Nice... sunset shots.

It's a beast of a unit to ride. I've had one set at 100W and attempted to ride with my wife (her FTP being about 100W lower than mine)... and it did my head in! She was dropping me up small climbs. So in that respect, it does the job.

What's the 100W max resistance like when it's engaged? It's fine. It feels like what it is - a heavy front wheel. Around 9mins into this video I take a 90deg corner no hands with it applying 100W https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDaUISgMSYE No issues with safety/handling.

It's been a year since I've had the 'new' unit, so this isn't cutting edge new tech. They need to get to work on a compatible Connect IQ app or similar to remove the requirement for the BLE/ANT+ bridge and smart phone control. Programmed workouts would be brilliant regardless of the head unit (bike computer or phone).

Price is usually the most commented point. Disc brake compatibility will also have to be on the cards.

There's my 2c.

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Shane Miller - GPLama
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Quick question: that resistance has to generate heat somewhere so where does that heat go? One thing I fear is putting one of these on a carbon fiber fork and heating up the resin in the fork. Did you ever feel the hub or fork after a long ride?

Good question. I didn't feel the fork or the unit post ride, no. I'd take a guess that where it's located it'd be getting a ton of ventilation. 2nd guess will be the bike/wheel/etc are subjected to a LOT more heat during manufacture and in the summer heat.

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Shane Miller - GPLama
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So dumb.

Just put Tufos or Gatorskins on...or wear a big floppy jersey/jacket...or both. Want to ride with your SO and he/she isn't as fast as you? I'd rather buy a tandem for that same price. Would get TONS more use out of it.

Seems a bit of overkill for attempting to solve the "problem" of "I'm too fast for my training partners" :-/

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

I wonder if it could work to provide an "erg" mode for rollers.

Who wants to ride a tandem?

Sure...but, due to the "resistance multiplication effect" of curved contact patches, one could do the same with tire and pressure selection. Plus, many rollers have resistance units you can use that I'm sure cost significantly less.

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Me! It's a blast...especially off-road :-)

And you never have to wait for your riding partner ;-)

Don't knock it if you haven't tried it...

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

It's only generating a max of 100W of braking so there's not all that much heat to be disipated. I expect direct ventilation would be enough to prevent anything from becoming excessively hot even at max resistance.
Ever feel the resistance unit on a fluid trainer after a session? I typically average about 190-230W for a session and the resistance unit on my KK Road Machine (yep, a dumb trainer) will be warm afterwards but probably no more than 40degC. Sure it's got more mass and cooling fins to improve heat transfer, a 1hr session provides enough time that mass isn't helping and there's very little forced convection from my fan - it's pointing at me, not the resistance unit. I think a front wheel hub with some surface area should be able to dissipate 100W without reaching high temperatures.


Having said that. I don't think this hub is an attractive idea for almost anyone!

I can't imagine anything more likely to put me off going for a ride than being robbed of the satisfaction of the bike responding "enthusiastically" to my efforts. I think I'd nearly prefer to be on a trainer. Cycling is not just physical, it's psychological too. The psychological cost of this would be too high, nevermind the colossal financial cost.

Honestly, I'm the perfect application for one of these. I live somewhat close to the West Orange Trail which is really ideal for riding 15-20mph but no faster. I can't take my TT bike out there in race trim or even with gatorskins BUT with one of these hubs I could train on the trail on my TT bike in a TT position and ride safely (and not have to worry about cars).

But would it not be soul destroyingly frustrating?
I suppose if you're looking at power figures and treat it like a trainer, I might be able to tolerate it, but I'm not convinced. Still, the price makes it utterly unthinkable.

Interesting - when I did 2x20s on mine (more like 240-250w though) it would be painful to leave your finger on for more than a second or so. It could definitely get proper hot.

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The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

I ran into the inventor of the AirHub earlier this year and we got chatting about how the concept came about. One of the key reasons it got invented was actually safety. The guy who invented it and some of the people he coaches are very strong riders and its simply not possible to be doing tempo efforts in their area when that results in 40+ km/h speeds. The Air Hub solves that problem.

The only problem with it (if $$$ is not a factor) is if you are chasing strava segments. Outside of that it serves it purpose very well