Indoor cycling: Truetrainer with real gears and (almost) endless virtual gears
Marc Strucken
· 16.12.2023
On a few days in December, there was so much snow in the south of Bavaria that it was almost impossible to get out on a bike for a long time. Mountain biking in particular was difficult or even dangerous on the thawing and refreezing snow. And it is precisely in situations like this that the Smarttrainer for the home comes into play. So recently we have been busy collecting kilometres with a view of the garden: On the Truetrainer 6.2 - the more expensive of the two new models from Truekinetix.
This is the equipment of the Smarttrainer:
- Physical cassette (selectable from 8- to 12-speed)
- Numerous virtual gear combinations
- Electronic resistance control (no flywheel, brake magnet)
- an app for setting and recording training
The Smarttrainer Truetrainer works without a heavy flywheel
What sets the Truetrainer apart from other smart trainers is the lack of a large flywheel. As a result, its weight is only 15 kilograms, compared to the 20 to almost 30 kilograms of other indoor trainers. Truekinetix has replaced the missing iron flywheel, which creates resistance by braking, with a motor and its own robotics. One of the first advantages of this is that the resistance can be varied very quickly - unlike a fast-spinning flywheel, which cannot be slowed down as quickly. Anyone who remembers spinning bikes will be familiar with the effort required to stop quickly. The riding experience on the Truetrainer should be as realistic as possible, similar to the rapid succession of different loads on the track in reality.
My impression confirms this. If you change the incline or wattage in the Truekinetix app (more on this later), this takes effect immediately - in both directions. The Truetrainer starts off without any motorised resistance. The feeling on our test trainer is just a little rough, a colleague compared it to a hub with slightly damaged bearings. However, when you switch to normal pedalling frequencies, the motor moves quietly and smoothly.
Large selection of virtual gear combinations - whether MTB or time trial bike
In its Smarttrainer, Truekinetix combines a physical cassette with an extensive range of virtual options for equipping the clamped bike with gears. The advantage of this is that you can shift gears mechanically as usual - no electronic buttons, no new shifting logic or ergonomics. At the same time, the Dutch app provides an endless selection of gear combinations. It is therefore easy to virtually swap my physical 11-speed MTB cassette with 11-42 teeth for a road bike cassette with 11-28 teeth, for example.
In practice, the work of the electronic motor or processor for the virtual gears is noticeable by a very short delay before the virtual gear changes after the physical gear change. In this way, you can, for example, complete threshold training sessions with "thick" gears that your own bike (clamped in the trainer) does not offer. Or, conversely, tackle uphill stretches that would be very arduous with the physical road bike gear ratio on the bike.
Good connectivity to Zwift, Rouvy, Strava, Garmin
Although we only tried and tested the Truetrainer as part of this test, we should also mention the device's ability to connect to all common platforms such as Zwift or Rouvy via Wifi, Bluetooth and ANT+. This means that the virtual worlds of the platforms can be used with the Truetrainer.
The results of the indoor rides can also be shared with Strava, Garmin Connect, TrainingPeaks and other platforms. Merging the data from the power meter in the Truetrainer with the tracking on my Garmin Fenix sports watch went smoothly and extremely quickly. The Truetrainer reported automatically and I only had to confirm the connection.
Who is Trukinetix and how did Truetrainer come about?
The Dutch company Truekinetix was founded in 2018 by Bas van Rens. In a BIKE interview, van Rens explains that his motivation came from personal frustration. After a winter of indoor training in preparation for the Ironman in Hawaii, he failed to qualify by 8 minutes. This experience led him to the conclusion that he had been training the wrong muscles on an indoor bike.
Bas was of the opinion that conventional indoor cycles did not authentically reflect the riding behaviour and power distribution of riding outdoors. He therefore began to develop his own indoor racing bike using the latest technologies. Robotics and a powerful motor were to replace the flywheel to simulate riding a real bike more accurately and realistically. The technology was developed in the Netherlands in collaboration with the Technical Universities of Delft and Eindhoven. According to the manufacturer, the system in the Truetrainer measures the movement 10,000 times per second and thus simulates the forces and resistance that occur on a bicycle on the road.
