Kurt Kinetic’s Road Machine is a smooth, stable, well constructed automatic-resistance machine that’s best for long spins. Like its more expensive brother the Rock And Roll, its flywheel and fluid unit give you a positive on-road feel.
There’s a bit of construction to be done before you roll but the latched axle clamps make bike fitting easy. The heavy flywheel means some wheel spin if you change pace rapidly, but it’s super-smooth, with lots of run-on between efforts. There’s even a 12lb pro-flywheel upgrade for £69.99 if you want top momentum sustain.
The fluid engine ramps up resistance fast as you gear up, so a close-ratio rear cassette is a must if you want subtle training load changes. The harder you accelerate, the harder the trainer pushes back too, making sprints more like weight lifting than riding. You’ll be going some to spin out, even with a compact, so it’s suited for more powerful riders who’ll also appreciate the unconditional lifetime warranty.
Unnatural feeling sprinting is a problem with many trainers but as the Road Machine sits at the more expensive end of the market, we’d either upgrade to the excellent Rock And Roll or go for one of the cheaper ones which are nearly as good.
This article was compiled from reviews in Cycling Plus and Triathlon Plus