space it takes up).