# Wheel-less trainer?



## doah (Sep 25, 2005)

watching the tour prologue today and they scanned the pit area. There was a cyclist warming up on a trainer with no rear wheel. Is there a product out there that doesn't require the use of a rear wheel? Seemed like the chain was attached to a small flywheel.
Seems like a great idea... no wear and tear on tires.
Anyone know what this is? Brand, etc...


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## Keski (Sep 25, 2004)

it's from Lemond Fitness

https://www.lemondfitness.com/product_listing/19/revolution-bike-trainer


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## DesnaePhoto (Jun 11, 2009)

Interesting. Very interesting. Though it looks LOUD.


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## doah (Sep 25, 2005)

Yes! great concept. It appears to have an optional power meter/HR setup.
wonder what this one will sell for on the street?

Thanks Keski!


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## davebpure (Jul 3, 2010)

*its the real deal*

LeMond Fitness is my client and we just launched the Revolution on the website which should be for sale sometime in August or Sept. The price will be between $400 and $500 and they will have a Pilot Power Meter that allows you to measure Watts. It will be wireless. This is a new type of Bike Trainer that simulates real road feel. 

You can put your name on a list to be contacted as soon as it comes avaiable.

Dave - PURE
http://www.puredesigngroup.com


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## doah (Sep 25, 2005)

Thanks Dave. Question... The Pilot Power meter is an added option? Or will it come with the trainer for the stated price?


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## davebpure (Jul 3, 2010)

hey doah, sorry my post didn't make that clear. it will be an separate accessory available in the fall. not sure on the price of that.


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## doah (Sep 25, 2005)

Thanks again Dave.
I'm a trainer junkie and this product solves a lot of issues for me. My only concern was loosing the ability to use my Powertap wheel... with that option it's a better setup.


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

Just sent in my dealer inquiry. That is a cool trainer!


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## Keski (Sep 25, 2004)




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## DesnaePhoto (Jun 11, 2009)

Sounds loud. How does the noise compare with a Kurt Kinetic? Though this looks VERY cool!!!!!! Something very different.


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

My dealer pack is on its way!


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## rbart4506 (Aug 4, 2004)

Looks cool...Good idea...Too loud for home use...Mate it to a fluid resistance unit and you got yourself a winner...


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## strathconaman (Jul 3, 2003)

Is it me or is it strange that:

1. The bike on the trainer was manufactured by a company Lemond just sued.

2. The whole webpage and trainer are in black and yellow. Does it say "livestrong" on it somewhere?


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

strathconaman said:


> Is it me or is it strange that:
> 
> 1. The bike on the trainer was manufactured by a company Lemond just sued.
> 
> 2. The whole webpage and trainer are in black and yellow. Does it say "livestrong" on it somewhere?


Silly me. I forgot that Sir Lancelot invented the black and yellow combination. I'm sure Livestrong has a patent on it as well.


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## strathconaman (Jul 3, 2003)

PlatyPius said:


> Silly me. I forgot that Sir Lancelot invented the black and yellow combination. I'm sure Livestrong has a patent on it as well.


It's not that Greg CAN'T use yellow and black, it's just that he might have avoided using these colours. He is trying to sell his wares to a cycling public that may associate yellow and black with some OTHER winner of the TDF.

You would never see a photo of Contador out for a sunday ride on his Trek, even if he really liked the bike.

Greg needs to build a brand, and using the colours of the other guy isn't going to help with brand recognition.


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## ZoSoSwiM (Mar 7, 2008)

Interesting trainer.. I don't really like it though. Unless it were to work with my Garmin 705 without any special settings I'll pass.


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## lacofdfireman (May 2, 2010)

I was actually surprised at how low it is according to the above Garmin video... But then again most wind or fan trainers are loud... Well there goes my idea for that one.. I am looking for an indoor trainer for my wife and I. I have been looking at the Spin bikes like the Revmaster and such but they are big bucks. Guess I will keep looking...


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## Keski (Sep 25, 2004)

Write up and photos at cyclingnews

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/garmin-transitions-warming-up-on-new-lemond-trainer


Revolution trainer doesn't require a rear wheel
Garmin-Transitions riders are using an interesting new trainer to warm up before time trials at this year's Tour de France from LeMond Fitness.

Unlike usual stationary trainers, the new Revolution omits the rear wheel entirely in favor of its own dedicated drive unit that includes a cassette of your choosing (LeMond says it's compatible with 8-11-speed cassettes from Shimano, SRAM, or Campagnolo and 130mm or 135mm OLD), a toothed low-maintenance (and presumably quiet!) serpentine belt drive, and an enormous encased resistance fan that doubles as a high-inertia flywheel – simply remove the wheel, drop the rear of the bike on to the trainer, tighten the skewer, and start pedaling.

