wattbike atom

poynedexter

is anyone planning to buy an atom?

at £1500 is an expensive turbo, but on the face of it, it looks like a nice piece of kit. whats your initial thoughts on it? is wattbike typically a good brand for customer support etc, if or when the trouble hits?

mrb123

poynedexter wrote:

is anyone planning to buy an atom?

at £1500 is an expensive turbo, but on the face of it, it looks like a nice piece of kit. whats your initial thoughts on it? is wattbike typically a good brand for customer support etc, if or when the trouble hits?

Really interested in these. £1500 is a good chunk of cash but it's not massively more than the top end turbo trainers and it must be worth a good amount to have a separate unit rather than having to attach a bike each time.

On the face of it the features look perfect for home use and I'm not aware of too many horror stories regarding the reliability of the original Wattbikes.

DC Rainmaker suggests there could be a few companies releasing this type of smart exercise bike over the next year or so. The question is whether to wait and see what else comes out by way of competition. Also, like any piece of technology, presumably the depreciation on these will be huge so in a couple of years when they are out of warranty and there are newer and better models on the market they will retain little of their original value.

Flâneur

Suspect it could end up being a clothes rail in a lot of homes.

Struggling to see the true benefit for the extra cash over buying a high end turbo which can be hidden away. Then again if most people are buying a bike for turbo only and then leaving it in a garage/cave/extra room, then why not? Also confused that they still want to work with the 2 other models, I appreciate the Pro goes above the 2000W but that is a niche market.

Plus side it does look nice, and I do love the amount of data Wattbike give on their current models (used in the gym, not my space).

Wattbike have always been good when I have chatted to them about software stuff, hardware? never owned so never had to worry, just told the gym.

bsharp77

poynedexter wrote:

is anyone planning to buy an atom?

at £1500 is an expensive turbo, but on the face of it, it looks like a nice piece of kit. whats your initial thoughts on it? is wattbike typically a good brand for customer support etc, if or when the trouble hits?

Ordered one as soon as I read DC Rainmakers initial impressions.
I've been waiting for something like this for ages - was going to settle on a Tacx Neo - but I always wanted a dedicated trainer, much more sturdy than a turbo & bike, plus it looks awesome which also helps as it'll be a permanent fixture in the house....plus the fact its made by Wattbike is a massive selling point - dual power measurement and good customer service.

ETA is 6 weeks - this will be the first winter training I've ever looked forward to.
I'll update with initial impressions as soon as I get up and going with it, but to be honest, DC Rainmaker is the bible when it comes to comprehensive, honest reviews.

part time waster

I have been keeping an eye on ebay wattbikes for sale , either trainer or pro and since the release of the new Atom there seems quite a few more to choose from. A decent model B seems around £1400 - 1700 , when the new Atom is £1500 is there any point in a second hand, older model any more for the home user ?

poynedexter

bsharp77 wrote:

poynedexter wrote:

is anyone planning to buy an atom?

at £1500 is an expensive turbo, but on the face of it, it looks like a nice piece of kit. whats your initial thoughts on it? is wattbike typically a good brand for customer support etc, if or when the trouble hits?

Ordered one as soon as I read DC Rainmakers initial impressions.
I've been waiting for something like this for ages - was going to settle on a Tacx Neo - but I always wanted a dedicated trainer, much more sturdy than a turbo & bike, plus it looks awesome which also helps as it'll be a permanent fixture in the house....plus the fact its made by Wattbike is a massive selling point - dual power measurement and good customer service.

ETA is 6 weeks - this will be the first winter training I've ever looked forward to.
I'll update with initial impressions as soon as I get up and going with it, but to be honest, DC Rainmaker is the bible when it comes to comprehensive, honest reviews.

i look forward to your thoughts! i'm thinking that i might get my other half to use it too, since theres no chance of her getting on a bike or turbo. that could be a justification!

joenobody

Can't help but think that this guy is being optimistic trying to sell a used Model B for £1500.

jpower

JoeNobody wrote:

Can't help but think that this guy is being optimistic trying to sell a used Model B for £1500.

Maybe sold for £1400. Could be atom time.

joenobody

jpower wrote:

Maybe sold for £1400. Could be atom time.

Congrats. I think you've probably got the better end of the deal there

jpower

JoeNobody wrote:

jpower wrote:

Maybe sold for £1400. Could be atom time.

