BikeErg Turbo Flywheel Retrofit

[argaudette]

I recently picked up a BikeErg and was looking through Concept2's site for documents on maintenance and stumbled across this "Turbo Flywheel" retrofit document for the BikeErg. Did a quick search for the part number mentioned, it did not come up on shop.concept2.com. I didn't find any mention of this part anywhere other than this one document. I'm wondering is this something planned for the future?

https://www.concept2.com/files/pdf/us/b ... trofit.pdf

Taking a close look at the pictures in the document, it appears the center of the flywheel is coned on the turbo and completely open on the standard flywheel. I assume this would allow less air into the flywheel housing making the resistance at similar damper settings less? But I am not sure on that. It would make sense as the BikeErg resistance makes it difficult for a lot of people to sustain 100rpm even on the lowest damper setting. Anyone else stumble across this?

[johnlvs2run]

I can't tell what they're doing from the photos, installing a smaller flywheel?
You could easily just cover up a part of the flywheel housing to lower the resistance without doing all that.

The drag factor on mine already goes down to 40 with no change, and I usually use it at 60.
I put a furnace filter on the outside, which lowered the highest settings, but didn't change the lowest ones.

However, using something solid like roofing paper would greatly change all of the settings.

[RR]

Like the Ergo, play with the drag factor.
I started of at DF60 but found that when I was doing fast intervals I wasn’t comfy in the saddle.
I upped it to 140 so I could feel as if I was working a bit harder and maintains 65 - 75 rpm depending on sessions
Personally I can’t see why you would want to spin it at 100rpm but each to their own.
I won’t criticise

[argaudette]

I am not interested in a lighter damper setting for myself. I am quite comfortable spinning at lower cadences, I am used to hilly mountain biking, not road riding. Spending some time training at higher RPMs(100+) can be useful, just like spending time training at 60rpm can be useful but you probably won't ride on the road at 60rpm very often. I am perfectly happy with the damper range on the BikeErg as is, but I am would think there are many people that don't have enough strength to sustain 100rpm at any damper setting.

I was just curious as to the purpose of this and what it is. If you look closely at Photo E it shows the stock flywheel with a completely open center. If you look at Photo F and Photo A it shows the "turbo flywheel" with the coned center.

[CaseyClarke]

I recently picked up a BikeErg and was looking through Concept2's site for documents on maintenance and stumbled across this "Turbo Flywheel" retrofit document for the BikeErg. Did a quick search for the part number mentioned, it did not come up on shop.concept2.com. I didn't find any mention of this part anywhere other than this one document. I'm wondering is this something planned for the future?

https://www.concept2.com/files/pdf/us/b ... trofit.pdf

Taking a close look at the pictures in the document, it appears the center of the flywheel is coned on the turbo and completely open on the standard flywheel. I assume this would allow less air into the flywheel housing making the resistance at similar damper settings less? But I am not sure on that. It would make sense as the BikeErg resistance makes it difficult for a lot of people to sustain 100rpm even on the lowest damper setting. Anyone else stumble across this?

Correct. It allows for a lower low, but also a higher high. On my old BikeErg model the flywheel was completely open and the drag ranges were 50 on minimum to about 210 on max. I now have the cone shaped flywheel and get 40 on minimum and 235 on maximum. I don’t really need the extra top end drag, but it’s good to have it there anyway. The lower bottom end is helpful if I’m wanting to do higher cadence recovery work and not put out excess watts.

[argaudette]

Interesting. I must have the new flywheel on my BikeErg then. I tested DF range and I think it was 42-223.

When did they make the change? I think my bike was delivered to store in January of this year as there was a couple short workouts on the PM5 from then.

[johnlvs2run]

My Bikeerg's original range as of August 7th was 45 (correction, not 40) to 239,

[CaseyClarke]

Interesting. I must have the new flywheel on my BikeErg then. I tested DF range and I think it was 42-223.

When did they make the change? I think my bike was delivered to store in January of this year as there was a couple short workouts on the PM5 from then.

Not sure exactly. Think the newer ones have been available for close to a year. Think there were complaints that the lowest setting on the older model (around 50 drag) wasn’t quite low enough for some people, so hence why they made the adjustment.

[RR]

Just checked mine.
Top end 235, bottom end 42

[argaudette]

Just double checked mine and it was 42-225. Also took a look inside the flywheel housing and the newer coned flywheel is inside.

[Dreadnought]

Are all of the New Bike Ergs equipped with this new flywheel?

[CaseyClarke]

Are all of the New Bike Ergs equipped with this new flywheel?

As far as I know, yes! So drag ranges will typically be Df 40-240, rather than 50-210 in the older models.

[jelekan]

I picked up a 2018 bikeerg, it doesn't have the coned flywheel. In terms of excersise, what would I be missing?