WATTBIKE PROMOTION WATTBIKE PROMOTION
POWERING AHEAD
What was the vision for the Wattbike? We wanted to create a cycle ergometer that could transform indoor cycling. Our vision was an indoor bike that could be used by everyone from elite athletes aiming for Olympic gold medals through to recreational users who simply wanted fi tness gains. At one extreme we saw the Wattbike as a talent identifi cation device for the sport of cycling and at the other a time-effi cient training tool.
John Wilson, Wattbike co-founder, explains how the indoor cycle has established a strong and successful foothold in both sport and fi tness markets, and what lies ahead for the brand.
How did the development process evolve? British Cycling’s head of performance at the time, Peter Keen, highlighted that the key reason for the organisation’s aversion to indoor bikes was that existing products provided an all-round poor experience in terms of accuracy, reliability and ride feel. We were tasked to develop an indoor bike that accurately and reliably measured power and would play a fundamental part in the future success of British Cycling.
How were the early adopters with the bike? Our prototypes were integrated into British Cycling’s talent ID and testing
programmes from the beginning. Confi dence in the Wattbike at the highest levels within the organisation saw the product rolled out on a nationwide talent ID search, with Laura Trott being just one of many high-profi le future World and Olympic Champions to be spotted on one of our prototypes.
How key is accuracy to the Wattbike offer? Universities and sport scientists started to test the credentials of the Wattbike from launch. We welcomed this (and still do today) as it provides us with a genuine differentiator from competitors. We are confi dent through rigorous, independent and open research that the Wattbike is accurate to +/-2 per cent. Reinforcing these credentials on accuracy is the use of the Wattbike as the frontline screening tool for UK Sport across their talent identifi cation programmes as it delivers accurate, reliable and repeatable data around the physiology of each individual.
When it comes to measuring the key metric of power, the Wattbike is a leader in the fi eld
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Do the Wattbike’s credentials in elite sport transfer to the health and fi tness industry? Elite sport really bought into the quality and reliability of the data recorded by the Wattbike. Being able to compare performance development through testing and training both on an individual and group basis has been invaluable to athletes and coaches alike. And meaningful, accurate data has been the one thing largely missing from the health and fi tness industry. However, in today’s data-driven world we know that members want to be able to analyse their performance and track progress. The value of measuring power as a key metric within the industry is coming to the fore. We’re experts when it comes to power as it’s the one metric that’s been core to the Wattbike from day one. Add in a live pedalling technique measurement and a left/right leg power measurement and you have an indoor bike like no other. We haven’t compromised on any aspect of the product for the health and fi tness industry; the Wattbike that you see on the gym fl oor is exactly the same product as the Wattbike being used by UK Sport to search for the next Olympic gold medallist.
SeISSUE 4 2014 © cybertrek 2014 ptember 2014 Cybertrek 2014
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