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TECH NEWS

Bkool launches One, its most affordable indoor trainer

New trainer is said to offer realistic and quiet performance

Bkool has announced the launch of its most affordable indoor trainer, the One, priced at £164.99.

Bkool says that the trainer features a gradual resistance curve. Huh? That means that the resistance on your rear wheel changes based on the speed at which you’re riding to give a realistic road feel.

You can use the One alongside the Bkool simulator to get on-screen training data. 

That begs the question, what’s the Bkool simulator? It’s a multi-platform system – it works on PC, Mac and tablets with the iOS and Android operating systems – that mimics outdoor riding while you’re on an indoor trainer.

We’ve covered some of the simulator’s features here on road.cc before.

“The Bkool simulator… lets cyclists ride any route in the world alongside other cyclists in different places connected in real time,” says Bkool. “Its 3D World technology simulates any route in the world in 3D and recreates the actual elevation of the terrain and the details in the landscape. Its 3D Real Weather technology recreates the weather in real time on any route, with elements such as rain, sunshine, wind and snow. Also available to users is a library with over 1,000 route videos.”

There are different levels of membership for the Bkool simulator system, including a free option.

In order to use the Bkool simulator you need first to pair the One trainer with an ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart speed or cadence sensor.

Bkool says that the feel of the One trainer is the same as that of a high-end trainer. The claimed weight is 8kg, so it should be easy enough to carry, and it can be folded flat for easy storage.

Many indoor trainers are pretty noisy buy Bkool claims that the One is no more than 64 decibels at 30km/h (19mph). If that figure doesn’t mean much to you, a normal vacuum cleaner is around 70 decibels.

The resistance level is non-controllable but you can, of course, use the gears on your bike as you would out on the road.

The One has a maximum of 852 watts which isn’t as high as many other trainers out there, but it’s sufficient for steady-state cycling and for most intervals for the majority of people.

It takes wheel sizes from 20in up to 29in.

For more info go to www.bkool.com or the UK distributor i-ride

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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4 comments

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Threeh | 8 years ago
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Looks like a great product, nice to see some effort made with the design. Also quiet performance and affordability is very tempting.

I do have issues with why you would want to pay to simulate rain and wind... I'd just go out riding. Rule #9 etc.

Avatar
Kadinkski | 8 years ago
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Quote:

Its 3D Real Weather technology recreates the weather in real time on any route, with elements such as rain, sunshine, wind and snow.

This may be a problem for me as I have carpeted floors, do you know if it comes with a waterproof weathersheet™ for foul-weathered days?

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jollygoodvelo replied to Kadinkski | 8 years ago
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Kadinkski wrote:
Quote:

Its 3D Real Weather technology recreates the weather in real time on any route, with elements such as rain, sunshine, wind and snow.

This may be a problem for me as I have carpeted floors, do you know if it comes with a waterproof weathersheet™ for foul-weathered days?

And can it simulate a RealTailwindTM?

Avatar
bkoolusa replied to jollygoodvelo | 8 years ago
0 likes

Actually, it CAN simulate a Real Tailwind™. At least the simulator will show your speed as if you were being affected by the Tailwind™. And if you use a controllable smart trainer (like the Bkool Pro), your resistance will be adjusted to match the direction and speed of the wind at the location of the route at the time you're riding it.

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