Kinetic Road Machine Smart

Kinetic's Road Machine Smart trainer comes with Kinetic's inRide sensor technology installed, for app-based power training. Having used it at all intensities I can vouch for its excellent performance. It gives a fantastic ride feel, is rock solid, incredibly quiet, and delivers consistent power measurement via the inRide app. The only negative is that the cadence reading is erratic.

The trainer I tested came with the inRide sensor, Bluetooth heart rate sensor, Kinetic training mat and a riser ring.

It had already been put together at road.cc HQ when I received it, but I am reliably informed it is easy to assemble. Looking at the instructions it appears to be a straightforward procedure, though it's worth noting that care must be taken to get the inRide sensor as close to the right side of the flywheel as possible.

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Resistance unit

The weak point of some fluid trainers is that they are susceptible to leaking, this is caused where the drive shaft enters the fluid chamber. Kinetic claims it has made an engineering breakthrough with its fluid trainers. Its patented magnetic drive system uses two sets of powerful magnets on either side of a separating wall, so there are no moving parts entering the fluid chamber and it therefore claims a lifetime of leak-proof performance.

I cannot vouch for the lifetime of leak-proof performance, but the resistance unit is incredibly slick and does live up to Kinetic's claims of a 'road like feel'. You can hear the fluid in the trainer gurgle as it warms up and after a few minutes it is quiet and the feel is smooth.

The resistance is realistic and increases as you go up through the gears. A consistent effort is required to maintain speed and power which is apparent when using the inRide app.

Frame

The frame is heavy, sturdy, solid and stable. I have ridden the Kinetic at all intensities, right through to all-out sprints, and it feels an extremely robust, well-built machine.

Mounting and dismounting your bike onto the trainer is an uncomplicated operation that takes a few seconds each time after the initial setting up. The initial set up involves tightening the left tensioning knob so the rear wheel is on the middle of the flywheel and then tightening the left lock ring. It is then a simple case of screwing the right tensioning knob to secure the bike and unscrewing the right tensioning knob to release the bike.

Noise

There is very little to say here other than it is really quiet. I have ridden it with and without the trainer mat and it is incredibly quiet either way. The real advantage of the mat is that the trainer sinks into it so helps with stability for all-out efforts.

Kinetic InRide App

The key feature of the Smart Power Trainer Pack is that it gives the trainer the ability to measure power.

Each time you use the inRide app the power needs to be calibrated. This involves warming up for 10 minutes to allow the tyre to warm up and any air in the fluid chamber to adjust to temperature, spinning up to 20mph, the app instructs you to stop pedalling, and as the roller spins down to a halt the power is calibrated and it's ready to go.

The inRide sensor within the trainer linked to the Kinetic IOS app that I downloaded onto an Apple iPad; there is also an android version. Data is transferred from the inRide pod to your device via Bluetooth. The inRide pod produces data from a magnet that is inserted into the fly wheel. The inRide Sensor will measure and record speed, power, cadence, heart rate and calories burned.

Inputting various power based training sessions onto the app was easy and intuitive, although each interval segment needs to be inputted individually. Once inputted on the app the sessions were easy to follow on the trainer. During a workout the display on the app shows a bold line across the screen which is your target power output, the display also shows a large dot that displays your real time power output; hold this dot on the bold line to follow the workout. Following the power encouraged smooth pedalling to create a level reading, which will clearly be an advantage when you're back on the road.

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The app includes a number of workouts, including one to measure your functional threshold power, the essential measurement to base all other power-based sessions around.

My only criticism of the app is that the cadence measure is erratic; the reading often moves in increments of five which is annoying if you're following a cadence-based workout. The cadence measurement proved to be incorrect when compared to my Garmin. I wonder whether it's because the cadence is measured through a calculation based on the revolutions of the magnet on the flywheel; a possible solution could be for the app to connect to a cadence sensor attached to the crank.

Once the workout is finished the app can transfer your workout to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, cycling-specific sites such as Strava and Training Peaks, and via email. To upload my workouts to Garmin Connect, the inRide app emailed the workouts in .fit format.

Conclusion

I am impressed with the Kinetic Road Machine Smart indoor trainer. It's rock solid, incredibly quiet and offers a fantastic ride feel, and delivers consistent power measurement via the Kinetic inRide app.

Verdict

Rock solid and incredibly quiet trainer that delivers a fantastic ride feel and consistent power measurement via the Kinetic inRide app