Gary Hunt
Kinetic’s Rock and Roll Smart trainer combines a quality fluid resistance unit and a suspension system (similar to skate board trucks) that allows your bike frame to lean from side to side through about plus or minus 10 degrees either side of vertical. This may sound a little unstable but is actually no concern and adds both a little more lifelike feel, plus a level of core workout.
The Kinetic uses a stainless roller driven by your rear tyre to power the resistance unit, so it is quick and simple to set up; simply clamp your bike into the axle brace, and tension the roller against the rear tyre and you are away. One downside to trainers that drive through tyre on roller contact is the accelerated tyre wear these units can sometimes cause, though you can buy tough indoor training tyres to solve that issue.
With the largest footprint of the trainers here and a decent weight stability is no issue and flat out sprints can be performed without alarm. The long outrigger legs can be easily removed for more convenient storage. Given the drive roller is positioned slightly below your rear wheel you need to lift the front wheel as well. Kinetic has a ‘turntable riser ring’ to allow your front wheel to swivel with the Rock and Roll motion and also lift it (to four heights) to tune riding position for those who want to simulate climbing. Speaking of options there’s also an optional power meter adaptor to connect to your trainer, as well as the InRide app to display and analyse your performance on your iphone.
The drive unit has a heavy flywheel on one side of the drive roller and the fluid resistance unit complete with cooling fins on the other, (the power you put down is converted to heat and needs to be dissipated somehow!) The resistance is quite true to life, replicating on road sensation well. Pedalling effort is variable through easy spinning to heavy climbing or sprinting and increases with increasing axle speed, and also by changing gears so you can easily find a resistance to suit the type of training efforts you’re looking for.
While the name is flashy the Rock and Roll is no low performing show pony. I found the Kinetic quick to set up and easy to use, with good pedalling feel and reliable resistance and the fairly low noise generated a nice surprise.
Specifications
Resistance Unit: Fluid
DB: 72 @90RPM 53.17
Dimensions: 88(w) x 45(h) x 50(d)
Weight: 18kg
RRP: $1099
Distributor: Velo-Vita www.velovita.com.au