Congrats. I think you've probably got the better end of the deal there

Possibly yes, the trainer and pro still retail for 2250 and is claimed to remain unchanged, apparently the saving is in the no monitor of the atom (hard to believe). And claim is the 2 machines are for different target markets, with atom being heavy on home users.

The possibly yes, because if it turn out to be a donkey and just gimmicks. Guessing unlikely hence the gamble. Time will tell looks like there already 6-8 week backlog, so guess no indoor trainer till xmas (damn I never took that into account )

redjeepǃ

JoeNobody wrote:

jpower wrote:

Maybe sold for £1400. Could be atom time.

Congrats. I think you've probably got the better end of the deal there

I'm not sure I agree. They're obviously aimed at two different markets, but a heavily discounted Pro model in such good condition must be worth around that amount.

The Pro has to attract a premium, otherwise Wattbike are effectively saying that they're cannabalising their own market.

joenobody

jpower wrote:

Possibly yes, the trainer and pro still retail for 2250 and is claimed to remain unchanged, apparently the saving is in the no monitor of the atom (hard to believe). And claim is the 2 machines are for different target markets, with atom being heavy on home users.

The possibly yes, because if it turn out to be a donkey and just gimmicks. Guessing unlikely hence the gamble. Time will tell looks like there already 6-8 week backlog, so guess no indoor trainer till xmas (damn I never took that into account )

Redjeep! wrote:

I'm not sure I agree. They're obviously aimed at two different markets, but a heavily discounted Pro model in such good condition must be worth around that amount.

The Pro has to attract a premium, otherwise Wattbike are effectively saying that they're cannabalising their own market.

In principle I agree that the Pro should attract a premium, and that they're aimed at different markets. However, I can't see that the lack of a monitor justifies the price difference. Isn't it just a tablet type setup with Wattbike software on it? So I can't see that a Pro model in any condition would be worth as much given the feature difference. My first thought was that there might be a Pro revamp due, but then they'd probably have wanted to announce that at the same time. I can't see a huge problem with cannibalising a market if the new market grows both organically and through the cannibalisation. No reason why that couldn't have a positive impact on Wattbike's revenue.

If I had £1400 to spend on a static trainer I'd be going for the Atom. The only reason I can think of to not do so is if I needed something right now. Even then I'd probably think about investing in a second hand turbo or rollers, to sell on upon arrival of the Atom. You'd probably get as much back as you spent on the temporary solution.

redjeepǃ

I think I agree with you Joe. If I had £1400 to spend I'd probably buy the Atom, but if a good condition Pro came up for about the same price I could be tempted.

I don't think that I'll ever have £2,250 to spend on a turbo.

However I do see the benefit of a high quality standalone unit like the Atom or the Pro, rather than messing around with spare bikes, tyres and separate turbos etc. I'd say that it's still more attractive than direct drive units.

joenobody

Redjeep! wrote:

I do see the benefit of a high quality standalone unit like the Atom or the Pro, rather than messing around with spare bikes, tyres and separate turbos etc. I'd say that it's still more attractive than direct drive units.

Yep.

stueys

I get the purpose of these for gyms, etc, but for use at home surely it makes more sense to buy a smart turbo and a bike that can also be used outside? It's the same money and you then get the advantage of being able to fold the thing away if you want the house space for guests, etc, etc.

964cup

Given that I have a bike with a powermeter and a PC with an ANT+ dongle, is there any good reason to upgrade from my ancient fluid turbo to a more modern version or to a Wattbike? Apart from the resistance varying automatically rather than depending on my changing gear, is there really that much benefit to be had? I'd rather spend the money on a newer Garmin, which will give me the pedalling dynamics and torque efficiency information, I believe, and manage the workout itself by using TR or Sufferfest and following the instructions. I suppose an advantage of the Wattbike is that you save on drivetrain wear and avoid any risk of frame damage from torsion, but it also takes up a huge amount of room.

cgfw201

nice looking bit of kit but struggle to see how £1500 on this could be justified. for that you can buy a cheap new bike, a Quarq PM and a decent turbo and still have £300+ to spend on a holiday/trip to mallorca.

bsharp77

cgfw201 wrote:

nice looking bit of kit but struggle to see how £1500 on this could be justified. for that you can buy a cheap new bike, a Quarq PM and a decent turbo and still have £300+ to spend on a holiday/trip to mallorca.

