Wattbike Atom

postie90

does anyone know if i can connect the watt bike atom to my iMac via Ant+ instead of using an iPad or phone many thanks in advance, i have emailed watt bike with no reply so thought id get a quicker response on here thanks

proto

No sure how relevant this is, but I use an Suunto Ant+ dongle in my iMac to connect to my Wahoo Kickr. Works perfectly.

Have you used your Atom on Zwift? When it first came out there was considerable criticism with the Atom’s responsiveness to gradient change and to delay in gear shifting. Firmware updates are supposed to have corrected these problems. Can you confirm?

blackfly

Yes you can, but the Hub app is only available on iOS or Android so you'll need another application on your Mac. I use a cheap Anself USB Ant+ and have connected to Sufferfest and RGT and it works fine. If you do that you can also have the Wattbike Hub open on your phone/tablet too so you can see your Pedal Effectiveness Score and the gear you're in.

slowandsteady1

So I'm possibly going to buy an atom. Am I correct in saying to see the Wattbike hub data I can use my phone(Samsung galaxy s9) and to see zwift, as I have used their training plans and enjoy them, I can connect to my laptop using a sunto ant+ dongle?

Effectively running 2 data screens, 1 on my phone and 1 on my laptop?

I too have tried getting in touch with wattbike but no answer yet.

Cheers

cougie

Have they ironed out the niggles with the atom now?

.CooperS.

The problem if you're UK based and haven't already signed up to the android version of Zwift is that the Playstore says it's reached its maximum number of Beta testers .... Annoying as I'd of used it. Next cheapest and simplistic way is Apple TV and I use my S8 for the companion app.

slowandsteady1

But I would already be using my S9 for companion app so I could see the polar view ect.

As I really need 2 screens, I would then like to use the ant+ dongle on my laptop for the zwift screen.

Do you of that's possible to run both those connections?

pedalbasher

cougie wrote:

Have they ironed out the niggles with the atom now?

I'm interested in this too.

Have been using a KICKR for 3 or 4 years but looking at an Atom for a little home gym project, and also so my wife can use it too without having to switch bikes.

Forums are littered with criticism about the Atom's gears, specifically the lags experienced when riding around changing gradients on Zwift etc. But I wonder whether those problems have been ironed out now (surely?!)

Most of my meaningful training I do on Sufferfest, erg mode. Anyone know how good the Atom is at this? It really needs to be able to match the prescribed efforts precisely - it's really annoying when you're trying to do specific watts over a short, specific period and there's a big lag before the resistance kicks in (or worse, before it eases off... which can be killer if you're really maxing out).

Also got one eye on the Tacx Neobike, but despite all the exciting "First Looks" I am still cautious about buying a 1st gen machine, especially at £2300!!

Thanks

slowandsteady1

pedalbasher wrote:

cougie wrote:

Have they ironed out the niggles with the atom now?

I'm interested in this too.

Have been using a KICKR for 3 or 4 years but looking at an Atom for a little home gym project, and also so my wife can use it too without having to switch bikes.

Forums are littered with criticism about the Atom's gears, specifically the lags experienced when riding around changing gradients on Zwift etc. But I wonder whether those problems have been ironed out now (surely?!)

Most of my meaningful training I do on Sufferfest, erg mode. Anyone know how good the Atom is at this? It really needs to be able to match the prescribed efforts precisely - it's really annoying when you're trying to do specific watts over a short, specific period and there's a big lag before the resistance kicks in (or worse, before it eases off... which can be killer if you're really maxing out).

Also got one eye on the Tacx Neobike, but despite all the exciting "First Looks" I am still cautious about buying a 1st gen machine, especially at £2300!!

Thanks

I will tell you next week, my atom arrives tomorrow. Spoke to a pro and he says ergo is superb. The perfevt machine for sub 800w intervals.

Any more than that then stuck with a Wattbike pro

Mamil22

slowandsteady1 wrote:

pedalbasher wrote:

cougie wrote:

Have they ironed out the niggles with the atom now?

I'm interested in this too.

