What is your take on the Bkool Pro hardware?

[Ypuh]

Hello guys. I'm looking to jump the bandwagon on the whole smart trainer riding. I'm still trying to decide between the Vortex, Bushido and Bkool trainers and prise-wise the Bkool is definitely my favourite.

What is your take on the Bkool Pro hardware? Is there a lot of tyre slippage due to the mounting design compared to Tacx models? And how about the toughness/durability of the machine itself? Would you guys overall recommend this over a Bushido, and if so why?

 

[Winnershsaint]

Never tried a Bushido but had Bkool Pro for nearly a year. The trainer itself is fine but I'd recommend making sure you use it on a good surface , Mine's on the slightly corrugated concrete of the garage with a mat underneath and still feels a little unstable, especially if you go for out of the saddle efforts. My main gripe is a software one. It ultimately becomes an unrealistic exercise when motorway bridges and slight inclines that in real life you'd carry momentum into become like mini-Alps. Mind you it's given me the only opportunity so far to ride the Telegraphe, Glandon, Aspin and Montgenevre plus others. I find the whole experience whether climbing or otherwise leaves me far more beaten up than using my Cyclops Fluid and Zwift using the gears as the determining resistance. Mine could be heading to ebay soon.

 

[oldfatfool]

Not sure if those mentioned are the same but some tacx trainers accelerate downhill giving a more "realistic' feel when it comes to carrying speed

 

[Ypuh]

Thanks guys!

I now got an offer on a 2nd hand Bkool which is very interesting (€275 ish), but I'm still not entirely decided. Somehow I feel that warranty is a nice thing to have when it comes to a trainer and a new Tacx (being the home brand in The Netherlands) has the upper hand.

Since it will be my first trainer the Vortex (€315 ish) is a great improvement, however I wonder if the lower resistance will lead to wanting 'a bit more' in the future. I weigh around 85kg which effectively leaves a 4% incline and even less at low speeds.

The Bkool offers a wider power curve at a good price point (especially when 2nd hand) but I have some doubts about the design, quality and therefor warranty. The Bushido (€465 ish) has everything I want on paper but is stretching the budget to its limits (especially since I don't know if I still enjoy indoor training in a year or so).

 

[gbrown]

I don't know about zwift, but if you want to train on any half decent climbs in bkool, the low resistance trainers are just about useless! A 4% limit will mean almost any circuit will not be realistic. Even on the bkool pro heavier riders find it limiting, but at least it should get above around 10% for an 85 kg rider. Obviously the more expensive trainers, such as the KICKR, will go higher but they are very expensive and will put you at a disadvantage if you compete with other riders.

If you are intending to ride multi-user sessions on bkool, which much improves motivation but may induce you to try harder than you otherwise might, then the bkool pro is the only sensible option, as almost every other user is on the same hardware, so you have a level playing field. We have had riders on cheaper tacx trainers and they have become frustrated by the ease with which they pull away on climbs, and bought a bkool pro in the end.

If you just want to train to get a little fitter, then I guess it doesn't matter much about the steep inclines, but it seems the point of the online simulators is to encourage you to compete against others, or to take on rides that you would like to be able to do, such as alpine climbs and the top 100 climbs, etc. If this is the case, or likely to become the case after you get into it, then I would recommend you get a trainer with adequate resistance levels. Don't believe the marketing, they quote crazy power figures that can only be reached at the highest speeds, at typical climbing speeds they can reach maximum resistance at much lower power figures.

10% at 85 kg seems like a good minimum to me, many climbs exceed this but perhaps only briefly. Only the real beasts get near 15-20%, and the top of the range stuff like the KICKR really give you a good idea of just how hard they are to climb!

P.S. There is a new Wahoo KICKR just out, perhaps there will be second hand ones around? I would say they are much more robust and reliable than the Bkool trainers. I switched from a bkool pro to a KICKR, but did end up regretting it when the bkool riders then started stuffing me in every session!

Geoff

 

[Ypuh]

All the direct drive trainers are definitely out of budget (the 2nd hand Kickr's still go for €700-800+). On paper Zwift and Bkool seem great, but I'm not sure yet if I still enjoy indoor training in a year time and that's why I would like to keep my budget limited.

The Vortex will as I expected probably not be enough in case I do enjoy indoor training. The combination of my weight and the limited resistance at lower speeds is a no go (the max resistance is kind of confusing since you need 35 kph+ speed to achieve those).

My likely choices now are a 2nd hand Bkool (only 1 currently offered in NL), a new but 2nd hand Kickr Snap or a new Bkool or Bushido. I guess I can stretch my budget a little for those last 3 options and just buy the accessoires later.

I'll let you guys know what my final decision will be! Thanks so far.

 

[Ypuh]

I went with the Vortex, just to figure out if I enjoy Smart/indoor training. If I do enjoy indoor training I can always upgrade to a direct drive (Tacx Flux or 2nd hand Kickr/Neo) in the future, rather than spending extra money on something in the middle. Also, I got a good deal on a new Vortex and the 2nd hand prices are still very high. If I decide to sell it in a few months or a year I'll probably only lose ~€75,-. Can't wait to get started!

 

[Winnershsaint]

The Bkool Pro has to go. With family stuck last year for a gift idea it seemed like a good idea at the time but in truth wish I'd waited. The last time I used it was at the end of April. Since then I've done plenty of rides on my 'dumb' trainer using Zwift in preference to Bkool. Hopefully a Wahoo Kickr Snap will be winging its way to me soon.