The Wahoo representative in my region is nearly dead, they have a horrible website with nothing for sale and never respond to any email, so I hope I have a better experience with Elite. The price was an immediate selling point given the specs, appearance (sturdy yet attractive) and what others had said when using it themselves. I’ll keep working with Elite and see if they can’t make one more adjustment and get it spot on. Elite says: "The Elite DIRETO XR is the home trainer you were looking for your indoor training this season. Though, the box is bigger (because, the Direto XR is bigger). Looks like a new bug from a change made last week (it shouldn’t show a hyperlink unless there’s an actual review for said accessory). Sans oublier la notice, câble d’alimentation et les vis de montage avec une rondelle pour mont… On the other hand, you need to get a cassette with a direct-drive (although there are models on the maket like the Direto XR that come with a preassembled 11spd cassette). Thanks. All in all, i would buy this trainer again, and from the reviews i've seen/read about the newer model, the reaction time has been much improved. The easiest ones on the small chain rain are okay-ish, some in the middle as well. The full rundown on the Elite Direto Smart Trainer that'll be hitting stores very soon. It is however consistent with itself. But it’s also not silent. It was better when I put it on a solid floor - moved around a bit on the rug, but I think they all would. Have owned one of these since Nov. 2019 and use it very regularly. I run a Shimano ultegra RX800 and as you suguest look it up carefully. Le vélo est très stable grâce au poids du home trainer, à la taille des trois pieds, et à la possibilité de régler la hauteur des pieds dans le cas où le plancher ne serait pas parfaitement plat. I redid the test using the Elite my E-Training App, cadence of around 90 and the smallest gear possible (36/32). The myETraining app is quite powerful, although Zwifters probably won’t use any of its features beyond calibration. Just to add to Ray’s comment, you need to change the chain too. A noter que ces deux home trainers ne simulent pas de descente ; à l’inverse du Tacx Neo 2 Smart, seul appareil à reproduire cette sensation. Much faster than my old Tacx Flux1. As always for ERG mode, I used the smaller ring in the front chainring (as recommended by trainer company and app company, as it helps control flywheel speed). This trainer is no longer in production, but you may find a good deal on used or old stock. PRO: Would it be better to use another app? Not really a problem for longer climbs, but if you ride Titans Cove, which goes up & down the whole time at a rapid pace, the trainer can't keep up with the constant changes in elevation, giving a strange type of disconnect between what you see on the screen and what your legs feel. B) Power Responsiveness: How quickly can it achieve a given set point (e.g. Bluetooth Smart Speed/Cadence Profile: This broadcasts your speed and cadence as a standard BLE combo Speed/Cadence sensor Difference is mostly made up from the 0's on the pedals (accurate) not being reflected on the trainer quickly enough. I had an issue with their My E Training software not being able to recognize my combination cadence/speed sensor. In the case of Zwift, I used it in regular riding mode (non-workout mode, aka SIM mode) as well as ERG mode (workout mode). The same problem also manifests itself during training sessions with ERG mode, again not a problem if you need to maintain a powerlevel for a longer amount of time, but sometimes you have these very short burst of power blocks, then it struggles. The inability to evenly perform burst intervals of less than 20-30 seconds means a lot of workouts are off the table (unless I want to be really annoyed). Dual power analysis suggests < 2% difference (trainer reads higher, should actually read a fraction lower) vs my Assiomo's but close enough. I then change into level mode to be able to start moving the pedals and change back into ERG mode when I’m around the desired wattage.From there everything works as it should. You’d probably be able to find some gears where it works fine but you won’t be able to use all of them. Though I know they likely won’t for reasons that you outlined. I’m still thinking of getting a direct drive trainer as I’ve had a Kickr2 before and tried a few others & they must have improved since 2016. I have had no issues with the trainer itself after having it for about two years. This is a case of a tried and tested machine that isn't the latest or quietest but just works very, very well. The Elite Drivo series is being retired, as is the existing Elite Direto X. But, there are edge cases where an app won’t do that – and then you get into the pickle like noted above. The one complaint I have is the lenght of the cord. Easy setup Accurate power Well-built Portable/storable Quiet Budget-friendly. I haven’t tried yet. Great work, as usual ! Simply crack it open and let it search for nearby trainers: At present there aren’t any firmware updates for the Direto XR, and historically speaking we don’t see Elite do too many firmware updates. You can click here to Subscribe without commenting. 