Bas van Rens, founder of Truekinetix, is a medical-technical engineer and has always enjoyed working at the interface between technology and business. He started riding BMX at an early age, switched to MTB ("I'm too old for that now.") and finally to road bikes, which he also uses to complete triathlons.
What can the Truetrainer 6.2 do in practice?
Like every customer, we received the Trutrainer 6.2 from Kinetix by delivery service. As a result, we took a closer look at the setup. We then looked at the set-up steps required (app, trainer) and how the app works with the tracking of training data. We tested the function of the Truetrainer over the course of several training sessions of varying lengths.
Setting up and installing the Smarttainer
Positive: Truekinetix offers a wide range of options for which wheels can be clamped in the Truetrainer. Both modern thru axles (142 mm and 148 mm) and quick-releases (130 mm and 135 mm) are possible. This versatility is realised by various adapters included in the package. The assembly is uncomplicated. Initially, I had difficulty understanding from the enclosed instructions that the mounted quick-release adapter can simply be loosened using an Allen key.
A decision must be made when purchasing the cassette (8, 9, 10, 11 or 12-speed). An additional freehub body is available from Truekinetix for 79 euros. Once the chain has been placed around the cassette on the trainer, the wheel can simply be fixed with the thru axle or quick release.
The legs are foldable and are secured with screws. The soft feet can be adjusted for uneven surfaces. There is no need to worry if you use an oval chainring, as these are also compatible with the Truetrainer - virtual oval chainrings are already available for the more expensive Truebike from Truekinetix.
Setting up the Truetrainer - difficulties due to prototype
Setting up the trainer with the app proved to be a little more complex with our test device. However, after consulting the manufacturer, these difficulties only seem to occur with the prototype we tested. In contrast to the series version, this prototype also required a power connection for starting or after a longer period of inactivity. Nevertheless, it should be mentioned here that the necessary WLAN connection only worked in the direct vicinity of the router (max. 4 m with a clear view).
If the Truetrainer is not online, but the app is, and there is a Bluetooth connection between the two, the training will work, but no performance data will be displayed (watts, speed, cadence). Nevertheless, the Truetrainer records this data and transmits it as soon as it goes online again.
Once the Truekinetix trainer is connected to the internet via Wi-Fi, everything runs smoothly. To begin with, you should create a "bike" and select the physical gear configuration and the desired virtual gears. Initially, only a few virtual gears are available in the app. More virtual gears can be found in the "Shop", which is free of charge - although the name may be a little misleading at this point. Several bikes can also be created in this way, for example if you want to use a road bike and an MTB for training on the smart trainer. Overall, the Truekinetix app is not as intuitive as others. Nevertheless, the pages on offer are clearly laid out and I was able to familiarise myself with them quickly.
The two LEDs on the Smarttrainer are actually just confusing in practice. In theory, they use different colours to indicate what is going on. However, the combinations are difficult to remember and it can be said that you should only start riding when both LEDs have stably adopted one colour. Otherwise they are of little use.
The first training session on the Kinetix Smarttainer
The first thing I liked was that I could use my bike without any major conversion. The fact that the standard model of the Truetrainer works independently, i.e. without a power connection, allows for a flexible choice of location. The dimensions of the Truetrainer including the MTB are also small. This meant that the bike could initially be placed on the balcony and later also in the living room. Supporting the front wheel was not necessary with 29 inch/2.3 inch wheels. Rather, the greater freedom of movement of the front wheel in combination with the flexible feet of the Smarttrainer proved to be very positive, especially when things got more intense.
Speaking of intensity: If you play a lot with the wattage or incline settings during training, for example because you can't or shouldn't use pre-set workouts with Zwift etc., the Truekinetix app is less user-friendly to operate. Both values are set using very small sliders, which are located directly above the large buttons for "Add lap" and - even more impractical - "Finish". One wrong touch while pedalling can cause you to hit a wall because the controller jumps to 900 watts. Although the changeover on the trainer motor is gradual, it is nevertheless fast. If you accidentally hit the finish button, your workout is cancelled for a short time. The watt gradation in steps of 10 is also quite large. The incline is in the classic 0.5 per cent increments.
