In the last week I've acquired smart trainers from both ends of the pricing spectrum. The TACX Neo Smart (>AU$2000) and the Elite Qubo Digital Smart B+ (RRP AU$659).
I was primed to write about the TACX Neo until I rode the Elite trainer for two hours yesterday. For the price, I was so impressed I had to write this up first. It isn't all roses though. There's a few shortfalls to deal with if you're looking to buy one of the cheapest smart trainers on the market.
DCRainmaker has covered the specifications of the Elite Qubo Digital Smart B+ here. But how does it ride? How does it compare to direct drive trainers? What's the overall experience like on Zwift? Can a trainer 1/4th the price of the Neo provide the same indoor experience?
The Good
The good news is that it works. It works really well. The experience of "oh, did that just... wowa" is there when the road heads up and down on Zwift. The automatic resistance changes are there. On instinct you'll flick down a few gears and stand up out of the saddle on the hills. You'll be immersed. Something I didn't think possible on an entry level smart trainer. Ask anyone who's upgraded from a standard trainer to a smart trainer and they'll tell you it's this immersive experience that brings ergo sessions to life.
If direct drive smart trainers are outside your bike budget, this is a brilliant alternative. If you can find a bargain one of these around AU$400-$500 then it's a no brainer purchase. If you can only find the unit at the RRP of AU$659, then I would hold off and budget a few $100 more for the Wahoo Kickr SNAP, for reasons discussed below. It isn't all about the hardware!
The power readings from the unit were pretty close to my Quarq from 0-250W. From 250W+ it read 10-20W low for sustained efforts. That's a pretty good ballpark for the price. If you've already got a power meter then you pair that as your Power Source in Zwift and use the Elite trainer as a Controllable Trainer for a cheap and accurate solution.
The inertia of the flywheel is a lot more than I had expected from a smaller flywheel. It surpasses the TACX Bushido by a long shot in this area. The roll-down is still not up there with a direct drive trainers, but it doesn't feel like you're riding through mud with slick tyres.... Yes, I'm looking at you Bushido!
The inertia of the flywheel is a lot more than I had expected from a smaller flywheel. It surpasses the TACX Bushido by a long shot in this area. The roll-down is still not up there with a direct drive trainers, but it doesn't feel like you're riding through mud with slick tyres.... Yes, I'm looking at you Bushido!
 |
| Quarq for power & cadence - The Elite Qubo providing smart resistance. |
The Bad/Interesting
The roller isn't screwed in or locked into the tyre like most other trainers. The design uses the weight of the bike and rider to push back on the roller. The only issue I encountered was when jumping forward on hard hill attacks I was robbed a few watts compared to what the Quarq reported. I put this down to a small amount of tyre slip.
I thought this design would have been a showstopper when sprinting, but it wasn't. Once the roller was spun up to speed the unit worked extremely well in sprints.
Due to the design there is a small amount of forward/back movement of your bike when you ride as the tyre 'bounces' on the roller. Your milage may vary, and it'll depend on how smooth you are on the bike. You'll also need to have the trainer on a grippy surface to stop clocking up real kms into the walls at home.
The noise level isn't too bad, it's no LeMond Revolution neighbourhood blaster. The small 35mm roller and light flywheel give a higher pitch sound than a fluid trainer. I'll do a video comparing my collection of trainers under sustained load and sprints in the near future.
The roller will wear tyres. There's no getting around this on these types of trainers. The best thing you can do is to clean your tyre before every ride if you've been outside. This will keep the roller surface in good condition so it won't chew your rubber too quickly.
 |
| Four hours of build up from a Specialized Roibaix Pro rear tyre. |
The Elite trainer range is extensive and the names can be confusing. The Elite Qubo Digital Smart B+ is a different product to the Elite Qubo Power Smart B+. Beware when shopping!
The Ugly
The Elite software for firmware updates, calibration, and their own training programs can be confusing. There's one EXE to update the firmware, another to get calibration values, another to set them. The calibration speed test tool was a little unintuitive, but I got there in the end and recored the three 'p' values. I then entered them into the other calibration tool to write them to the unit. This was just a test to see how that process worked as the unit was already pretty accurate.
Elite need to take a leaf from Wahoo and Tacx on this one and allow full unit management (firmware/calibration) from within the one mobile app.
*UPDATE November 2016* Elite myETraining mobile app now includes Calibration Wizard!
Locating the iPhone app isn't easy either. Search for 'MyETraining' is the tip if you want to use it.
Documentation and user support information online is thin. Once you locate an answer it'll likely be for their other similarly named trainers with different features. It's not the same as searching for Wahoo or Tacx and having a goldmine of posts on SlowTwitch appear. Having said that, there are two Elite Qubo posts on SlowTwitch raising the exact issues I have here.
The ANT+ speed/cadence sensor the unit broadcasts needs to be configured with a tyre size of 47mm (0047). This will give you virtual speed/distance on your paired device identical to the Elite apps. It won't be one for one when it comes to Zwift, but it'll be consistent. Maybe play with a few mm higher or lower for better alignment with Zwift.
Customer Support
Elite have been good in responding to my queries. Their support comes out of Italy so beware of a slight corporate communication barrier.
Conclusion
The good thing is that out of the box this unit just works with third-party apps over ANT+ FEC or Bluetooth, so my gripes with their software are of no major concern. I hope they're addressed in the next few updates (both firmware and mobile apps).
This unit would be a good entry point for anyone wants to experience Zwift with a smart trainer with a limited spend budget.
If you're in Australia, the best place to start for Elite products is http://cassons.com.au. They'll be able to point you to your nearest stockist.
Pricing
USD$349 (Amazon US)AUD$649
£270
Changelog
May/2016
- First publication.
June/6/2016
- Speed sensor details update.
- Sprint video added (11 sec reverse Watopia for green!)
- Photo of tyre wear.
- Comment on support.
June/17/2016
- Updates from Elite of the Calibration Tool
June/22/2016
- Aussie distributer details added (http://cassons.com.au)
June/25/2016
- RRP updated to Cassons AU$659
November/20/2016
- Elite myETraining mobile app now includes Calibration Wizard!