37kph is simply wrong. Elite Direto from jpuchy September 8, 2020 Good home trainer, I was really satisfied, precise, quiet, easy for assembling I suppose you did not open the unit up to compare but just in case… Any chance this XR may be less prone to belt breakage problems? It came with a Zwift card and another card that has a picture of an oil can and a cassette. Then you’ll need to consider tyre wear with a wheel-on trainer which clearly you don’t get with a direct-drive model. I bought the Direto XR over the Kickr Core as the core was not available and the Direto XR is the newer product. They said that a fix would be out soon. No biggie, that’s easy enough to do. And as always, feel free to post comments or questions in the comments section below, I’ll be happy to try and answer them as quickly as possible. Why does the MyTraining app specify a circumference of 2070 when most documents show that a 700x23c or 700x25c wheel is actually around 2100. Easy setup Accurate power Realistic inertiaWell-built Helpful support Portable/storable Quiet Budget-friendly. And H3? I was very pleased with performance of the Direto especially since I am a larger rider (started at 270 and now down to 250 pounds). Ok, with all the basics out of the way, let’s talk app compatibility. I will change the cassette if it create to much of a problem. It reacts quickly when the road starts to climb and vice versa, and to speed changes. The in-game Zwift simulation lacks nothing, except when it comes to higher gradients. Despite the lower price the trainer provides great power accuracy, ride feel and durability (I've used every single day on average for two years), I've done almost 30,000km on the Direto, using it happily across all the online training platforms but mainly zwift. The cadence sensor it’self is cheap and would be great if they didn’t charge so much for postage. Your reviews and comments about products most valuable!!! In addition to the included 11-speed cassette and ramped up internals, the unit also  increases the flywheel weight as well – from 4.2kg to 5.1kg. So much more quiet than my old wheel on trainer. It still seems to ramp up the resistance pretty suddenly and extremely. Yeah, Peter from Elite pretty much outlined everything spot on. No matter how many times people try and justify/explain this, they get that part right (speed in Zwift), but they often get the rest wrong. Mostly I change to level mode for a few seconds before going into ERG mode again when I’m around the desired wattage. This makes it tough to nail some of my Trainer Road HIIT intervals. Just enthusiasm? Hi, Easy setup Accurate power Well-built Portable/storable Budget-friendly. from Toutou September 8, 2020 I had to replace the belt after 6 months, Elite support sends me a new one in one week, easy replacement. I say its minor as most people who would pay this kind of money for a trainer most likely already had some kind of cadence sensor on their bike. Said differently: Peak numbers in this competition don’t matter. For price/quality I would recommend the Elite Direto from Hulk Hogan September 8, 2020 Very consistent output, had no problems with it for the last 2 years. I only have two minor gripes with it, the first being the cadence can spike massively once you get over about 90. on social network i can see some guys who are reportin about big power fluctuations during ERG mode (zwift and elite app) that keep the trainer in a constant state of “more power, reduce power’. In Zwift the hills are the same. My trainer generally treats me well. It’s the wrench. Also, I assume for the calibration on the Direto, you let that warm-up for about 10 minutes or so? It was easy to set up and calibrate. In this mode, no matter what gearing you use, the trainer will simply stay at 220w (or whatever you set it to). My only complaint is that is takes 3-5 seconds to stabilize in ERG mode after a large instantaneous increase in resistance. As ever, YMMV and I don’t claim it’s a cure all. Classic trainers Ideal for indoor training, … By going near 50 km/h, the spin down actually works…. Is it possible to put a 148mm boost frame on this trainer? I used IOS and iPadOS which worked perfectly. You’ll see either a calibration prompt in the app (like TrainerRoad), or a small wrench or such in the settings (like Zwift). So, looking at the Direto XR, the simple