Kinetic by Kurt Road Machine Control Bike Trainer

I chose this trainer because I wanted to have variable resistance while riding on Zwift, and it was a whole lot less expensive than a comparable wheel-off trainer. This newer version of the Road Machine Smart Control includes ANT+ which was very important to me since all of my accessories are Garmin. The instructions say that you have to update the firmware in the unit before you start using the trainer, and that was very easy with the Android app. I didn't get the 6 month Kinetic Fit app membership offer during the process, so I sent a support email. I received a reply on the next business day saying that they had activated my 6 month trial for me. I'd never actually used Zwift before, but I new I'd need that type of feedback to keep from getting extremely bored with the whole idea of riding indoors. I downloaded and installed Zwift, created my account, and started my first ride. Zwift immediately found the Road Machine trainer, cadence sensor and heart rate strap. I'd recommend getting a USB extension cable and an ANT+ or Bluetooth dongle, so you can be assured of a quality connection with Zwift. My cable is long enough that the dongle is right by my rear wheel. The feedback while riding in Zwift is pretty accurate. If anything, a 1% grade feels a little more difficult than normal, but a 5% grade feels accurate. The heavy flywheel in the trainer lets you take a quick rest from pedaling and pick right up just like on the road. I know some people will wonder about the amount of noise the trainer makes. The trainer itself is virtually silent. The only noise I hear is from the tire on the roller and the bike's drive train. Its not loud enough to even worry about compared to the fan I'm using to stay cool.

Awesome smart trainer for the price. Very please how it works with zwift It's quiet so don't bother anyone when i put in the miles early on the weeksends.

The app and electronic controls for this device are so bad as to render it practically useless. The product claims are thus extremely misleading. Beware! On the positive side, mechanically this product is solid. My experience matches pretty much what others have said and the reviews online. But this benefit is completely overshadowed by the virtually useless electronic controls. To understand this, check out other reviews for the app, for example on Google Play. Here is my experience: First, there is no way to make the resistance harder or easier. Yup, you heard it right. This is a resistance trainer that cannot be adjusted. Kinetic support seems to think this is a feature and you should only want their fancy modes, like ERG. Second, the fancy modes don't work. I have tried several rides on the app and the supposed automatic resistance adjustment just isn't doing it. For example, on a recent attempt the resistance started super easy. I shifted into my hardest gears to get any kind of workout (and the unit spins so fast it makes noise that my wife complains about). The ride profile shows the workout getting harder and easier, interval style, but nothing is happening. Then about halfway into the ride, suddenly the resistance kicks in. It becomes hard but doable, so I downshift and it behaves like a reasonable break resistance trainer. But it still isn't going up and down with the intervals. Third, they advertise that the controller works with ANT. Kinda true, but very misleading. The true part is that a Garmin unit can read speed and power from the unit. The false part is that if you use the Garmin to adjust the unit, it doesn't work. If you click for more resistance, the unit goes to maximum resistance and becomes virtually unpedalable. If you click for less resistance, it goes to zero resistance. I asked support about this, and they say that they are aware of this issue and have no plans to make it compatible. Fourth, the app is very buggy generally and has a lousy UI. It takes a lot of work to figure out how to do anything. That might be forgivable, but the app crashes every other ride or otherwise hangs. For example, it took me three or four reboots of my phone to get the app to run long enough to perform the basic calibration. Fundamentally, it seems like a solid mechanical company simply has not made it to the electronic world. Maybe this is the right product for someone. But I wanted a solid and reliable trainer that be controlled electronically. Don't be fooled like I was. The electronic control is a complete disaster.