You could also just buy a Tacx smart trainer for £200 if you want to argue about value for money.....

Different strokes for different folks I guess - you can't justify it...which is fine, however it was an instant yes from me as soon as I seen it.

grahamcp

has anyone got or tried one yet?

poynedexter

i placed my order this morning. its a 15 week wait though.

grahamcp

poynedexter wrote:

i placed my order this morning. its a 15 week wait though.

Yeah saw that - disappointing, as that's going to be what, Feb? Hopefully it will be worth the wait though.

joey54321

Not even remotely tempted. My £800 Neo has been brilliant, very easy to set up and most of the time I leave my race bike on there. Which means I get to train on the bike I race on in the exact position I race with, with the crank length I will race with and the Q factor I will race with. Even if the atom was cheaper than the Neo it seems to have so many disadvantages I wouldn't consider it. The fact that I have £700(!) in change makes it a complete no brainer to me.

I have found the Neo to be a very good training partner, stable enough, accurate, fun and, not that it's important, but I think the Neo looks good. Not to mention the bad stories I've heard about replacements.

DeVlaeminck

Stueys wrote:

I get the purpose of these for gyms, etc, but for use at home surely it makes more sense to buy a smart turbo and a bike that can also be used outside? It's the same money and you then get the advantage of being able to fold the thing away if you want the house space for guests, etc, etc.

I suppose a wattbike is more useable by the family which may be consideration for some. If I had the space indoors I think my wife and a couple of my kids at least would use a wattbike as they use a gym, however for some reason they've yet to be tempted into the garage to do intervals on a turbo.

poynedexter

i'm buying it with half an idea that my wife will want to use it. its not as agricultural as a turbo and more easily adjustable for her. i reckon theres a 20% chance she will though.

bsharp77

Received mine on Thursday.
ERG mode not working whatsoever on either Trainerroad (BLE or ANT) or The Sufferfest (ANT) through my iPad.

Just contacted TR, Sufferfest and Wattbike to see what on earth is going on.
I understand I've probably got one of the first production models, but after all the advertising and promotion of connection to the big players in the training programs market, you would have thought the bare minimum would be that it would at least work at launch.

I'm very annoyed with it all at the minute, and if its not fixed ASAP, they can have it back.

vinnymarsden

Any update re the failure of what is a very expensive machine mate??

bsharp77

VinnyMarsden wrote:

Any update re the failure of what is a very expensive machine mate??

No reply from anyone yet Vinny, but I suppose it is Saturday.
As you say it was a massive expense, so it better get sorted very quickly.

I tried it in normal mode in Zwift and one thing I totally wasn’t expecting was the lack of feedback shifting wise. At least with a real bike on the trainer, you feel the gear change and it’s instantaneous.
With the atom on Zwift, you hit a hill and flick down the gears, but it takes a few seconds to change, by which time Zwift’s gardient may have changed....I spent 15 minutes either spinning too fast or grinding to a halt. As the bike has no display built in there is also no idea what virtual gear you are in which only adds to the frustration.

It was very annoying.

Fingers crossed Monday brings some positive news

jpower

Any positives?

pmcclure

At least with a real bike on the trainer, you feel the gear change and it’s instantaneous.
With the atom on Zwift, you hit a hill and flick down the gears, but it takes a few seconds to change

The gear change is done by Bluetooth so isn't instantaneous. Was told this at the cycle show on the Wattbike stand. Hopefully over time it will speed up as the app/Bluetooth format improves

pmcclure

As the bike has no display built in there is also no idea what virtual gear you are in which only adds to the frustration.

I believe that when its linked to an ipad or equivalent the gear you are in is displayed on the screen.

bsharp77

pmcclure wrote:

As the bike has no display built in there is also no idea what virtual gear you are in which only adds to the frustration.

I believe that when its linked to an ipad or equivalent the gear you are in is displayed on the screen.

I’m using the iPad, so the gearing would need to be shown within whatever training platform I would be using.
Thanks for the update on Bluetooth shifting....something they’re really going to have to work on, especially for anyone using Zwift. The delay is just not acceptable for any sort of undulating terrain.

The above only matters when using it in normal mode, I only care about ERG which is why I’m so disappointed at the minute.

Positives....it’s very, very compact and looks great.
Can’t comment on how it performs until I actually can use it! I think it’s because I paid so much that I really expected it to work out of the box....not too much to ask surely?!