answer to all of those is: Pretty darn good in most cases. We’re talking a difference of on average about 4-5w. Good. Home trainers that send all training data via ANT+ and Bluetooth protocols in order to better manage your performance. Still, I think most people will be good with it. In the case of the above workout, it was after doing 90 mins of relatively hard riding. Hmm, it’s louder for certain, but ERG mode is so darn good. This is easily rectified by using a different source for cadence. Per given times ? The instruction manual text is a bit confusing, I think some of the meaning has been lost in translation from Italian to English, but the pictures make it relatively clear. You can use it as well, more details here.). It seems like that should be incorporated in the algorithm to have about 5 seconds to get the flywheel going and get up to speed, no? This seems to allow the trainer to add resistance which it then just keeps in response to me spinning my cadence back up as the high intensity interval starts. Fizik at least, might be an older shoe they no longer carry. - Solid build. The Neo is quieter and the Direto does have a high pitch stepper motor whine at times when changing resistance, but I can only hear it when the fan is off before and after rides. I do have to pay attention with the automatic pairing for the Controllable Trainer by Zwift because sometimes it pairs the Direto Power Trainer instead of the FE-C Trainer. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. There’s a million types/brands/etc. We haven’t figured out yet why sometimes users get the wrench icon, it is something you should see with Zwift. In ERG mode I see you always recommend using the smaller ring in front. Please let me know if you sort it out. – Direto XR, 90 kg rider, ride in B-groups during local bunch rides, likes statistics, wants to improve , HI, I just purchased the Direto XR. Leveled on the trainer was nose down on the road. If so, my suggestion is to test with front axle higher. C. Rear tyre slippage (or better said the lack of slippage): direct-drive trainers don’t slip during sprints or at high power levels with low RPMs. In a related note, next to the fan you say they’re about $18 dollers, but they’re no where near that on Amazon at the moment. A huge upgrade, but I should have gone even better from Kiwifyx September 14, 2020 I purchased the Elite as soon as it was released, as it was a good bit cheaper than the Neo and Kickr etc. The legs do fold in - but it's pretty bulky and heavy still and I just leave it out with bike on rather than pack away. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. Is it quieter than the Saris, louder or similar? In terms of portability, I brought it along on many holidays and have not experienced any issues. Having the capability to switch was very convenient especially when my main bike using shimano broke and if i had not had the capability to switch over the Campy system I would have been awhile to ride especially when the weather got nasty outside. Hi Ray, Here in Portugal I can find the Direto XR and the Kickr Core for about the same price. And those that do really want it, probably already have a cadence sensor floating around. There is some room for improvement in the speed of changes in resistance in ERG mode, but on a normal sim ride in Zwift it's perfect. But one room away is acceptable. As for software updates, the way I see it is that some companies like Garmin releases a lot of updates, but mostly to correct the huge amount of bugs and things that do not properly work when they launch a new device while Wahoo, for instance, releases fewer updates to a properly working unit so I am not really concerned about many software updates as long as the unit works as advertised out of the box. I just have to find a gear that won’t click or grind. And atop that, there’s little reason most of this matters if you use the defaults in Zwift, because it automatically halves the values anyway. Easy setup Accurate power Realistic inertiaWell-built Helpful support Portable/storable Quiet, Overall nice tariner, smooth and nice shapebody, Elite Direto is tough enough from EricM September 8, 2020 Easy setup Accurate power Well-built Quiet Budget-friendly, A very worthy mid range smart trainer from O Freegard September 8, 2020 I have been the happy owner of my Direto since March 2019, having made the upgrade from a dumb trainer. The power measurement is very accurate and pretty much matches my power pedals readings. Plan Your Full Season. What about within the Elite product lineup? But in doing so, this more powerful Direto kills off the Drivo series trainers from Elite, which were Elite’s prior top-dog trainers. The second mode the trainer has is ERG mode. Easy setup Accurate power Realistic inertiaWell-built