That’s a no brainer for me - wheels!
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You do not need a smart trainer just like I do not need electronic shifting, but I like having both. With a smart trainer and TrainerRoad I have idiot proof training. I set the plan in Calendar and then get on the bike and do the workouts. I can watch TV without having to worry about hitting the power targets by glancing at my phone to see when I am in the working. Others like the variety of shifting gears so it really comes down to personal preference.
You don’t, but is it nicer? Yes.
I have a stages on my emonda and have done TR plans on rollers and on dumb wheel on trainers. Rollers felt the best - sprints were tough. The wheel on trainer felt like riding in mud/sand. Found a kickr 2 for $400 and never looked back. Plus, now I can use my TT bike on it like I did last night for Leavitt +2.
+1 for the Smarttrainer. It definitely gives you the most flexibility.
I used to use a Kurt Kinetic Road machine and it was quite good. It had a really nice “road” feel. I then switched to a Kickr and now over the past year a Tacx Neo.
The upside with ERG mode, as others have said, is not having to focus so much at staying at the proper power. This is really nice for sub-threshold work during long intervals. Great for workouts like Baxter too where the power is constantly going up and down.
The downside of ERG mode for me is VO2 max and sprint work. While it can be done with ERG mode, changing to resistance mode let’s you find your limits in sprints. In ERG it may limit you based on the prescribed resistance. For VO2 max, it is easier to adjust your limits, up or down, in resistance mode, rather than fiddling with the up and down percentages in ERG mode.
I don’t really use Zwift, but the Tacx Neo does give some enhanced feedback of road surfaces. I’ve also used the Neo with some Sufferfest workouts, many of which have quick surges of power, and ERG mode works really well here too.
Why is that?
M.
With your own power meter you have options.
I ran my 10 year old Kurt Kinetic for 3 years with a speed+cadence sensor and Virtual power in TR and loved it.
(sold it to a friend this year, its now 13 yers old and going strong)
I had a 2105 Kickr last winter and upgraded to a 2018 Kickr In October. The Kickr workouts are harder for me for sure. I feel like the Erg mode keeps me “Honest” since I’m less inclined to adjust my cadence + gearing for target power when I’m getting tired. And adjusting gears has no impact on the resistance. (but you can cheat cadence until the machine catches up and gearing doe shave some impact on pedal-power dynamics. So they say…). The Kickr (or anything kick it) is brutal when you start to get tired.
Gearing:
If you can get a used Kickr for $700-900.00 I’d say go Erg.
I like Wahoo so I think the Kickr Core is the best value high-end Erg trainer. Essentially a silent version of the 2017 Kick The 2018 bigger flywheel feels better to me, but it costs substantially more.
Note that you can configure an Erg trainer to act like a regular trainer, but if you aren’t going to run Erg there is no point in spending money. (But you’ll run Erg if you have it…)
DC Rainmaker has detailed reviews:
M.
I was in your boat 2 years ago. My Fluid 2 was going down so I got a KK Road Machine. This year I bought a Kickr Core. Wow! The Core spins way better than either dumb trainer. I can pick my cadence and never get stuck being between gears or end up feeling like I am pedaling through mud like I often did with both dumb trainers. It is worth it just for the way better “road” feel.
I also like ERG mode. I did not think I would like being “locked in” but it does not feel that way. The ability to select an exact cadence independent of power makes up for having to hold a set power. It is also nice to not have to be glued to the PM, particularly on longer mid to low power intervals.
Also, erg mode means (nearly) 100% workout compliance. I am 3 weeks into SSB mid and I did the exact same plan last year so I can compare the same workouts. This year I went into the plan with my FTP 10 watts lower than last year (a little too much laziness in the off season). But, on the same workouts year over year, my TSS and Kjs are very close to what they were last yea even though this year’s targets are lower. The difference is this year, I am hitting the targets 100% but last year, with higher targets, I was almost always a little short at the end of a workout no matter how hard I tried to nail the target on any given interval on my dumb trainer. I am anticipating that all those little chunks of “extra” work are going to pay off.
I know you said you are not a Zwift user, but the smart trainer is a total game changer on Zwift.
Thanks everyone for the input! I got myself the cycleops magneto pro trainer at black Fri sale. It serves my purpose, light and more important…cheap.
More trainerroad to go…
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Can you adjust intensity when using PC, I cant see it anywhere?
I’m not sacrificing improvement to my power/skill set just because I have to keep one eye on my wattage and/or change gears. TR says to stay within a range of +/-5 watts of target, for the average TR user that’s between 1-2% variance in most zones (even less if you’re above average). I think I can handle it. 
In TR? It should be along the bottom 
, left side [ + 100% - ].
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Thanks, Ive never noticed it before!