Have been using a KICKR for 3 or 4 years but looking at an Atom for a little home gym project, and also so my wife can use it too without having to switch bikes.

Forums are littered with criticism about the Atom's gears, specifically the lags experienced when riding around changing gradients on Zwift etc. But I wonder whether those problems have been ironed out now (surely?!)

Most of my meaningful training I do on Sufferfest, erg mode. Anyone know how good the Atom is at this? It really needs to be able to match the prescribed efforts precisely - it's really annoying when you're trying to do specific watts over a short, specific period and there's a big lag before the resistance kicks in (or worse, before it eases off... which can be killer if you're really maxing out).

Also got one eye on the Tacx Neobike, but despite all the exciting "First Looks" I am still cautious about buying a 1st gen machine, especially at £2300!!

Thanks

I will tell you next week, my atom arrives tomorrow. Spoke to a pro and he says ergo is superb. The perfevt machine for sub 800w intervals.

Any more than that then stuck with a Wattbike pro

Hi any updates on the atom? If possible anyone racing on Zwift with the atom and if so is there still a lag in gear changes/resistance?
Many thanks

slowandsteady1

There is definetly a bit of lag. I dont really think you can expect anything else. I've only used it once so far in ergo mode on a workout.

For longer intervals it works great. For the short 10s intervals I done it didn't really catch them. But that's also a known with the Atom. Sprint type efforts should be Wattbike Pro territory.

I don't intend on using it to race on zwift, it's purely an indoor trainer. But if you do intend it for that I can see how the realism could be judged negatively due to lag.

Mamil22

slowandsteady1 wrote:

There is definetly a bit of lag. I dont really think you can expect anything else. I've only used it once so far in ergo mode on a workout.

For longer intervals it works great. For the short 10s intervals I done it didn't really catch them. But that's also a known with the Atom. Sprint type efforts should be Wattbike Pro territory.

I don't intend on using it to race on zwift, it's purely an indoor trainer. But if you do intend it for that I can see how the realism could be judged negatively due to lag.

Thanks for the info, I have a Wattbike pro so looking for something to ride/race on Zwift. Looks like the new neo smart bike may be the best option

turbotommy

I sold my atom earlier this year so can’t say for sure if the lag has or hasn’t improved. But I think the lag is down to hardware rather than software so I’d be really surprised if it has improved. I was on a Facebook user group and a lot of the guys said they’d learned to live with it. And when Zwift introduced the on screen gear indicator it gave you a little more confidence in where you were at. But for me it fell well below my expectations for this and other niggles, so I sold up.

slowandsteady1

Mamil22 wrote:

slowandsteady1 wrote:

There is definetly a bit of lag. I dont really think you can expect anything else. I've only used it once so far in ergo mode on a workout.

For longer intervals it works great. For the short 10s intervals I done it didn't really catch them. But that's also a known with the Atom. Sprint type efforts should be Wattbike Pro territory.

I don't intend on using it to race on zwift, it's purely an indoor trainer. But if you do intend it for that I can see how the realism could be judged negatively due to lag.

Thanks for the info, I have a Wattbike pro so looking for something to ride/race on Zwift. Looks like the new neo smart bike may be the best option

I have a pro too. But it will be going as the atom makes intervals so easy. I use zwift for timings rather than racing so the second or 2 lag makes zero difference to me. The only place the pro trumps it is sprinting and I only do that on a bike.

kaposhea

pedalbasher wrote:

cougie wrote:

Have they ironed out the niggles with the atom now?

I'm interested in this too.

Have been using a KICKR for 3 or 4 years but looking at an Atom for a little home gym project, and also so my wife can use it too without having to switch bikes.

Forums are littered with criticism about the Atom's gears, specifically the lags experienced when riding around changing gradients on Zwift etc. But I wonder whether those problems have been ironed out now (surely?!)

Most of my meaningful training I do on Sufferfest, erg mode. Anyone know how good the Atom is at this? It really needs to be able to match the prescribed efforts precisely - it's really annoying when you're trying to do specific watts over a short, specific period and there's a big lag before the resistance kicks in (or worse, before it eases off... which can be killer if you're really maxing out).

