Smart Trainers, looked at using the Zwift Gear Test protocol
Making turbo trainers is one thing, but building accurate and robust trainers is an entirely different matter. Elite recently opened their factory doors to me to see what goes into building an Elite trainer, and to take a look at their latest trainer the Elite Direto
The VeloReality Lynx turbo trainer is an indoor cycling system created by a software company. So we had a device produced from a different mindset than the usual turbo. As a result a very different product! The real question though, is how does the Lynx perform on Zwift? Time for a #ZwiftGearTest!
Power meter vs. Power estimator. Does it matter? Rather than a strain gauge, the Elite Rampa uses a power estimator, Elite have previously championed the optical power meter with the Drivo, so what effect does that bring to the Elite Rampa? We look at power accuracy as we try to answer the common question “How…
Within the cycling world, Tacx is one of THE biggest manufacturer names NOT associated with the production of a bike frame. Tacx is a hardware company making components as “simple” as jockey wheels and drinks bottles, through to state of the art turbo trainers, built using input from global leaders in the field of electromagnetics….
In 2015 the Wahoo KICKR was the turbo trainer I opened my wallet for. Since then, I’ve been able to test most of the smart turbo trainers on the market. But over the last two years, competition Wahoo has faced have really upped their game. So in 2017, is the new Wahoo KICKR (Gen 2) enough…
My original review of the Tacx Flux did highlight a few issues with the system – namely a bricked trainer from myself and some discrepancies with the inbuilt power meter. Since then I have been furnished with a replacement trainer, new firmware, and a long phone call from Tacx HQ – read on for the Tacx…
Having been using the Cycleops Hammer for a couple of months now after ZwiftCon, I’m in a much better place to give an idea as to how the latest Cycleops unit feels, and more importantly, how it responds to race conditions, in order to be able to class this review as a proper Zwift Gear…
Cycleops has come back to the direct drive turbo market with the Hammer, but in a one, two blow, they have also released a wheel on trainer in the form of the Cycleops Magnus, coming in at under half the price of the bigger Hammer. I’ve been using the Cycleops Hammer and the Magnus now…
Following in the glut of direct mount turbo trainers releases this year, Tacx has launched to Tacx Flux. With very similar internals to that of the TacX Neo but without headline-grabbing features such as road feel and downhill simulation. Instead, we save a considerable chunk of money and gain a smaller package. So have Tacx made the…
For myself, the biggest product announcements of 2016 have been the new direct mount trainers from Tacx, Elite and Cycleops. I have finally managed to get my hands on a Cycleops Hammer – There will be a full review and Zwift Gear Test, shortly, but for now, here is something to consider as an appetiser!
James Gill