I bought this trainer pre-pandemic (lucky me) as it was more competitively priced than its competition: Wahoo and Cycleops. I initially had issues getting it connected to Zwift accurately via bluetooth but got in contact with their helpful, courteous, and prompt customer service who had me up and running quickly. Two issues: - Doesn't accurately give you resistance in Zwift if you connect via Bluetooth. You MUST have a USB:ANT+ dongle to get accurate Zwift riding. Once I had this dongle, per the recommendations of Kinetic customer support, I was up and running perfectly. - Doesn't support calibration within Zwift. You have to calibrate with the Kinetic mobile app. Not a big deal really though. I had no issues and was really enjoying the product for the next ~6 months. It is accurate, works every time, has a great "road feel", and is super easy to get my bike on/off of. Some slipping occurs when I'm really punching it but if you're the kind of person to be "punching it" all the time, you should probably just get a direct drive, non-wheel-on trainer. For a wheel on trainer, this product is awesome. Then 1 week ago I tripped on the cord which broke the plug off the circuit board inside the trainer. I was angry with myself and with the design that was so easily breakable (see picture). Expecting nothing but being hopeful I, again, contact customer service. Within 12 hours I had a response and they, no questions asked, sent out the exact part I needed, tools, and instructions how to fix it - all FREE of charge! It is within the 1 year warranty but this was arguably my fault, not theirs, and they still sent the part with excellent instructions AND tools no problem, no questions asked, nothing. I fixed the trainer in 5 minutes and am back in the saddle now. Just amazing. Overall this trainer is good for: - Enthusiast bike riders (perhaps not racers/semi-pros) - Those looking for a good workout within Zwift or similar software - Those who can't stand bad customer service because you won't find any of that here! '

I was really excited to find a trainer that is in stock and finally move into the world of interactive virtual rides. I was really hoping that this unit will work without a hitch out of the box. At first, it seemed to be the case. I was able to assemble and connect without any problems. I did the firmware update and calibrated the unit. I hopped on the bike started riding and then I noticed that when I coast there s a thud, knocking sound coming from the unit. I investigated a bunch because was thinking my rims were not true or maybe something was off with the new tire I put on. but it was none of that. When I look through the slits of the power unit I see there is another wheel turning in there and it looks like it's wobbling. I imagine that's the cause I am yet to get a response from warranty, I did just submit the ticket. Either way, not the way I want my new purchase to turn out. I also found out it does not measure cadence, meaning I still have to connect other sensors, which is not a huge deal since at least I have those. For what it's worth the few rides I was able to do are much more fun than a regular fluid trainer, it's really cool how the resistance changes with hills and descents, It also coasts on downhills which is huge because I can now take little breaks to catch my breath.

I love this smart trainer. I've owned the original Kinetic road machine (foolishly sold that after an accident thinking I wouldn't be training again) and several other trainers and rollers over the years. I was having some trouble getting it calibrated. (mostly user error not understanding the app and instructions) Kinetic support was super responsive and got me sorted on that. Once the latest firmware is updated (Easy, takes 5 minutes or less). I calibrated the trainer using a trainer tire. I rode a Zwift session and was impressed with the smoothness and the simulation of climbs. The flywheel supplies enough momentum that you transition smoothly into the climbs, as you would on the road. Very smooth and quiet. Mostly a low hum, which might be mostly from my flooring. I would say that this trainer is quieter than my saris Fluid 2. Very impressed. If you are considering a wheel on trainer, I would get the Kinetic over the Wahoo Snap (the only other trainer I was considering based on reviews). There isn't much difference in the specs and I'll bet the Kinetic rides more smoothly because of the heavier flywheel. In the Smart Trainer world, Wahoo and Tacx are the major players, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are the best. At this price point, it is very difficult to beat the Kinetic Road Machine Control.

Had this product for Two Years and mainly use it for Zwift, initially I used ANT+ for Controllability, Cadence/RPM, Power and Speed......but I would get occasional Bluetooth Drops and it would ruin Group or Pace Partner Rides. Switched to Bluetooth and I hardly ever get any drops anymore....I also calibrate the Smart Trainer via the Zwift App, once its set to Bluetooh a Gear Icon will pop-up. Only time I use the Kinetic App is if there is a Firmware Update. I don't use a dongle for Bluetooth reception as my Tablet and Smart Trainer are less than 2-3 feet apart. I can also pair this with my Garmin Edge 1030 plus if I don't want to use Zwift. Update 12/21/2023: Zero issues with this trainer with no slippage, as long as you run the Correct PSI and tight adjustment on the tire.......you can hit your max power levels, I've gotten up to 1200W. I might start using Alcohol on the Trainer Tire to prevent any slippage or sound, but other than that...it still in operation 7 days of the week,

Well, for starters, the trainer was super easy to setup, just follow the provided instructions: download kinetic fit app, turn on the trainer, pair via Bluetooth to smart phone, connect to app, update firmware, power cycle the trainer, calibrate, done. Using it with Zwift in SIM mode is a whole new experience, super responsive on each terraine incline/decline. Also pretty good on ERG mode for workouts. I'm using an ANT+ dongle connected to the PC for Zwift. Make sure it is properly calibrated prior each training session (with a clean tire, correct tire pressure and roller tension) and you should be good to go.