The weird thing is you can buy a good enough bike that will last years for much less than a good exercise bike that will last.
As described to me the last time I bought a road bike and asked to add a stationary frame, the shop owner said I should stick to stationary exercise bikes as the materials in my Life Cycle exercise bike are much much heavier duty and much more solidly built. They are stationary and have to take all of the forces exerted into their frame and the sitting structure.
And, a bicycle is designed to be as light as possible while bearing the minimum weight required, all the force is converted to forward energy. Hopefully, the energy will expel with motion and the frame won't need to support a sudden "stop", that's where you end up with broken forks, suspension, wheels, cranks, frames, etc.
They went on to describe it as if I were a competitive bicyclist that needs foul weather riding capability to not lose tone during bad weather, then they recommend the conversion frame so they can ride their familiar ride and keep toned.
But for simple daily exercise for the rest of us, the solid heavy-duty exercise bike is a better choice.
For many years I'd heard the same from riding friends. They'd point out the dust-covered stationary frame and say they never use it, but one day I just got the wild idea to add that stationary frame to my new bike purchase and ended up returning it in a few weeks.
And, I bought the heaviest duty one they had at the time, and it looks like it's no longer available, this is another provider that still has a website listing:
Cycleops Saris JetFluid Pro Trainer (triathletesports.com)
The Cycleops Saris JetFluid Pro Trainer product page also echoes what the bike shop owner said:
"If you're a real roadie, you shave your legs. What's more, you measure what you eat, you obsess about your training regimen, you read everything you can about cycling, you were born to win. In other words, you're a
CycleOps Saris JetFluid Pro Trainer rider."
It wasn't unstable or difficult to put on the bike or take it off, but it wasn't as easy to use as having a Lifecycle at home too. Its use was limited to my smooth tired road bike, those friction wheel trainers don't support nobby tire trail bike setups.
And, perhaps the biggest difference was that my road bike wasn't a recumbent bike, so perched on top of my normally very tall bike - up a few more inches on top of the trainer - it was a bit more awkward to ride and made getting on and off a bit wobbly.
I'm 6'4", and I think if you are much shorter it would be helpful to have a step up platform to make daily use easier for getting on / off.
This video was very convincing at the time:
(17054) CycleOps Pro Series Bike Trainers - YouTube
Again, there's nothing wrong with using a stationary trainer, and if you haven't been used to riding a recumbent exercise bike for many years like I was, I'm sure it would be much easier in the transition from road to stationary riding.
The construction quality and everything about the Saris trainer was solid, so if you are interested in getting one, their website shows they have expanded into two lines:
Basic Trainers | Saris
Smart Trainers | Saris
It also looks like
Cyclops transitioned into Saris, and my shop is still carrying Saris branded components.
My bike shop now carries another brand of trainers, Whahoo Fitness:
KICKR Smart Bike Trainer for Cyclists | Wahoo Fitness
To add a bit of entertainment, Zwift looks like fun, but wasn't available when I had my Saris setup. I did have the sensors set up and a Garmin Edge 810 - they were much cheaper back then -
Zowie! - back to Zwift:
(17146) Zwift - How to get setup on any budget - YouTube
Download Zwift on iOS, MAC, PC, or Android Devices | Zwift
Then there is Pelton DIY
(17200) DIY Peloton Bike hack - don't buy a Peloton bike until you watch this! - YouTube
(17264) DIY Peloton Bike Hack | I SAVED $2500 | Watch before buying a Peloton! - YouTube