After seeing homemade platforms from riders around the world, CycleOps decided they’d see what they could do to improve the concept. This prototype platform rocks side to side, and shifts fore/aft, letting the bike move under you more naturally. It’s not just about recreating a realistic road feel, they say it also reduces fatigue because you’re fighting against a static position. Translation? Your Zwift and Rouvy virtual rides can last longer and inch ever closer to replacing the outdoors. The motion is damped, and when we moved the bike around under us, it did indeed feel quite natural and well controlled. Pricing and other details aren’t available, it’s still just a concept for now.
The new CycleOps H2 and M2 replace the Hammer and Magnus indoor cycling trainers with newer versions that have more accurate power measurement, better ride feel, and improved cadence detection. That means you won’t need a separate cadence sensor to get all the data you’d want from the device.
They’ll be available in September. Retail price is $1,199 for the H2 direct drive trainer, which claims a +/-2% accuracy. The wheel-on M2 will be $599, which claims a +/-5% accuracy in interpreting your output.
For those of you who still like training outdoors, there’s the new PowerTap G4 Disc rear hub that adds massive compatibility. It’s available with 142 thru, 148 Boost thru and QR axles to work with any type of disc brake bike – road, mountain, cyclocross or gravel.
They also switched to centerlock rotor so they can use a standard rotor, no longer requiring the proprietary 6-bolt rotor from the G3.
It’s an all-new design that improves things to 1.5% accuracy, and has a new transmitter with magnetic charging port. They’ll have it with an Shimano 11s and XD-R Driver freehub bodies, and eventually MicroSpline for the new XTR. Price is $TBD, available early 2019. The G3 may stay in the line for a while, but will eventually be phased out. This purple color is mainly for athletes to draw attention to it, but it’ll sell in a standard black color.
