Brendan Rowbotham's Kurt Kinetic Rock and Roll cycle trainer review

Brendan's Kurt Kinetic Rock and Roll in his cycle studio

Frankly, if you had of asked me 3 years ago what I thought of home trainers my response would have been something like “I don’t like them”.

I was, however, a fan of rollers and ergo’s (a stationary bike with 6 fans on the rim) and in addition to ‘the miles’ had been using these as part of training for the better part of 15 years, training to cadence and HR, but not power.

In about 2008 David Heatley introduced me to Kurt Kinetic Trainers, and whilst very skeptical at first, as I had never heard of them, I promised him I would give them a try, eventually.  We had up until that time both agreed to disagree on this debate which made for colorful conversations when we caught up on this topic.

The wheel has turned full circle and I now have 3 Kurt Kinetic Trainers, the entry level Road Machine, the Road Pro and most recently the prestige ‘Rock and Roll’.  I have been doing and will continue to do two sessions a week on the Kurt (generally speaking a Lactate Threshold (LT) on Tuesday and Steady State ITT on Saturday), and whilst it’s definitely a love hate relationship, there’s a good reason we call them ‘Killer Kurt and Big Fun sessions’, there’s no doubt these Machines are superb quality and deliver fantastic results.  “Kurt watts Hurt”.

The main things that’s changed for me is I now train with power, and use my Giant Trinity Pro TT bike  on the Kurt, and the Kurt Kinetic delivers a very accurate and consistent (repeatable) power curve for steady state FTP or LT sessions that lets me know whether I am in a holding pattern, improving or going backwards.  At the moment I am testing  the prototype "The Hurt Box" (THB) power software which you will hear more about soon – and let me tell you it’s very innovative and exciting for all cyclists who train and race with power, but only want to spend a couple of hundred bucks.   THB will enhance the way we train indoors and might just change the way you race too.  More about THB later.

On a personal note I am really impressed by the ‘road’ feel of my latest acquisition, the Rock and Roll, when compared to the other models I own, (which by the way are also excellent if cost & space is an issue) – the riser ring swivels and there is subtle up and down and side to side movement in the bike I’ve not experienced on any trainer before, which also seems to activate my core in responding to movements in the TT position – requiring more consciousness to get the power down (in a good honest way).  I run the big flywheel too.

Lastly, in doing the two Kurt sessions a week it means there is no waste in my weekly programs – everything counts and it’s not unusual for me to pull TSS scores around the 70 mark (my equivalent to a Melbourne fast day North Road Ride (#NRR) or Wednesday Long Ride numbers for the loop (climbs only)) but without any risk or riding in the dark, cold or wet.   I find it helpful to use a fan regardless of the ambient temperature and my testing suggests this does make a difference in physiological response, especially in LT sessions.

With winter upon us in the southern hemisphere I highly recommend a test ride on a Kurt Kinetic and make up your own mind.  There is a science to be unlocked with these things and if you do end up getting one, invest in your purchase by consulting an accredited cycling coach who understands training and racing with power, or familiarize yourself with these principles.

Oh, by the way, I very rarely use the rollers now and the ergo has been long retired.    I will continue to use the Road Pro for warming up at races and to take on holiday as its more compact.  Happy riding.

A tip for Rock and Roll owners, the adjustment mechanism for centering the bike on the resistance unit winds out on the lever side too.