Well here it is, my review of the Cycleops H2 Smart Trainer.
Before I get into the H2 trainer, I thought it relevant to first fill you in on my training background in relation to indoor training and trainers in general. This might give you some insight into my ‘credential’ if that be the relevant phrase.
I started training indoors roughly 8 years ago, whereby I had my trusty road bike attached to a Jetblack Z1 fluid trainer. Back then, my training was based on heart rate zones given to me by a coach, whilst listening to music on stereo nearby. It was a lesson in persistence and boredom conquering, all whilst staring at my Garmin 500 screen. The sytem worked well and I had one of the best years in MTB XC racing.
My coach then moved on and started using Coaching DVD’s by a guy named Graeme Street. (Cyclocore) I was still on the Jetblack and still using heartrate, but now mixed in some PRE. It was after using Graeme’s videos for a few years, that I decided to upgrade to a KK Road Machine, and starting using virtual power with Graeme’s videos and …TrainerRoad.
TrainerRoad back then was a different beast then it is now, and wasn’t even available on ios or android. Just PC. My setup was now PC, Cyclocore downloaded videos, KK Road Machine and TrainerRoad virtual power.
I thought the JB Z1 was a great trainer until I moved up to the KK. The KK definitley is the king of fluid ‘dumb’ trainers. I didn’t realise the JB had a sort of restriction to the resistance, but moving to the KK, I now noticed it was like pedaling with your brakes slightly engaged. The KK ramped up nicely and maintained a smooth power curve regardless of the resistancy.
I stayed with the KK for a few years, but then decided to dip my feet into the world of smart trainers with a TACX Vortex. This was my first smart trainer, and It was great; no more changing gears and having to strongly focus on the screen and cadence to keep my targets in check. I could now just bury myself, knowing everything was keeping inline with the set watts.
But alas, not all was perfect, I soon realised that with smart trainers, comes a heap of teething problems. These problems do not go well with time restricted training. Having to sort out Bluetooth, ANT+, ERG, resistance problems and mid ride calibrations not completing, etc, etc. I would sometimes just lose my shit and give up. I even had issues with my erg power just not follow the target power.
This really started to give me the sh!ts. I was running ANT+ over PC on the TR App. Several weeks into it, I discovered the accuracy of Bluetooth control of the Vortex on my mobile app of TR. This was due to my laptop not being available at the time, but I still wanted to train. Bluetooth control over the vortex made a world of difference.
This was a big game changer for me, and now my training was problem free. Problem free training makes consistent training. The only issue I had was having to consider what gear to be in for the ramp test, as sometimes the trainer would top out unless I changed down a few gears.
This really sucks when you are not looking at the screen during the ramp test, because you are chewing off your stem trying to achieve the best ftp results you can, only to look up and see that the power hasn’t changed in the last 90-120 seconds. This is because your trainers resistance had topped out. A few gear changes in the first few ramps usually solves this. The Vortex has been a great trainer, and I have enjoyed training with it; once the teething problems were sorted. I have still have the Vortex, and have donated it to my wife for her training.
Now for the H2;
I have only done 2 sessions so far, 1x ramp test to dial in my trainers based FTP, and my first midweek workout. The first thing I noticed over the wheel on is the reduced noise, it’s like really quiet. The whine you hear on YouTube videos is over stated. It is nothing like DC Rainmakers videos. (he states that trainer noises are hard to present in videos) Whilst the whine is there, it does not sound like a jet engine. This was one of my main concerns prior to buying the trainer, and I am glad I decided to ignore the reviews and see, or hear for myself.
The second thing I noticed immediately was the roll on… or spin down as some people might call it. This thing just spins for ever, and really does give a crazy road like feel. So much so, that anything under 100 watts feels like you are over spinning, and need to take into account the freewheeling when light pedaling; just like on the road on the flats in an easy gear.
The ride on the H2 is super smooth, I mean smooth in the fact that it doesn’t feel like you are always having to pedal to make sure the trainer is spinning, which is the case with fluid trainers, and the Vortex. I can imagine doing a long slow climb on this thing would feel exactly like climbing on a smooth road outside. I only wish I had this trainer prior to my trip to Canada in 2017 for Single track 6. I might not have suffered soo much from those brutal long climbs.
The H2 is easy to setup on Rouvy app for calibration and firmware updates, though you need an iOS device for the firmware updates. It links up with TR each and every time without fail. It’s super stable thanks to adjustable feet, and requires absolutely no assembly. Just take out of the box, pull legs out, adjust to your floor, put on cassette (This again is overstated as an issue on youtube, but I believe everyone has a spare somewhere, or knows someone who has) and, mount bike and you are away.
The other complaint is no supply of a skewer… hello… you have one on the bike you are mounting; it’s not as if you will be using it for anything.
Most reviews I read like to have a Pro and Cons section; and I know it’s only early days (4 in fact) but at this point in time, I can’t think of a con. If I had to be precise, I would say that it doesn’t track my power as smoothly in ERG mode as the Vortex, but this is my OCD kicking in for a pretty looking power graph, and also the fact that the trainers a little more realistic with power numbers, then my smoothed out Vortex. It is also a little more realistic, because who can really keep dead on a power figure that smoothly. 
Whilst things have come along way with my pain cave; I now have a dedicated LCD tv mounted to the wall, training laptop, Bluetooth sport headphones, industrial fan, and now a shiny new top of the wozza smart trainer. So far, I am very happy with my purchase. If you do a good percentage of your training indoors, and you are in the market for an upgrade or thinking about a H2; just do it, I dont think you will regret it.
pete