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. 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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11 comments
It's been tried. It's apparently very nauseating
VR goggles that is. Quote didn't work
What is it with the prices of these home trainers? That's a £500 add-on to a £500 to £1000 home indoor trainer.. to add to the £10 zwift subscription.. I just feel like a fat kid leaning against an ice cream shop window with no money.. maybe I could start a chairity for vertically challenged, fat, 40yr olds based in the midlands, who's first name starts with a P, who don't like getting wet or cold all winter but don't have the disposable income to play with zwift.
@ROADCC can we have an article comparing various spin bikes for training on please?
A comparison test of makes models verses a 'mid priced turbo or direct drive trainer pleeeeease?
It only goes to 15% ond 30kmh though zanf, I like to coast 35 up a 15% and then attack as it gets steeper...
"Our new accessory lifts the front of the bike, thus allowing you to jump the shark"
Where are the VR goggles to go with it? Suppose a variable speed smart fan wouldn't go amiss to help give the impression of movement.
isn't there another turbo that mimics cobbles? Coming soon, one that does both?
I love the idea of this (even if its a bit out of my price range as an accessory for the turbo). Climbing on a turbo never really feels like climbing, as without the pitch it doesn't feel like quite the same muscle engagement.
I really struggle with turbos that lock the bike in place vertically (it's caused injuries in the past) but absolutely love the Kurt Kinetic Rock and Roll (which allows the bike to sway laterally). If something like this could be combined with the RnR, along with the turntable wheel mount (the the front wheel can turn) then it would be perfect for me.
Hmmm...
Makes it 'more' realistic, I suppose, but for training...? I guess your seated, Chris Froome spinning climbing style could benefit, but there's still zero lateral movement, so you're going to have to get some proper climbing or go nuts on the pilates to get the kind of conditioning needed to be out of your saddle and twiddling around a hairpin. Maybe a tiny step as an improvement, but still a substitute for being outside and riding on actual roads, and one that I'm OK with not jumping all over.
Another thing that grates just slightly, is that I've got a Kickr v1, and it does feel a bit like they're penalising early adopters with innovations that are only compatible with their latest versions. That's kind of a Garmin move.
Still, I'm looking forward to following their lifestyle guidance and finding an abandoned factory to squat in. The kids'll be cold in winter but imagine the gear I'll be able to afford!
Or maybe just get yourself one of these!
I have a Pro-Form TdF exercise bike and that too is able to 'mimic' climbing AND descents.
I see that this can do +20% to -10%.
I always found the descending bit a bit weird.
But... the biggest failure of the system is the clunkyness of it. It isn't smooth and the speed/rate at which it changes is constant so it tends to start, stop, pause a bit, start again, stop and so on.
The other problem is the sound - you can hear the motor and it spoils it.
I'm not sure if the Wahoo will be better at that but if it is then it will be good. The resistance goes up with the change in angle and you really do get the feeling of clmbing.