Wattbike add customisation to their virtual gearing for enhanced realism

A virtual gearing customisation tool on the Wattbike Hub app will allow users to personalise their ride experience.

Turbo training means sweating like a maniac, staring at a screen and praying for the pain to just stop! That’s not anyone’s idea of fun, is it? However if you like me have one of these torture devices as part of your training arsenal, then it’s par for the course. So if you are going to suffer indoors, you might as well replicate your real bike set-up.

To this end Wattbike have added a customisation tool to their Hub app that allows you to change how the levers on their bikes work. You will be able to choose from a range of preset groupsets and shifter configurations. This will allow your Wattbike Atom’s controls to replicate your real-world bike set-up.

Accessing the Wattbike Hub app will give you five preset gearing options to choose from: 11 speed, 22 speed, compact, semi-compact, and climbing.  Below are Wattbike’s descriptions of these presets;

• 11spd Wattbike Linear (Standard Wattbike gearing)
• 22spd Wattbike Linear (Standard Wattbike gearing)
• Compact (12 Speed endurance groupset, 50/34T chainset, 11-34t cassette)
  • Best for: a balance of speed and climbing ease – e.g spring classics
• Semi-compact (12 Speed racing groupset, 52/36T chainset, 11-30t cassette)
  • Best for: racing and all-out speed – e.g flat stages and sprinting 
• Climbing (11 Speed gravel/adventure groupset, 46/30T chainset, 11-36t cassette)
  • Best for: gliding up the toughest climbs with ease

You will also be able to use your preferred Wattbike bike set up on Zwift or other 3rd party simulation apps. The last used setup is saved to the user’s account so it will intelligently follow you around your devices. The last could be useful if you don’t always use your own Wattbike, in gym for example.

Custom Shifters

Another update allows you to configure your own shifter set-up, either ‘Dual’ or ‘Standard’ modes. In Dual mode the left shifter is used to change the front chainring and the right shifter changes the rear cassette; like on a real bike. Standard mode uses Wattbike’s existing linear shifting functionality, where the right shifter moves gears up and down.

Chief Product Officer at Wattbike, Duncan Bradley said “We’re continually listening to feedback from our community of Wattbikers ensuring we’re developing the right features to enhance ride experience and performance gains. We’re delighted to be able to bring customisation to users’ virtual gearing setup through the Wattbike Hub. We know how important realism to outdoor riding is to our Wattbikers and digital product development is an area we continue to grow and we pride ourselves in offering new performance led features.”

These new features compliment Wattbike’s latest campaign Summer Sessions – a collection of workouts that interchange throughout the summer alongside the sporting calendar – Tour de France, Commonwealth Games, La Vuelta and Tour of Britain. Could be useful to keep you motivated when training indoors when the sun is shining!

As this article goes out Wattbike are offering a free summer training bundle, worth £200, with every Atom purchase. The bundle includes a Vacmaster Cardio54® Indoor Cycling Fan, floor mat, heart rate strap and two water bottles. For me this comes at just the right time, as I’m giving some serious thought to investing in an Atom. A Wattbike Atom currently retails at £1,999, with finance options from £50 per month – for more information about the Atom head to Wattbike.