Also got one eye on the Tacx Neobike, but despite all the exciting "First Looks" I am still cautious about buying a 1st gen machine, especially at £2300!!

Thanks

Hi

I have just seen your post and I have the exact same question so was wondering what you went for in the end and whether you would recommend it?

Kind regards

Kevin

proto

I understand there has been another firmware update recently, which is supposed to address the lag on gear shift. Anyone able to confirm if this has made a difference?

UpHillDownDale

I've been an Atom owner since March 18. I upgraded from a 'dumb' turbo and I love it. I don't use it in conjunction with any training platforms, I just use the built in Wattbike Hub programs or design my own and use the 'Just Ride' function. The speed in which the gears change has improved since I first took deliver. I can't comment specifically on the Zwift interaction but I can say that it performs excellently in ERG mode.

redvision

proto wrote:

I understand there has been another firmware update recently, which is supposed to address the lag on gear shift. Anyone able to confirm if this has made a difference?

I'm interested to hear if the issues have been sorted as well.
I have a kickr 2018 and love it, but since being off the bike i have realised just how much space it takes up (with the bike attached). When i get the all clear to start training again, if i do decide to carry on cycling, i am likely to be training indoors for the first few months and i am tempted to sell my turbo bike and kickr for a wattbike*, purely for the space saving and convenience. However, only if the lag issues and any other significant bug has been sorted.

*Although this could be the consequence of having far too much time on my hands at the moment and spending it doing far too much browsing of bike shops and cycling equipment reviews etc :oops:

ajkerr73

I've had an Atom since December 2017

Feedback as follows:

Wattbike Hub - Hardly use it. Used the Wattbike Pro for 3 years prior and pretty comfortable that my left right split is balanced and that my pedaling technique is not horrendous. Only useful if you want (limited) free sessions and if you are interested in pedaling efficiency.

TrainerRoad - The perfect match (in my opinion). Keep your PC or Phone out of reach and there is no hiding place during intervals. Keeps you honest (and away from the intensity slider). Only thing you need to manage carefully is entering short hard efforts (10 seconds and less). If you keep the cadence steady as you go into the effort, the Atom will hit the target wattage efficiently. If you increase the cadence on the way into the interval it "confuses" the bike and you'll get less resistance then serious resistance. This is eminently manageable.

Zwift - Caveat - I've never "zwifted" on anything but my Atom. Its not realistic to expect the same gear change experience between the Atom and say a KickR. The mechanical movement of a chain into another cog will always be crisper than the steady application of magnetic resistance. I have been zwifting reasonably regularly this year and thoroughly enjoying it. Gradients seem to be handled realistically and very rarely (once, maybe twice) have I been spat from a group due to the Atom getting the cadence/resistance wrong. Again, the sprint experience is different to "real" gears. I haven't found a way to go from 100rpm at say 80% of FTP up to full sprint. You need to anticipate the sprint. To explain, what I tend to do is if I plan to go flat out for the last 60 seconds, I'll drop down to the hardest gear at about 90 seconds to go and go to say 60 rpm, then when it gets to the 60 seconds you can hit it as hard as you want. If you are a very competitive zwifter and you are in the picture for winning things, this may be an issue (the reduced ability to react to someone else sprinting). For the other 99% its not an issue I'd say.

No glitches for me since purchase. One thing developing at the moment though is that the right hood can move slightly (probably lubricated by sweat) and the gear "blips" can get slightly out of line with the corresponding part of the hood. No big issue for me and just needs a wrap of insulating tape to secure.

Any other specific questions, happy to answer.

joey54321

redvision wrote:

proto wrote:

I understand there has been another firmware update recently, which is supposed to address the lag on gear shift. Anyone able to confirm if this has made a difference?

