Cycle trainer brand Kinetic are launching the inRide Watt Meter which they are calling “the world’s first Bluetooth Smart trainer-based power meter”.
The system uses the new Bluetooth Smart communication protocol found in iPhone 4s and iPad 3 to pair a heart rate monitor and a power sensor pod with the new Kinetic inRide iPhone App (available for iPhone 4s and iPad 3 only; it’s not an iPad-specific App) to measure wattage with a Kinetic fluid trainer.
Kinetic’s accurate fluid trainer power curve allows precise wattage readings for any given speed. We mentioned this when we reviewed Kinetic’s Road Machine turbo trainer; the silicone in the fluid chamber is unaffected by heat so you get consistent resistance whatever the air temperature and however long your training session – so the speed you get out mirrors the power you put in.
As well as the Road Machine, the inRide system is compatible with the fantastic Rock And Roll, which we’ve also reviewed, and the Pro trainer, which we haven’t.
Proprietary firmware in the inRide Sensor Pod measures speed and cadence and uses a simple equation to convert that into wattage. That data is collected along with your heart rate information and displayed on the paired iPhone 4s or iPad 3. After your session you can upload your training data to a website or email the file to a coach.
Features include:
• Power (current, avg, max)
• HR (current, avg, max)
• Speed
• Cadence
• Distance
• Calorie burn
• Heart rate and watt training zones
An auto coast-down calibration keeps the accuracy precise, no matter what tyre and tyre pressure you are using.
Bluetooth Smart communication ties the components together, avoids crosstalk with other devices, and eliminates the need for additional phone dongles. The Minoura Live Training App we told you about last week, for example, which allows you train by power using a Minoura trainer and an iPhone or iPad, uses ANT+ and that requires the use of a dongle.
Kinetic reckon the inRide Watt Meter matches other power meters on the market for accuracy and repeatability.
The inRide system isn’t available yet, but it will be in the autumn costing £175.
9 thoughts on “Kinetic introduce inRide Bluetooth Smart power meter”
Android?
Android?
ARGH, when are people going
ARGH, when are people going to see that Android has a larger share of the market X(
It’s not an android/ios
It’s not an android/ios thing, it’s whether the hardware uses bluetooth smart or not. At present the only non-apple mobile products that have Bluetooth Smart are the Samsung Galaxy S III and Motorola Droid RAZR.
See here for more details.
Yeah, So the same amount of
Yeah, So the same amount of items as Apple in terms of phone/tablets. With Apple only bringing out one new product a year normally, So 1 new pad and 1 new phone. Android platform phone’s and tablets will soon overtake them 😉
So this thing is measuring
So this thing is measuring Heart Rate, “speed and cadence at the tyre” (presumably they mean speed of the bike going forward?).
From this they infer watts?
How? What about all the external factors? Wind, elevation/gradient, tyre pressure, your weight?
dodgy wrote:So this thing is
Dodgy, it says in there many times, including in the standfirst and the first line, that this is for training indoors and it’s trainer based.
dodgy – the article isn’t
dodgy – the article isn’t that explanatory but this unit is intended for use with a Kinetic trainer, not as an outdoor model for any bike. that way it can generate consistent power data not influenced by weather or road factors. this is from the kurtkinetic website (my capitals btw).
“Kinetic inRide ONLY compatible with Kinetic fluid resistance Trainers and is backwards compatible with all current models”
fat buddha wrote:dodgy – the
Aha! Thanks, that’s what you get for reading articles early in the morning 😉 I think I became blinkered when I read the words “Road Machine”. When you read the article a second time and keep in mind it’s an indoor trainer, it makes more sense.
Ta!
I run the KK Rock ‘n’ Roll so
I run the KK Rock ‘n’ Roll so this sounds good news, on the surface….
However, how does this new system know how much resistance you have dialled into the trainer? KK produce a chart on their website that relates average speed to watts produced (65kg rider riding at 1% gradient, standard tyre pressures, in calm conditions or whatever…). What they don’t refer to is how much resistance you need to put on the trainer to get to that situation. I can dial 2 turns of resistance (based on the roller just touching the rear wheel when I do this), ride for an hour on the KK and reach 16 miles on my bike computer. This gives me around 160 watts output. If I dial another turn on the resistance and cycle 16 miles in an hour – the chart still gives me 160 watts, which can’t be right. What am I missing?