First Look Review – The new indoor bike from Technogym – Rouleur

When I started using a home trainer, over Ten years ago, I was setting the thing up and deconstructing it all the time: put the bike on, get on it, train, get off, take the bike off, repeat. After all, it was still impossible to leave the prehistoric turbo parked in the living room or bedroom. It was a big, ugly piece of kit. To make matters worse, on this turbo I was of course using the same bike I rode outdoors, and without much cleaning between sessions.

Then I moved to a slightly bigger apartment and was lucky enough to have an “office” – where I placed a desk, a laptop and my bike. I was constantly on the turbo trainer. It was also a good setup: I kept my TT bike on it for indoor sessions and used the road bike for outdoor blasts. However, even this semi-idyllic setup had its drawbacks. I remember countless times when I had to stop my session and get something I forgot: turn on the smart trainer, for example, or the fan, the tablet with Zwift, my music and Netflix. Sometimes I even forgot to put my pedal power meter on – what a paff.

Related: The best cycling training apps for indoor training

I’ve always dreamed of a stationary bike with everything I needed built-in. First, I’ve always wanted an indoor setup that I can properly training, and that means performing effective low cadence, high torque workouts, like I was climbing Alpe d’Huez. Second, I wanted a bike that could upload the session to my training software as soon as I hit the stop button. And third, I wanted a bike where I could watch the latest season of Kobra Kai, a show that my wife and daughter can’t stand. I know: quite a while. Where is it?

In fact, not really. Because with the Ride, Italian gym equipment colossus Technogym has created something that matches my dream pretty closely. The company has plenty of experience in indoor cycling, having previously produced the Bike (more suited to spin classes) and the Cycle (their comfort line). Now, with the Ride, they’ve upped their game towards riders who don’t yet have a stationary bike, but want to train at home and maybe compete on Zwift and Rouvy.

Their idea is simple and effective: to have an all-in-one bike on which you can train effectively, without forgetting the fun and social aspect. Design-wise, the Ride looks like the evolution and fusion of the Wahoo and Tacx Neo bikes: a strong steel frame developed for a rider to push big watts. The Ride can also handle 0-1000W in 0.5 seconds if you have enough creatine phosphate in your quads. At the same time, the Ride’s dark gray color, which features sandblasted paint with two layers of powder coating for durability, gives the bike a sleek look. Finally, its 22-inch screen offers an immersive experience.

From the screen, you can choose a wide selection of performance-oriented apps to start your session: Training Peaks (where your structured training can be viewed and tracked in real time), Zwift, Rouvy, Kinomap, Globeracer, FullGaz; but also Strava, GCN, Netflix, Apple TV and Eurosport. If you want to follow your friends racing in the real world for extra motivation, you can even connect to Endu and the Ironman tracker. Fully integrated apps, like Rouvy, require no setup to get started. Just plug the Ride in, turn it on and go. On the other hand, compatible but non-integrated applications, such as Zwift, should be connected via USB (you can always follow your avatar on the screen of the Ride).

Related: The best headphones for indoor cycling

At the same time, if you don’t have a session scheduled or want to spice it up with some variety, Technogym uploads three new workouts to its app every week. They are led by a trainer and function like distance cycling lessons. However, unlike the standard spin classes, these can be tailored to your FTP (Functional Threshold Power, the maximum power you can sustain for an hour) or to a specific road gradient, for example if you live in a flat area and you need to practice. for a hilly athlete.

In order to accommodate all anatomical shapes and builds, the Ride was also designed with bike fit in mind. Its crank lengths can be adjusted (170, 172.5, and 175mm), and if you ride a frame size of 50-58+cm, you can quickly translate your outdoor bike measurements to the Ride. A final technical detail also makes the driving experience even more real. A smart switch on the hoods lets you choose between endless gear ratios when riding in climb mode (who doesn’t want an extra gear on a climb?) or different intensity targets if riding in climb mode. ERG – which controls the output power by adding or removing a resistor.

Related: You wouldn’t imagine, cycling indoors is harder than cycling outdoors

The drive system works via a two-stage transmission (timing belt and Poly-V belt) which activates the electromagnetic brake, while power is calculated via a torque flange sensor which works with optical drives. The Ride comes with a pair of SPD flat pedals and a drive cage as standard, but you can swap it out for the Look and SPD-SL systems. This means that I can still forget to put my pedals on before using it, but that’s my fault. With a bike like the Ride, there are no excuses. I can get a pair of cheap pedals, leave them on, and rely on their power.

Of course, as a stereotypical Italian, I always dream of a bike that can make me a cup of coffee. And Technogym being also Italian, I’m sure if they’re not into it yet, they must have at least thought about it. Because the Ride really can do everything else.

Comments are closed.