wattbike atom

135

Comments

  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    I could never use a turbo inside anyway. The cold garage in winter works for me. I guess it's different in Oz with Aircon indoors.

    There no need for a smart trainer really. A basic one with a decent training video and you're good to go.
  • wongataa
    wongataa Posts: 1,001
    A smart trainer with erg mode makes it a lot easier though as you don't have to keep adjusting things to hit the targets when they change.
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    Is it that hard to flick a gear ?
  • bsharp77
    bsharp77 Posts: 533
    Fenix wrote:
    Is it that hard to flick a gear ?

    I would go one further and say the lack of physical gears is actually worse if you're using on Zwift (which seems to be heavily promoted on the Atom).

    There has already been a lot of talk about the massive lag in gear changing - even if this is fixed, the lack of feedback is incredibly frustrating - it is hard to tell sometimes whether its the gradient that changed or the gears you've changed - leading to a furious pressing of buttons to try and get the cadence you want.

    There is a lot to be said for flicking a gear lever and seeing and feeling that chain flick up a cog - plus the ability to flick a few gears, or even change the front cog all more or less instantly. Sometimes you don't need to fix what isn't broken.

    This is irrelevant for ERG mode of course.

    Looking at the bigger picture, sure the Atom looks lovely and takes up very little room indeed, but after having it and looking at the competition, what you could get for the same money is ridiculous. The Atom doesn't feel any better to me than by old Bkool Pro which I would happily take back - it was £400.

    For the money involved, you could easily buy a Kickr and a dedicated turbo bike that you never have to take off and probably still have enough change to get the new Kickr Climb when it comes out! (if you like that sort of thing).

    Other than looking pretty, I can't hold up an argument for the Atom winning out over any mid priced smart trainer.
  • ammapedal
    ammapedal Posts: 11
    Fenix wrote:
    Is it that hard to flick a gear ?

    You should try ERG mode. It's not that it's hard to change gears. That is not the point / benefit of ERG.
  • vinnymarsden
    vinnymarsden Posts: 560
    Hey Bsharp.....
    Have they collected it yet???
  • bsharp77
    bsharp77 Posts: 533
    VinnyMarsden wrote:
    Hey Bsharp.....
    Have they collected it yet???

    Evening Vinny,
    Collection scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, so fingers crossed everything goes smoothly.
    I'll keep you updated :)

    Don't want to order the Kickr until I'm 100% sure I'm getting the refund, so another week slowly ticks by....
  • vinnymarsden
    vinnymarsden Posts: 560
    I was so sold on the Wattbike...your cautionary tale has really steered me away...despite the other poster saying no probe for his friends..the shifter thing sounds like an issue even when working 100% correct...I'm sticking with the Kickr!!
  • redvision
    redvision Posts: 2,958
    bsharp77 wrote:

    Don't want to order the Kickr until I'm 100% sure I'm getting the refund, so another week slowly ticks by....

    Last year the kickr was reduced by 20% on black Friday so if you're not in a rush it might be worth waiting until November 24th incase a similar offer is available.
  • bsharp77
    bsharp77 Posts: 533
    redvision wrote:
    bsharp77 wrote:

    Don't want to order the Kickr until I'm 100% sure I'm getting the refund, so another week slowly ticks by....

    Last year the kickr was reduced by 20% on black Friday so if you're not in a rush it might be worth waiting until November 24th incase a similar offer is available.

    Thanks Redvision, that’s a very good point!
    Will definitely wait and see what offers happen on Black Friday.
    Was it with wahoo directly that you saw the deal last year?
  • redvision
    redvision Posts: 2,958
    No, it was across loads of stores.
    I got one from CRC and used the BC discount to get an extra 10% off.

