The British indoor exercise bike brand Wattbike has introduced two new models; the Wattbike Proton and the Wattbike Air. Both are priced under £2,000, making them the least expensive in the current Wattbike range.
Interestingly, the two bikes are aimed at slightly different audiences. The Proton is for “serious indoor racers and cyclists” at £1,795, while the Air at £1,895 is aimed at athletes on sports teams and the like, more closely resembling Wattbike’s original exercise bikes that went into full production in 2008.
Both will also give you access to the brand’s subscription-free training hub, which includes training plans and individual workouts. But what makes them stand out compared to Wattbike’s tried and tested flagship bike, the Atom?
Wattbike Proton
The Wattbike Proton is the somewhat more familiar looking indoor bike of the two. It’s a smart bike so you can run your usual programmes like Zwift or Rouvy through it without the need for any extra sensors or power meters. It uses an electromagnetic resistance system and the same power meter system that’s patented by Wattbike and in use on its other bikes.
The bike itself is adjustable to fit a range of rider heights, and has been designed so you don’t need any tools to adjust the fit. The saddle height is adjustable from 49.8cm to 82.7cm, and you can also modify the front end position.
The Proton has a peak resistance of 1,800 watts – compared to the Atom’s 2,500 watts it’s not inconsequential. However, are many of us likely to exceed the 1,800 watt mark? I’d like to think I would but I definitely, most certainly, absolutely won’t. Even if I’m being chased by a virtual bear…
It claims to ramp up resistance more gently compared to the Atom as well, so the Atom remains the flagship indoor racer go-to. Both, however, can simulate gradients of up to 25% and operate with both ANT+ and BLE connectivity.
Wattbike Air
The Wattbike Air is the ‘dumb’ model of the two, so it won’t connect with training apps like Zwift. The main focus of the Air? It’s to target team sports players, military personnel and fitness enthusiasts rather than cyclists. So I’m expecting to see Jack Grealish on the sidelines at the Etihad getting some intervals in before his next game/20-minute cameo from the bench.
The bike uses a fan-based resistance system – which probably explains the name choice. The peak resistance for the Air is 2,500 watts. It is aimed at those looking to increase strength and power, as well as being designed for rehab sessions.
It’s definitely more of a spin class bike than a dedicated indoor trainer, and is the consumer facing fan-based option in the range. Wattbike already has the Pro/Trainer, but this is targeted towards gyms.
The Air will be available for pre-order with delivery expected from 7 October, and you can check out the Wattbike website for more details on both bikes. We’re hoping to get hold of a Proton for review, so check back later in the year for the road.cc stamp of approval, assuming it’s as good as Wattbike says…
13 thoughts on “Wattbike releases two new sub-£2k indoor bikes, the Proton and Air, just in time for the off-season”
Nice to see Wattbike trying
Nice to see Wattbike trying to bring Smartbikes down below the £2k mark unlike Tacx and Wahoo who have had eye watering price rises.
I’d definitely wait for
I’d definitely wait for proper reviews before putting money anywhere near these. The Atom was completely unable to handle erg mode workouts at a constant power, and it was always “scheduled to be fixed in next update”
Thats long fixed tbf. But it
Thats long fixed tbf. But it did take a while. Mind you so did steering support on the Tacx Neo Bike.
It’s curious that the more
It’s curious that the more advanced seeming bike is the cheaper of the two – max watts notwithstanding (in reality not going to be an issue for >99% of us I’d imagine)
I suspect its their Gym kit
I suspect its their Gym kit background. I dont really think its a consumer item inspite of what the press release says.
Though bear in mind the Proton requires a £200-£xxxx tablet, if not a laptop/TV/Apple TV as a minimum for it to function as a smart bike with Zwift etc.
It’s a pity they are still
It’s a pity they are still resolutely refusing to offer the ability to opt for a different crank length. Without being able to have 165mm cranks, this is a hard no for me (and many users wanting to replicate their real bike set-up as closely as possible). 5mm may sound like a tiny difference, but it makes a huge difference
If Wattbike allowed different
If Wattbike allowed different crank lengths they might actually be a decent option
Please show with working how
Please show with working how much difference this will make physically rather than psycologically?
Please show with working why
Please show with working why anyone spending the best part of two grand on an exercise bike shouldn’t expect to be able to choose a simple modification that suits their preferences.
People don’t need reasons for their preferences, and it’s perfectly rational not to spend a lot of money on a product that isn’t what you want. I don’t expect a red or yellow bike would have any physical disadvantage over any other colour, but I’m not going to buy one simply because I don’t want to.
Wattbikes are terrible. The
Wattbikes are terrible. The only reason they’re popular is because they have contracts with sports teams and other proffesional athletes. It’s outdated tech and you’ll get a far more accurate and capable smart trainer for less than half the price of this.
Source? This sounds like
Source? This sounds like anecdata to me?
The reason that they are popular is unlike Tacx and Wahoo they are better priced and have a long history of making hard wearing commercial gym equipement. Yes they had some ERG stability issues but they are long sorted. They were also first to market with a smart bike by a year or so.
Please show where you can get a Smartbike for cheaper than the Atom let alone the Proton when it appears? The only cheaper bike is the Zwift Ride which is limited to… Zwift.
Zwift Ride + KickrCore = £1200
Wattbike Proton = £1.8k (rrp)
Wattbike Atom = £2.3k (rrp)
Kickr Shift = £2.6k (discounted)
Tacx Neo Plus = £3.3k (discounted)
Kickr Bike £3.2k (discounted)
Im hopeful the Proton kicks some life into whats become an extortionately priced sector.
If I was in the market for a Smartbike the Proton looks like a steal. Way more adjustable for height than anyother smart bike on the market.
Secret_squirrel wrote:
It’s only virtual shifting that is limited to Zwift – if that’s not a concern (e.g. because you always use ERG mode) then you can use the Zwift Ride/Kickr Core with any app.
OnYerBike wrote:
Good point.