Kinetic

Rock and Roll Smart Control Trainer

Even though some of us do enjoy the zone-out time, indoor trainer sessions are by no means the highlight of a cyclist's year. It's like taking medicine; not always pleasant, but you know the effects will be worth it and you'll feel much better once it's done, so it's best to just roll with it. Kinetic takes some of the bitterness out of this pill with the Rock and Roll Smart Control Trainer, whose swaying platform and smart connectivity help approximate the experience of riding on the actual roads.

The Rock and Roll Smart Control Trainer is compatible with training apps that do everything from automatically adjusting the resistance to simulate varying terrain with resistance ramping up to a ceiling of 1800 watts. And of course this is an indoor trainer, so we're not referring to actual terrain, but the virtual terrain of a training profile in apps like Kinect's own Kinect Fit or third-party apps like TrainerRoad. If you want to go a step further, apps like Zwift provide an immersive virtual experience that uses your watt output to propel a digital avatar alongside other users in a shared, online space.

The Rock and Roll Trainer doesn't have the traditional dual-triangle frame found on most stationary trainers because they want the bike to be free to sway and bob to more closely mimic how a bike behaves outdoors. Kinetic builds the Rock and Roll's frame with a wide footprint on the bottom for stability and then mounts the resistance unit and support legs for the bike atop a beefy set of plates that sandwich two sets of two elastomers. This spring-loaded arrangement allows the bike to sway laterally and bob up and down a bit, just like you'd feel on the road. Kinetic recommends pairing this trainer with its separately sold Turntable Riser Ring, which holds your front wheel on a lazy Susan-type turntable so it can turn or sway, too.

Kinetic's Road Resistance Unit is a revolutionary piece of engineering. The roller is made of stainless steel and is 2.5in (6.35cm) in diameter, which is a good bit larger than much of the competition. The larger roller means less wear on your tire and a reduction in the temperature of the spinning elements. The right side has a 14.4lb flywheel, one the heaviest around, and gives the satisfying feeling of momentum when you're spinning up to speed, holding speed, and slowing down. On the left side is a unique two-part magnetic resistance unit, which is the heart of their system.

The Kinetic Rock 'N Roll Smart Trainer is compatible with wheels ranging from 22 to 29-inches and folds flat for convenient storage. It comes packaged with its own quick release skewer that ensures a good fit in the cone-shaped cups that secure your bike to the trainer, ensuring a better, less rickety fit and also protecting your standard skewer from trainer abuse, while thru-axle frames will require a Kinetic Traxle thru-axle adapter for use.