    Although I did end up returning it.
  • reborn2
    reborn2 Posts: 42
    My atom arrives this afternoon so can give some feedback if people wish. Been given a 2 month Sufferfest sub free due to a delivery delay and plan to try zwift as well.
  • jpower
    jpower Posts: 554
    reborn2 wrote:
    My atom arrives this afternoon so can give some feedback if people wish. Been given a 2 month Sufferfest sub free due to a delivery delay and plan to try zwift as well.
    Yes love to hear, will I await delivery, no date as yet, but early Dec approx.
  • reborn2
    reborn2 Posts: 42
    Initial feedback.

    The delivery company was spot on, constant updates. Assembly took 15 mins and I was powering on. pairing with my iPad was smooth for both the wattbike app and zwift.

    I found the auto shifting best put on manual when using the wattbike app. Gives a decent break down of stats after the session. First time I’ve ever used zwift and was simple enough to get into. There is a slight delay when shifting gears but wasn’t too noticeable, I’d say 1-2 secs, it would be nice though if zwift displayed your gear as the wattbike app does.

    The bikes pretty quiet and nice and compact. Plenty of adjustment. I may take the arm pads off next ride or adjust them as they did impede sitting with my hands on the hoods slightly. The build quality looks and feels solid.

    Overall very happy with the first hour of pain.
  • jpower
    jpower Posts: 554
    Nice to hear some positive words
  • turbotommy
    turbotommy Posts: 493
    Mine is being delivered in the next few days apparently. My excitement has been tempered somewhat with the early reviews if I’m honest. I’d like to think all the connection issues will be resolved fairly quickly. But the shifting... that doesn’t sound great at all.
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  • molteni_man
    molteni_man Posts: 462
    I'd be interested to hear more updates from you Reborn and also you TurboTommy when it arrives. I'm riding my Wattbike Pro in conjunction with Zwift and absolutely love it, but am interested in the Atom.
    I change gear manually on the Pro and don't find this a hindrance as I respond to the drop in speed shown on Zwift. I use watts massively now to track my riding and general condition rather than relying on speed/ heart rate. The Pro has made a big difference to my cadence and technique out on the road. I also enjoy being able to jump straight on the bike and find it the closest thing to the road especially when used with Zwift- a shame that they have announced the price rise though.
  • reborn2
    reborn2 Posts: 42
    To be honest I’ve had no problems with my atom at all so far, the only slight issues I had was I suspect due to my inexperience with zwift. Occasionally I spin out on big power increases when on erg mode, I think I should be applying the power more progressively.
    At the moment I’m starting the 4 week ftp plan and have also done a couple of group training sessions which were really good for motivation.
    Even the mrs has been using it every day.

    Overall after about 7 hours of use this week I’m really happy with it.
  • jpower
    jpower Posts: 554
    Watching the paint dry waiting for a delivery date. Happy to hear some positives.
  • turbotommy
    turbotommy Posts: 493
    Molteni Man wrote:
    I'd be interested to hear more updates from you Reborn and also you TurboTommy when it arrives. I'm riding my Wattbike Pro in conjunction with Zwift and absolutely love it, but am interested in the Atom.
    I change gear manually on the Pro and don't find this a hindrance as I respond to the drop in speed shown on Zwift. I use watts massively now to track my riding and general condition rather than relying on speed/ heart rate. The Pro has made a big difference to my cadence and technique out on the road. I also enjoy being able to jump straight on the bike and find it the closest thing to the road especially when used with Zwift- a shame that they have announced the price rise though.

    My delivery has been confirmed for Tomorrow. I’ll hapily come back to report my first impressions in a few days time. I’ll be using zwift and sufferfest providing the software allows me, after spending the last couple of years in BKOOL.

    I totally agree regarding training with power molteni. It was using a smart trainer that encouraged me to fit a pm to my road bike. Best bike related investement I’ve made in a while I reckon.

