Anybody have any intel on the 4iiii Fliiiight?
I ordered one on Nov 22 from CT with ships in “5-7 business days” status. Nothing yet and all they will say is that their shipment is delayed. 4iiii website is now stating that they ship in Jan 2020. DCR was supposed to post his big post weeks ago and nothing. A few people on his first look thread say they got theirs but first impressions aren’t looking great…
Hoping they are just working through a couple firmware issues…
DCR Tweeted his unit had some issue, hence, he wasn’t able to put on a proper test and had to send it back.
There was an LBS that hosted a launch party or trial just weeks ago. I was interested in going until my schedule didnt line up. I can ask again if they have the unit so I can do a test.
I too love the idea.
I’m in the same boat as you. I was intrigued by silent, wheel on, no damage to tire, battery operation for race warm up, lighter in weight than my dumb trainer. But I don’t enjoy being a new product guinea pig and this delay isn’t comforting.
Looks like DCR review should drop tomorrow. Very interested to see what if he thinks they will pull it together by the time they ship (and when that will actually be.)
Looks like DCR review should drop tomorrow. Very interested to see what if he thinks they will pull it together by the time they ship (and when that will actually be.)
I dont see any announcement of some sort though he posted a review of the Kickr Bike
It was on a comment (number 135) of his first look post here: https://www.dcrainmaker.com/...irst-look-specs.html
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I mean, it’s a slightly modified version of the stac zero halcyon so it shouldn’t give too much trouble. I’ve got one of those for the past 15 months that’s been working flawlessly.
Looks like the main issue is that they got rid of wheel weights and can only create a good experience at low wattages now
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I’m in the same boat as you. I was intrigued by silent, wheel on, no damage to tire, battery operation for race warm up, lighter in weight than my dumb trainer. But I don’t enjoy being a new product guinea pig and this delay isn’t comforting.
This seems like the perfect product. But I am so scared of reliability that I’ll hold it for at least a year.
DCR’s review is now up . The “target user” limitations of the Fliiiight look like they will doom the product. There may be another application for the technology, but, sadly, this doesn’t look like the right one.
John
Looks like the main issue is that they got rid of wheel weights and can only create a good experience at low wattages now
I’d like to try a set of those wheel weights with my cheap, dumb fluid trainer. The lack of inertia is a bit of bummer.
DCR’s review is now up . The “target user” limitations of the Fliiiight look like they will doom the product. There may be another application for the technology, but, sadly, this doesn’t look like the right one.
John
Hmm. Doesn’t Cody Beals ride on one of these? No way it works well for him based on the “targeting user with an FTP of 250”. The inability for Ray to get it above 500w without going over 120rpm is definitely concerning.
I think the big issue is how close the pods have to get to the rim. It is possible to get more power out of it but the wheel has to be really true and then you can tweak it in the firmware to make it run to higher power by allowing the pods to get much closer to the wheel. So Cody may have a special case that works for him with assistance from the home office.
DCR’s review is now up . The “target user” limitations of the Fliiiight look like they will doom the product. There may be another application for the technology, but, sadly, this doesn’t look like the right one.
John
agreed. that’s quite a limitation for a smart trainer. honestly I think DCR was being kind in his review.
I wonder if more magnets would provide more resistance. I’d imagine it would, but then you may run into problems with un-true wheels and rubbing.
Cody rode the STAC, I haven’t seen anything about him switching to 4iiii. The loss of wheel weights with the new one seems to be the big limiting factor of the Fliiiight.
Cancelled my order, doesn’t help me get a different trainer at black friday prices though…
This trainer is absolutely DOA. Agree he was being nice. Completely bizarre they went to market with this kind of a limitation.
Looks like the main issue is that they got rid of wheel weights and can only create a good experience at low wattages now
I’d like to try a set of those wheel weights with my cheap, dumb fluid trainer. The lack of inertia is a bit of bummer.
Fill your tire with water.
The big issue for wheel weights is going to be that the flywheel you are creating is likely to be unbalanced (note how even car wheel/tires need to be balanced with clipon lead weights). To the extent placement is off, the wheel is out of round, etc. you will have vibration.
Despite the limitations highlighted in Ray’s review, I didn’t cancel my order b/c my FTP is low enough I figured I’d check it out for myself. Below is what I posted on the review page after spending the day messing with the trainer.
In my experience, the unit doesn’t work at all. When turned on, the arms do the initial movement. After that, nothing. It supplies no resistance of any kind.
The 4iiii android ap installed on 4 different devices won’t pair to it (find = yes, pair = no), though Fliiiight’s blue light is in steady mode which website says is ready to pair. All devices were cycled into / out of airplane mode. Like I said, the ap finds the device but only endlessly “searches†for the connection. (Yes, location is enabled).
Zwift on PC with ant+ (a setup that works fine with my Snap) finds the Fliiiight as a PM and a Controllable Trainer, however the game picks up no signal from the Fliiiight (my avatar won’t move). Instead, pairing my Quark with Zwift, my avatar moves but the still paired Fliiiight controllable trainer provides zero resistance.
Wheel passes magnet test. Device magnets appear to be suitably aligned.
Can anyone offer a solution or do I just box it up for a return? And does anyone know how to get free return shipping on a faulty item?
In my experience, the unit doesn’t work at all.
2019 continues to be the worst year ever for indoor trainers.
imo, if something doesn’t work ‘Apple’ or ‘Google’ easy then pack it up and launch it straight back to where it came from at full speed.