I'm interested to hear if the issues have been sorted as well.
I have a kickr 2018 and love it, but since being off the bike i have realised just how much space it takes up (with the bike attached). When i get the all clear to start training again, if i do decide to carry on cycling, i am likely to be training indoors for the first few months and i am tempted to sell my turbo bike and kickr for a wattbike*, purely for the space saving and convenience. However, only if the lag issues and any other significant bug has been sorted.

*Although this could be the consequence of having far too much time on my hands at the moment and spending it doing far too much browsing of bike shops and cycling equipment reviews etc :oops:

I am not an Atom user so can't comment on the ride, but do you think storing a bike + a kickr which can fold up is really less space than a bike and an indoor bike?

redvision

joey54321 wrote:

redvision wrote:

proto wrote:

I understand there has been another firmware update recently, which is supposed to address the lag on gear shift. Anyone able to confirm if this has made a difference?

I'm interested to hear if the issues have been sorted as well.
I have a kickr 2018 and love it, but since being off the bike i have realised just how much space it takes up (with the bike attached). When i get the all clear to start training again, if i do decide to carry on cycling, i am likely to be training indoors for the first few months and i am tempted to sell my turbo bike and kickr for a wattbike*, purely for the space saving and convenience. However, only if the lag issues and any other significant bug has been sorted.

*Although this could be the consequence of having far too much time on my hands at the moment and spending it doing far too much browsing of bike shops and cycling equipment reviews etc :oops:

I am not an Atom user so can't comment on the ride, but do you think storing a bike + a kickr which can fold up is really less space than a bike and an indoor bike?

Yes. I actually bought the kickr over the kickr core for the ability to fold the legs, despite the extra cost, as space is an issue. Despite its portability it still takes up space, as do all the bikes. Don't get me wrong, it's a brilliant trainer and up until my accident was perfect. But as I contemplate a prolonged period of indoor cycling ahead it would make far more sense to get a static bike.

Like I say, wouldn't have considered it because the kickr is awesome, but circumstances dictate sometimes.

redvision

So, according to a club mate who's brother has owned an atom since November, the latest updates have improved the gear shifting but there is still a lag in some online programs, including zwift.

So, if this is the case then a year in and wattbike haven't got on top of it, which makes it sound more like hardware rather than a software issue.

turbotommy

It’s is 100% a hardware issue. While I still owned an atom they introduced the gear shift indicator on the screen in Zwift. This did help some to let you know where you were at on the virtual cassette. There was also a slight delay in the gear changing indicator on screen. I feel like this slight delay helped bridge the gap between you shifting gear, and the gear actually changing. And gave the perception the process was actually quicker than it was. I hope that makes sense...

I’ve ordered the tacx bike but because of the delay in production I bought a neo as a stop gap. In terms of feel and general resistance change the neo is miles and miles ahead of the atom.

rdt

TurboTommy wrote:

I’ve ordered the tacx bike but because of the delay in production I bought a neo as a stop gap. In terms of feel and general resistance change the neo is miles and miles ahead of the atom.

Having had an Atom, then a Neo and now getting a Neo Bike, you should be in an excellent position to comment on the relative merits of them.

Hopefully you'll post some feedback here when you get it!

ajkerr73

TurboTommy wrote:

It’s is 100% a hardware issue. While I still owned an atom they introduced the gear shift indicator on the screen in Zwift. This did help some to let you know where you were at on the virtual cassette. There was also a slight delay in the gear changing indicator on screen. I feel like this slight delay helped bridge the gap between you shifting gear, and the gear actually changing. And gave the perception the process was actually quicker than it was. I hope that makes sense...

I’ve ordered the tacx bike but because of the delay in production I bought a neo as a stop gap. In terms of feel and general resistance change the neo is miles and miles ahead of the atom.

I wouldn't describe it as a hardware "issue" it's a Hardwear "reality". Whilst that might seem like semantics, it isn't realistic to expect a magnet to engage in a similar manner to a gear change.

bsharp77

Ajkerr73 wrote:

I wouldn't describe it as a hardware "issue" it's a Hardwear "reality". Whilst that might seem like semantics, it isn't realistic to expect a magnet to engage in a similar manner to a gear change.