The Driving experience on the Truetrainer is quite balanced and very realistic overall. The aforementioned slight delay between physical and virtual gear changes takes some getting used to at first. The same applies to the somewhat rough start. Although the engine doesn't immediately kick in at full throttle, there is a slight rumble. The usual heavy pedalling required by trainers with a large flywheel to get the mass moving is completely eliminated. The Truetrainer also eases off immediately when switching from high load to low resistance, similar to the way it does on a road when the incline changes to a flat surface.
As I have also ridden my MTB on the Smarttrainer and know my gear ratios for off-road riding, I was able to compare them with the corresponding virtual gear ratios and the displayed watt and speed values. Result: It definitely fits!
I was unable to test the maximum load of 2600 watts according to the manufacturer due to my own capabilities. However, even 1200 watts in a stand-up climb is fun on the Truetrainer, and I didn't have the feeling that I was pushing the device and bike to their limits. The slight instability, i.e. the deflection of the bike to the right and left when pedalling, relieves both the seat area and the entire postural muscles during longer training sessions and actually gives a very realistic riding impression.
It is also practical that the Truetrainer only weighs 15 kilos and has a small handle at the top that allows the device to be moved or repositioned quite easily, even with the wheel clamped. However, the handle could offer a little more space for the fingers and be a little easier to grip.
Conclusion on the Truekinetix Truetrainer 6.2
According to our test experience, the Dutch smart trainer proves to be a good alternative to the well-known major brands. The Truetrainer 6.2 we tested makes a robust, stable and high-quality impression. The combination of physical and virtual gears offers the advantage of being able to shift gears as usual and at the same time select the shifting specs depending on the training session.
The Truekinetix app still has potential in terms of user-friendliness. Also, in my opinion, the LEDs appear with only a few variations: ON, POWER UP, READY, ERROR.
With a price of 1299 euros for the 6.2 and 949 euros for the Truetrainer 4.2, the Smarttrainer is absolutely competitive. However, a Zwift subscription would have to be added, which other providers already offer as part of a bundle. The new indoor trainer is therefore not primarily characterised by its price, but by its function. But even without gamification of the training, the "rolling Dutchman" is fun. For older bikers like me, it may be enough to enjoy the view of the countryside from the balcony while pedalling.
Key features of the Truekinetix Truetrainer 6.2
(Truetrainer 4.2. and Truebike use the same technology)
- No flywheel
- Motor gives cranks resistance > realistic load, better muscle variation because the rebound is also realistic
- Lateral movement thanks to flexible feet
- Physical shifting with familiar gearstick combined with virtual gears
- According to the manufacturer, 0.5 % precise force calculation (compared to 3.5 % for other trainers with flywheel)
- Maximum power 2600 watts / 26 % incline
- Choice of cassettes: 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12-speed
- Compatible with quick release (130 and 135 mm) and thru axle (142 and 148 mm)
- Compatible with 24- to 29-inch tyres
- No additional devices required - but possible: trainer saves data and transfers it to the app and cloud when connected to the internet (Wi-Fi)
- Zwift, Strava or other platform integration possible
- Dimensions: 62 cm long, 46 cm high, 72 cm wide (supports unfolded) or 31 cm
- Weight: 15 kg
- Price: 1299 Euro
Brief comparison of different smart trainers
Trukinietix Truetrainer
- real cassette + virtual gears
- Price: 949 or 1299 euros (Truetrainer 4.2 or 6.2)
- Weight: 15.0 kg
Wahoo Kickr Move
- real cassette
- Price: 1,599 euros including cassette (eleven-fold)
- Weight: 29 kg
Zwift Hub One
- Purely virtual gears (optional physical cassette)
- Price: 599 euros incl. one year Zwift subscription
- Weight: 17.0 kg
Tacx Neo 3M
- real cassette
- Price: 1999.99 euros (incl. Shimano/Sram 11-speed cassette)
- Weight: 23.6 kilos
Marc Strucken
Editor
