Since breaking onto the indoor cycling scene 10 years ago, Wattbike has spent a decade at the forefront of innovation in this sector. Striving to create world class products, market leading technology, the most advanced software and the strongest partnerships.
Indoor cycling used to be just about spinning. But Wattbike brought group cycling out onto the gym floor in its own right. Bringing training with power, testing and training zones to the masses. Wattbike didn’t just re-invent the indoor bike, they re-invented the entire indoor cycling genre.
Wattbike Zones are now being installed across the country, with large operators, boutique studios and independents creating Zones with bespoke Wattbike graphics and branding to draw in the crowds.
PRODUCT
With a self-professed obsession with performance, and a desire to replicate the sensation of riding on the road, Wattbike created a real-ride feel thanks to the regulation of airflow through the flywheel and inclusion of a freehub. This had never been done before.
Spinning was a one-dimensional workout but with Wattbike came performance-based training. Indoor cycling saw a shift, and became about sport-specific training, fitness goals and accurately testing, tracking and measuring performance. This enticed a whole new consumer into the gym.
In September 2017, Wattbike unveiled the first smart bike in the world; the Atom. With patented technology and aimed at the home market, the Atom has unrivalled connectivity to apps such as Zwift and built in, climb software to allow riders to simulate gradient changes and mimic real climbs automatically.
TECHNOLOGY
Data is in Wattbike's DNA. The bike's technology initiated a unique way of collecting data that was calibrated and accurate. The patented sensor measures power at a level of accuracy that no other bike can match. It is this level of data that enabled Wattbike to create the patented Polar View and Pedalling Effectiveness Score (PES) technologies.
The Polar View technology introduced a distinctive analysis tool that presented the balance between left and right legs, and the force being applied through the whole pedal revolution. PES was the evolution of this, which transformed how users could assess the impact of changes in pedalling technique in real time, something previously only possible in research lab settings.
When the Wattbike app was introduced, it was the first indoor bike to have an app that could save, store and transport data between the gym and home training environment. It initiated unrivalled performance analysis and technique feedback, and the Bluetooth technology in the monitor enables third party connections via smart devices to popular apps including Strava, Zwift and Sufferfest.
PARTNERSHIPS
Wattbike was the first and only indoor bike developed in partnership with British Cycling, and are still, the only indoor bike to have been endorsed by them.
Following seven successful years with British Cycling, Wattbike elevated to a global level. In September 2015, they were chosen and endorsed by the UCI World Cycling Centre and housed in six of the UCI’s satellite centres around the world, placing the Wattbike at the heart of their search for future stars.
Today, the Wattbike is used by the world’s top cycling federations in addition to professional teams and elite athletes across every major sport, which included an official partnership with England Rugby in the lead up, and during the World Cup.
Beyond the fitness industry, Wattbike fundamentally altered military testing by partnering with the British Army to design a bespoke performance test, the Alternative Aerobic Assessment (A3), to support and motivate soldiers in maintaining fitness levels and help them in their rehabilitation while recovering from injury.
From the health sector, in partnership with Wattbike, Discovery Vitality developed a specific health assessment which was first delivered in January 2017. Tests were delivered across over 450 different venues in South Africa, and last year, approximately 100,000 fitness assessments had been completed on the Wattbikes.
Richard Baker, Wattbike Managing Director, comments: “We have a history of innovation and you’ll never find us standing still. We focus on leading, not following advancements, and strive to always be revolutionising our products, software, technology and education.
We work with excellence; elite athletes, the best sport scientists in the world and the top professional federations. Our determination to continually transform and improve our offering has made us the bike of choice for the health, fitness and sporting sectors.”
Having completely revolutionised indoor cycling over the past 10 years, Wattbike have no plans to slow down now. Wattbike are the ones to watch, so expect the unexpected for 2018.
Visit the Wattbike stand at FIBO to find out more.
