Training software Kinomap first came to our attention at Interbike, when we found it attached to Wahoo Fitness' KICKR power trainer. At last week's Cycle Show we got the chance to delve deeper into how it actually works.
Its basic premise is for users to record ride videos and upload them to a network, the result being a library for cyclists around the world to use for indoor training.
Videos can be recorded with any camera or smartphone, but a GPS function is essential as co-ordinates are used to calculate data such as gradients. This means you'll need a helmet camera such as ContourGPS or Contour 2, a smartphone such as the iPhone or a standard camera with a GPS data logger.
Indoor riders can select any video (we were given Alpe d'Huez to try at the Cycle Show), connect it to a 'KICKR' (more on that below) and train according to the difficulty of a climb, with the resistance of the trainer being automatically adjusted to match. The goal is to maintain the tempo of the cyclist in the video.
The Wahoo Fitness KICKR is said to be the world's first iPhone powered trainer, and has an electromagnetic resistance unit that's wirelessly controlled via Bluetooth or ANT . In the case of Kinomap, the cue is taken from the terrain in the video, with high resistance being replicated on steep climbs but the option to coast on descents.
The KICKR is built using a direct drive system instead of a tyre-driven roller, with a 12-27T SRAM/Shimano cassette included. It also has a power sensor in the hub for more detailed training feedback. The retail price will be US$999 when it becomes available in January 2013.
Software such as Kinomap brings out the best in trainers such as Wahoo Fitness' KICKR