    I’m glad to hear some positive feedback about the atom. Hopefully I can add to it in a few days... it potentially ticks lots of boxes for me so fingers crossed it works out!
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    S-works Tarmac sl5 etap
    Colnago c64 etap wifli
    Brother Swift
  • redvision
    redvision Posts: 2,958
    Dcr has published his full review
    https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/11/wat ... eview.html

    Seems shifting is definitely the biggest issue.
  • twotoebenny
    twotoebenny Posts: 1,542
    Molteni Man wrote:
    I'd be interested to hear more updates from you Reborn and also you TurboTommy when it arrives. I'm riding my Wattbike Pro in conjunction with Zwift and absolutely love it, but am interested in the Atom.
    I change gear manually on the Pro and don't find this a hindrance as I respond to the drop in speed shown on Zwift. I use watts massively now to track my riding and general condition rather than relying on speed/ heart rate. The Pro has made a big difference to my cadence and technique out on the road. I also enjoy being able to jump straight on the bike and find it the closest thing to the road especially when used with Zwift- a shame that they have announced the price rise though.

    When you say you change gear manually do you mean you use the air brake? How do you connect to zwift?
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,803
    http://road.cc/content/review/232959-wattbike-atom

    Road.cc review of the Atom. They reslly need to get the shifting issue sorted, must be putting a lot of people off.
  • mafffoster
    mafffoster Posts: 1
    Received mine a few weeks back but unfortunately it's going to have to be returned as the resistance just has a mind of it's own!
  • molteni_man
    molteni_man Posts: 462
    Hi Twotoe Benny. Internet down all week. The Wattbike pairs seamlessly with Zwift whenever I switch both on. Think this is by Bluetooth and has been v reliable. Yes to 'change gear'use the air adjuster. I watch my speed drop as go up the hill so increase resistance to enable more watt output and thus maintaining at least some speed.
  • ryan_w-2
    ryan_w-2 Posts: 1,162
    My mate took delivery of his last week and has already sent it back.
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  • jpower
    jpower Posts: 554
    Sounds promising, arrives Tuesday :roll:
  • vinnymarsden
    vinnymarsden Posts: 560
    I seriously considered one of these, however there appears to be some genuine issues..it doesn't from the look of it fit the bill for indoor turbo type training at all..it is probably a fantastic stand alone analytical training bike, like the original WattBikes, however, it looks like by trying to make it "fit into" the online training platforms like Swift, TR, and Sufferfest they have actually created something that simply doesn't deliver the goods.
    People returning almost as soon as its delivered, its not a good advert, for what is touted as a premium device.I think the Kickr is staying put for the foreseeable future.
  • redvision
    redvision Posts: 2,958
    From the user reviews it does sound like wattbike have possibly released this early to get ahead of the field, without fully testing the online 3rd party compatibility. It will be interesting to see if Tacx suffer similar problems when they release their rival to this next year, although given their existing range of smart trainers i doubt they will encounter the same issues.
  • royc
    royc Posts: 1
    I've been using the Atom for 2 weeks now and I'm really impressed with it. It's really well built and the software is excellent. I had a few issues at first with the gear changing but eventually found that this was due to impatience on my part. Initially I was jumping a couple of gears at a time, and generally getting a bit annoyed with it. However, if a single deliberate light dab is made on the gear button, it changes flawlessly. I wonder if some of the reported problems were due to the rubber shrouds not being fully pulled down over the controls, thus giving a bit of a "soggy" feel and an over-reaction from the rider?

    I think one of the best things about it is the accuracy of the power data and the individual leg info. My old Tacx trainer gave noticeably different readings from session to session because I didn't bother with inflating the bike tire to the same extent each time. And by concentrating on the pedaling data for a number of sessions I can see that my pedaling action has already improved and become smoother. My left leg had a much smoother stroke than my right, and the max power production was at significantly differing angles through the pedal stroke even though the overall power balance leg to leg was fairly similar . I was unaware of this until I started with the Atom, and now hopefully I'm well on the way to correcting this.

    Finally, a few queries cropped up for which I contacted the support desk by email. The responses were really speedy and helpful, and I'm happy to recommend the product - I think it's fantastic

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