Helpful support Quiet. This means it can match up to an external power meter to provide more finite control of the trainer. (Did try with bluetooth but didn't work well with Zwift in this set up). I dig into the nuances of these both within the power accuracy section. I feel it’s problematic to lock it as most trainers do. A 10% grade “feels” like 5% because it slows one down via lower wattage for a given gear. Even if you don't have a 4K TV, the 4K version has more powerful graphics than the base, worth the extra $30. My trainers ERG-mode went on power smoothing level 6 (of 10) from unusable to OK. Easy setup Well-built Helpful support Portable/storable Quiet Budget-friendly. Easy to set up and fold away, easy to connect (quite instantaneously), smooth running, quite realistic in terms of feel and accurate power numbers. The link to the trainer desk review looks bad. So ERG mode is key. Dual power analysis suggests < 2% difference (trainer reads higher, should actually read a fraction lower) vs my Assiomo's but close enough. It's not like I'm trying to make a Pro Continental team, so i don't worry about it much. Additionally, you should calibrate if you’ve had a major temp swing (such as if it lives in your garage and now the sweat puddle on the floor is frozen). Easy setup Realistic inertiaWell-built Budget-friendly. And lastly, if you felt this review was useful – I always appreciate feedback in the comments below. The spiral of death is inevitable, once you fail the interval power, you have no choice but wait for the recovery interval, so you can restart. Never mind, I just found the relevant section in the article. Thank you! But I have to push hard to get it moving – which is not ideal when the gears are not aligned well. Read tons about it here. I had to open the trainer and glue the axle/spindle with Loctite. Hey Ivo. Home trainers interactifs pour un divertissement garanti et pour un entraînement optimal et performant. I’m coming in to explain the whole thing It's very sturdy. But the point is, on a trainer you’re not doing a 1000 ft climb, you’re doing a zero foot climb. I only have two minor gripes with it, the first being the cadence can spike massively once you get over about 90. 2 years without mayor problems. I had to replace the belt after 6 months, Elite support sends me a new one in one week, easy replacement. I’d have thought they’d have fitted/included a cadence sensor to use the Elite app pedaling analysis. The main reason why I purchased it besides the cost of being below $800 was the capability of switching out the cassette hubs from Shimano to Campagnola since I own bikes with these systems. Testing it only takes seconds to apply with wood, books, wheel riser, etc. DC Rainmaker & others have written well about this, so do some searching. It pairs flawlessly to Zwift on my 4K Apple TV unit and Coospo heart rate monitor. Finally, an Elite unboxing that’s flawless. This is easily rectified by using a different source for cadence. Working on a fix! Same goes for whatever little I had left in the tank (basically, nothing) for a sprint to the finish: Cadence meanwhile, is mostly very good. Though also, historically speaking they didn’t have an easy way to issue those till the Upgrado app last year. Notons que l’accès au réglage des pieds n’est pas hy… That got the ramp workout to agree for output, but I’m currently seeing the Suito track from 3-9watts high for Zwift races. I found good deals on both, with the Saris slightly more expensive by the price of a cassette. The one complaint I have is the lenght of the cord. There’s no better test of that than 30×30 repeats (30-seconds at a high resistance, followed by 30-seconds at an easy resistance). I did not change the wheel circumference (around 2100 mm) in the Edge 530. Can you give + and – after using it for 2 weeks ? In this configuration, I get the wrench. Direto XR and Assioma Uno- stabilized (Direto – 239W // Assioma 254W) is this normal?? Thankfully Elite is standardized on power adapter bricks, so mentally I know that one. Initial power readings too high, but after replacing the drive belt this is now correct. 