Cycplus, a Chinese cycling tech brand renowned for its development of electronic bike pumps, has released another indoor trainer, named the R200. The price of the unconventional-looking circular smart trainer is yet to be confirmed, although we know it will be around the £400-500 mark, making it a pretty interesting offering for those wanting a smart trainer on a budget. 

With Wahoo releasing its newest Kickr Core, also around the £500 mark just last week, and the JetBlack Victory which Dave gave a 10/10 score recently at just £399 and offering WiFi connectivity, will the R200 be able to compete? It’s certainly a lot more affordable than Cycplus’ own T3 High-Power Smart Bike Trainer (£810) that we gave a 7/10 score, and the specs don’t look all that different. Let’s dive into the details. 

> Review: JetBlack Victory Smart Trainer with Zwift Cog and Click

What makes the Cycplus R200 so appealing?

Cycplus R200 Smart Trainer - 2
Cycplus R200 Smart Trainer - 2 (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

We’ll talk about why we’re not 100% sure on the price shortly, but for now, let’s look at the stats. In a market that’s saturated by claims of increasingly accurate power readings, and the ability to withstand 2,000 watts of output and 45% inclines, sometimes it’s a good idea to take a step back and understand what’s actually important in a turbo trainer to you as an individual. As that will help you to decide whether or not you need to spend more or less. 

So, the R200 claims a 2,200W max power, with a power reading accuracy of +/- 1%. That’s better than the 2% of the JetBlack Victory and Wahoo Kickr Core V2, and the same as its own doubly-expensive T3 trainer. Already, it’s looking pretty good. 

Then there’s the climbing. Cycplus reckons the R200 can tackle gradients up to 19%, which will be more than enough for 99% of the terrain in Zwift’s Watopia and beyond. This is slightly lower than Wahoo’s claimed 20% maximum gradient, and a fair bit lower than the T3’s 27% max grade, but you’d have to be a real sadist to want to climb those sorts of hills indoor. 

> Best turbo trainers

So… is it good value?

Cycplus R200 Smart Trainer - 3
Cycplus R200 Smart Trainer - 3 (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

What’s interesting with the R200 is that it doesn’t necessarily need to be plugged in to work – this is hardly a new thing, having been a feature of the Tacx Neo trainers for years, but those are much more expensive than the R200.

Cycplus says the trainer “generates its own power,” which can make it far more appealing for pre-race warm-ups than a trainer that requires a constant power source. The brand does say, however, that if you plan on riding an intense session, it’s best to plug the trainer in. It lists Zwift, Rouvy, TrainerRoad and more as compatible training apps, and also works with bicycle computers like Garmin and Wahoo. 

The trainer offers auto calibration, and can work with bikes equipped with Shimano/SRAM HG 8-12-speed cassettes and XDR cassettes (although this is with an optional freehub body).

> Indoor cycling — a complete guide

Perhaps the only place it falters in terms of value is the lack of WiFi connectivity. To be fair to the brand, Wahoo has only just brought that out with its Kickr Core V2 model, but the JetBlack Victory comes with it and it means the device can act as a BlueTooth bridge, so more devices can be connected (such as HRM, power, TV, etc.).

Whether or not that’s a deal breaker will be personal opinion and dependent on what your overall setup is – if you use Apple TV whilst riding, it would be easier to run a turbo trainer with WiFi connectivity to free up BlueTooth space. 

Sadly, the trainer doesn’t support Campagnolo cassettes of any speed, nor cassettes of a bike running 7-speed or lower. 

And the pricing. On the website, it’s listed at £368.07, but once you add it to your basket, the currency changes to USD, making it $499. We emailed Cycplus for clarity and they replied saying, “the current price for the UK market is USD 549.” 

It doesn’t make it uncompetitive by any means if it is in fact $549 or roughly £400, but that extra £30 saving would be incredibly appetising. That being said, it doesn’t look like it’s possible to purchase from the Cycplus website just yet, as we’ve tried adding the product to basket and checking out with a UK address, and received a “shipping not available” message. 

For now, it looks like it’s only available from AliExpress for an increased price of £418.99 at the time of writing. So maybe it’s worth waiting until it appears on the Amazon UK website, or even better… wait until you’ve read the road.cc review, which should be ready in the next few weeks.

cycplus.com

You may also like: