Technogym Mycycling trainer

£1,790, technogym.com

f Harrods sold turbo trainers they’d probably look a lot like this. And, in fact, they do.

‘Like all Technogym equipment we weren’t content with just making a functionally brilliant turbo trainer, but one that also looks the part,’ says Technogym’s Alex Bennett. ‘Historically we have sold through Harrods as well as other sporting outlets, and the Mycycling turbo will follow suit.’

Even if you’re not aware of Technogym the chances are you’ve seen it somewhere before – either in rows of silver and yellow-accented gym equipment or as title sponsor of the MG Maglifico-technogym team in the mid-90s, which starred Gianni Bugno and Michele Bartoli. The Mycycling turbo therefore marks something of a renaissance for a brand steeped in Italian sporting tradition, but which has been conspicuously absent from pure road cycling.

Taking its cues from the high-end turbo market, the Mycycling is a direct-drive turbo trainer that syncs to your phone via the proprietary Mycycling app. It offers the usual metrics, including power (+/-1% claimed accuracy), but adds left-right power readout and pedalling analysis, which can be used to help improve pedalling technique. Resistance is created via magnets and controlled using your phone, which can be positioned on bars or stem with the supplied mount. Set-up is a cinch – there’s no assembly required, the legs simply fold in and out for storage – and the system comes with a range of adapters for thru-axle frames as well as quick release. Early trials in the Cyclist office proved build quality to be exceptional, the Mycycling feeling and sounding like one of the most stable and quiet turbo trainers we’ve yet tested. Usability was intuitive, if perhaps a little limited at this stage. The app comes with preset training programs such as threshold tests or daily sessions, as well as what is essentially a ‘freestyle’ mode. Users can’t as yet create their own training sessions but Technogym says it is working on a subscription-based service where users receive bespoke training programs from coaches. Likewise Strava compatibility is on the way, as is Zwift interactivity. Still, it’s estimated that 35 million people use a piece of Technogym equipment every day, so we’d back the company to deliver on its promises.