Gear of the week

The CW Tech team ride and rate the latest kit on the market

Xplova Noza S smart trainer £699.99

The Noza S is Xplova’s fullfunction smart trainer and sits in the very competitive mid-price market up against some established players. There are adapters for 135mm quick release or two thru-axle widths. It is also compatible with all main wheel sizes, but the freehub is only standard Shimano/ SRAM compatible and you supply your own cassette.

It has a claimed 2,500 watt maximum resistance, simulates up to an 18 per cent incline, has a power accuracy of +/- 2.5 per cent and a 5.9kg flywheel. Compare those stats to its main rivals, the Wahoo Kickr Core, Elite Drivo and the Tacx Flux S and it beats the Tacx and Wahoo in all barring the Kickr’s power accuracy.

The Noza S connects to devices and third party apps via Bluetooth Smart and ANT+.

The first thing that strikes you is how quietly it runs. Yes, it does weigh north of 17kg and is a pig to move, but on both noise and stability it performs excellently and would be ideal for someone living in a flat.

Ride feel is similar to many direct drive trainers, with a smooth spin-up and run-on. In Zwift, the Noza S delivers a real time reaction to the terrain that is almost on a par with its rivals. Compared against a set of calibrated Garmin Vector 3 pedals, at sub200w it delivered similar numbers, but beyond that it consistently overread by around four per cent. Push harder, especially on sprint efforts, and it grew at times to nearly 10 per cent, which could cause issues.

The Noza S is a trainer that offers a lot of benefits for the average cyclist. It’s quiet, stable, powerful and easy to use. Its over-reading was at least consistent, but the discrepancies in power readings when compared to an on-bike power meter might be enough to put you off.