1-2″ high riser is like a 3% slope. Le DIRETO fait partie des Home Trainer connectés haut de gamme du marché qui vous permettra de pédaler sur votre application préférée (compatible Zwift). Aww… bummer. It is specified in the review that you can do the spin down calibration from within Zwift, but I can’t see the small wrench icon in the paired devices page when I connect my direto xr. I read in the comments that Elite say their trainers work in colder temperatures and users have reported no problems with Elite trainers in cold temperatures. That’s tough. I have never really used the myETraining app except to occasionally check the calibration. I use Apple TV for Zwift the vast majority of the time, but also just for watching YouTube/Netflix/etc on the trainer. The Elite Direto XR is somewhat the equivalent of a trainer graduating up from high school to university. Note that none of my other workouts had cadence drops in them, so whatever was unique about this workout or gearing/resistance combination was more challenging. Next, let’s look at some Zwift sessions. Elite Direto Durability from KLI September 23, 2020 I have it for almost three years now, the band broke during Quarantine and the support I received from them was great, they send the band directly from Italy and showed me how to change it at no additional cost. Solid and stable trainer (I am a big guy) The main one is that the shifting is messed up. That’s just the one I use, and I use it only because 13 or so years ago when I got into cycling, that’s what someone first recommended. I use my power pedals for cadence and that works great. link to zwiftinsider.com. After two years of use (riding 3 times a week / one hour average / 200 Watts average) it is still very solid and quiet. I tried to register with the Elite forum days ago to comment but it requires approval and they seem to not be approving. On the underside of the legs are two feet, in case your floor is wobbly. Once paired up with the virtual paradise that is Zwift, the Direto proved to be as compatible as advertised. Slower to respond to power changes in ERG mode and to short slopes in Zwift Slight delay in gradient response time but not noticeable during 99% of the time. May try ANT+ instead. They are responsive - both via e-mail as well as monitoring the Facebook users group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1380212845399014) and VERY customer focused. Ray, Regards, Not sure which is better value now. Looking at the mean/max graph for this ride, it’s also pretty darn close: And on this long ride, cadence looks perfectly flawless: So, overall I’m not seeing any issues related to power meter accuracy on the Direto XR. Thanks, that makes sense. A second question right now Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. If you don't want to pay the higher prices of some other trainers or just want to try wether this smart trainer thing is for you then you can do not wrong with this trainer. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It was replaced by the Direto II and is no longer considered part of Elite's "official range", although it is still being produced for specific clients/markets. If you want to calibrate it, we suggest that you do it through My E-Training. Before we dive into all the usual review stuff, let’s just do a super quick recap of what’s changed between the Elite Direto X, and the newer Direto XR. You clearly notice the difference with the trainers in the higher segment. Elite has adapter for it which work fine, however once installed they are very hard to get off without destroying the aluminum adapters so a bike with traditional quick release can be used. I was very pleased with performance of the Direto especially since I am a larger rider (started at 270 and now down to 250 pounds). I’ve had that thing siting in a box since last fall waiting for the Tuo…finally found a use for it! Equally, with a wheel-on trainer although there is no wheel assembly, you do need to make sure your tyre is clean and have the right tyre pressure and finally regulate the resistance unit so you apply the correct amount of pressure on your tyre. For most of the users, Direto works fine with ERG mode, but we’d like to go deeper on that. Eats up everything my legs can throw at it. Noise (or better said the lack of noise): direct-drive trainers are generally speaking quieter than wheel-on trainers due to less friction surface between the bike and trainer. Basically most apps will baseline when the app first connects to the trainer, which pretty much resets the resistance to the trainer. That said, it’s a bit of a spec battle for the sake of battling. And I guess, if you count adding your bike atop it – then you need to do that too. Elite has adapter for it which work fine, however once installed they are very hard to get off without destroying the aluminum adapters so a bike with traditional quick release can be used. They are responsive - both via e-mail as well as monitoring the Facebook users group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1380212845399014) and VERY customer focused. The only time ERG struggles a bit is with short intervals of less than 30 seconds at high power, particularly with short rests and I often miss the rest stars in the really short rests as it never gets back down before the next interval starts - this doesn't trouble me much as I train for long distance triathlons and not any sprinting.