Originally Posted by
chaadster
AGoodrich There is another type of stationary bike which I don’t think has been mentioned, slotting in between basic stationaries (and spin bikes, which are fixed gear) and uber tech smart bikes (and Peloton uber-spin), which are the Cycleops powermeter stationaries.
While the first versions were fixed gear spin bikes, the second and ultimate gen bikes moved to freewheel drivetrains to more accurately reproduce the feel of road cycling. Most importantly, though, all the Cycleops bikes featured their famous PowerTap technology, which allows you to train accurately and efficiently using wattage output. Resistance adjustment is still done manually via a knob, so they’re not “smart” in the common sense, but the smartness only makes those bikes more sophisticated and fun to use in some scenarios, with the most effective element being the power meter.
All the Cycleops bikes connect via ANT+ to a head unit for bike data readout (i.e. power, cadence, speed), and will display heart rate when a heart rate sensor is paired as well.
I don’t know where you’re located, but here are two on eBay in the UK, Phantom being the final iteration of the series, and the 300 Pro a 2nd gen bike. Also, disregard the comment on the Phantom saying a subscription to Rouvy is required; it is not:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114927497...UAAOSwzQ5hEBsz
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133837701...EAAOSwxJxhCWDb
Don’t bother I had one and was forced to sell it. The Phantom 5 had servo motor resistance which was not very linear and lagged behind the software. Really suffered from cadence drop lockup, if cadenced dropped resistance really piled on until were forced to stop pedaling. Only software which recognizes it is Rouvy and it is not fe-c capable which limits any other software from controlling the unit. Virtual shifting is not intuitive and realistic. Replacement parts are very difficult to source.
Amazing tech for the times but unfortunately like many tech forward products does not age well.