If Tacx can make a magnet feel like going over cobblestones on the Neo, then surely wattbike can simulate a simple jolt to make it feel something like a gear change - any sort of physical feedback would be a start.

turbotommy

Ajkerr73 wrote:

TurboTommy wrote:

It’s is 100% a hardware issue. While I still owned an atom they introduced the gear shift indicator on the screen in Zwift. This did help some to let you know where you were at on the virtual cassette. There was also a slight delay in the gear changing indicator on screen. I feel like this slight delay helped bridge the gap between you shifting gear, and the gear actually changing. And gave the perception the process was actually quicker than it was. I hope that makes sense...

I’ve ordered the tacx bike but because of the delay in production I bought a neo as a stop gap. In terms of feel and general resistance change the neo is miles and miles ahead of the atom.

I wouldn't describe it as a hardware "issue" it's a Hardwear "reality". Whilst that might seem like semantics, it isn't realistic to expect a magnet to engage in a similar manner to a gear change.

I mean... really? It’s an issue because the lag in gear shifting makes the experience pretty dreadful ultimately. Let’s not forget that when changing multiple gears at one time the issue gets worse depending on the amount of shifts you are attempting to make.

I’m not sure it’s really relevant why the issue occurs. The point is it does occur. And anyone expecting fast shifting should avoid the atom for that reason. Shall we ignore the poor quality of the hoods and general flaws in the build. No choice of gear ratios unless that’s changed, no choice of crank arm length.

Like I said previously. I have first hand long term experience of the neo and the atom. And the experience is night and day.

turbotommy

rdt wrote:

TurboTommy wrote:

I’ve ordered the tacx bike but because of the delay in production I bought a neo as a stop gap. In terms of feel and general resistance change the neo is miles and miles ahead of the atom.

Having had an Atom, then a Neo and now getting a Neo Bike, you should be in an excellent position to comment on the relative merits of them.

Hopefully you'll post some feedback here when you get it!

I’d be happy to. It could be a while though. It doesn’t look like the bike will come before March.

ajkerr73

TurboTommy wrote:

Ajkerr73 wrote:

TurboTommy wrote:

It’s is 100% a hardware issue. While I still owned an atom they introduced the gear shift indicator on the screen in Zwift. This did help some to let you know where you were at on the virtual cassette. There was also a slight delay in the gear changing indicator on screen. I feel like this slight delay helped bridge the gap between you shifting gear, and the gear actually changing. And gave the perception the process was actually quicker than it was. I hope that makes sense...

I’ve ordered the tacx bike but because of the delay in production I bought a neo as a stop gap. In terms of feel and general resistance change the neo is miles and miles ahead of the atom.

I wouldn't describe it as a hardware "issue" it's a Hardwear "reality". Whilst that might seem like semantics, it isn't realistic to expect a magnet to engage in a similar manner to a gear change.

I mean... really? It’s an issue because the lag in gear shifting makes the experience pretty dreadful ultimately. Let’s not forget that when changing multiple gears at one time the issue gets worse depending on the amount of shifts you are attempting to make.

I’m not sure it’s really relevant why the issue occurs. The point is it does occur. And anyone expecting fast shifting should avoid the atom for that reason. Shall we ignore the poor quality of the hoods and general flaws in the build. No choice of gear ratios unless that’s changed, no choice of crank arm length.

Like I said previously. I have first hand long term experience of the neo and the atom. And the experience is night and day.

Fair enough.

I completely disagree, but you're entitled to your opinion.

rdt

TurboTommy wrote:

rdt wrote:

TurboTommy wrote:

I’ve ordered the tacx bike but because of the delay in production I bought a neo as a stop gap. In terms of feel and general resistance change the neo is miles and miles ahead of the atom.

Having had an Atom, then a Neo and now getting a Neo Bike, you should be in an excellent position to comment on the relative merits of them.

Hopefully you'll post some feedback here when you get it!

I’d be happy to. It could be a while though. It doesn’t look like the bike will come before March.

Thanks. And hopefully it'll be worth your wait.