For Garmin-Transitions mechanics, this means not having to carry an entire team's worth of dedicated trainer wheels and one fewer step to carry out when the rider is ready to head to the start house. However, team physiologist Adrie van Diemen cites its more realistic feel, saying that the riders have less of a need to adjust the timing of their muscles as opposed to being out on the open road.

"The idea behind this is that when you're riding on the road, you have inertia and so you have acceleration and deceleration in every pedal stroke," he said. "That gives you the 'feel' of cycling."

Granted, we've heard that numerous times before and it's still unclear at this point exactly what makes the Revolution different in that respect but its other features alone make it an interesting item: consumers will no longer have to worry about tearing up expensive race-quality tires, mountain bikers can use their standard machines (sorry, quick-release 135mm OLD only) without having to worry about the rumbling of knobbies, and the complete setup will also take up a bit less room.

Moreover, the rear axle's lower height makes wheel risers a thing of the past as the bike sits perfectly level when the front wheel is sitting directly on the ground and while louder than magnetic or fluid units we've tried in the past, the giant progressive wind resistance unit doesn't make nearly as much noise as we were expecting it to.
We've also heard that LeMond will offer an optional power-measuring add-on, too.

Potential downsides include the cost (we're still waiting on a suggested retail though given the amount of hardware included, it's likely to be quite high – and the cassette's not included), the possibility of having to readjust shifting adjustment on today's more finicky drivetrains (or swapping cassettes for multiple bikes running different transmissions), and storage. As the LeMond Revolution doesn't fold at all, it's going to take up a lot of room when it's not in use or when stowed in the back of your car on the way to an event.

We're slated to receive a test sample around late August so we'll hopefully have a proper review ready to publish shortly thereafter.


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## ebarker9 (Dec 3, 2006)

Article now lists a $429 cost with 10 speed cassette...not cheap, but not terrible either. I like the idea of eliminating the silly frictional tire interface that most trainers use.


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## PhysioJoe (May 6, 2008)

ebarker9 said:


> Article now lists a $429 cost with 10 speed cassette...not cheap, but not terrible either. I like the idea of eliminating the silly frictional tire interface that most trainers use.


Wait, so the frictional interface is silly? Is it more or less silly compared to, say, the frictional interface between that same tire and the road you ride on? What makes this interface so laughable?

For me the product is being different for the sake of being different. After countless thousands of winter miles on a Powertap+Fluid 2, I can't imagine a single way my life would improve with the Lemond unit.

-Physiojoe


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## ebarker9 (Dec 3, 2006)

PhysioJoe said:


> Wait, so the frictional interface is silly? Is it more or less silly compared to, say, the frictional interface between that same tire and the road you ride on? What makes this interface so laughable?
> 
> For me the product is being different for the sake of being different. After countless thousands of winter miles on a Powertap+Fluid 2, I can't imagine a single way my life would improve with the Lemond unit.
> 
> -Physiojoe


Well, I may have been overstating things a bit, but I do think that this has the potential to be an improvement over the tire/roller friction interface. I have a Kurt setup that I've used for a couple of seasons now and the main things that bug me are: inconsistent from session to session (mainly an issue with trying to quantify workouts based on rear wheel speed, which the Powertap would largely eliminate), the need to fiddle around with the pressure of the drum on the tire each time you use it, wearing a flat spot on a perfectly good tire, and vibration that you can get from uneven tire wear as well as rubber buildup on the roller itself. I think that the Lemond design is a reasonable attempt at addressing these issues. A huge improvement? Probably not, but I think the design has some merit.


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

PhysioJoe said:


> Wait, so the frictional interface is silly? Is it more or less silly compared to, say, the frictional interface between that same tire and the road you ride on? What makes this interface so laughable?
> 
> For me the product is being different for the sake of being different. After countless thousands of winter miles on a Powertap+Fluid 2, I can't imagine a single way my life would improve with the Lemond unit.
> 
> -Physiojoe


Well, there's that whole "ruining a tire by not going anywhere" thing.


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## feathers mcgraw (Mar 15, 2002)

*Reviewed*

Here you go guys. Reviewed, power curve measured:

http://nyvelocity.com/content/equipment/2010/lemond-revolution-trainer

http://nyvelocity.com/content/equipment/2010/duplicating-road-feel-indoors


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## davebpure (Jul 3, 2010)

Just wanted to let you guys know that the LeMond Revolution™ Bike Trainer is available for pre-order now on the LeMond Fitness website and will start shipping October 29th. $499 w/o cassette and $549 with 10 speed cassette. Power Pilot will be available around Christmas for $349 and is available for pre-order as-well.

The Revolution is being offer with a 30 Tough Love Promise.
Try the LeMond Revolution for 30 days and give it your toughest workout. If you aren't satisfied, you can return it for for a full refund *

*Refund includes purchase price plus outgoing shipping cost to customer. Product must be returned in original shipping box and return shipping cost is not included

Enjoy - PDG


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