John Wilson, Wattbike co-founder, explains how the indoor cycle has established a strong and successful foothold in both sport and fitness markets, and what lies ahead for the brand.

What was the vision for the Wattbike?
We wanted to create a cycle ergometer that could transform indoor cycling. Our vision was an indoor bike that could be used by everyone from elite athletes aiming for Olympic gold medals through to recreational users who simply wanted fitness gains. At one extreme we saw the Wattbike as a talent identification device for the sport of cycling and at the other a time-efficient training tool.

How did the development process evolve?
British Cycling’s head of performance at the time, Peter Keen, highlighted that the key reason for the organisation’s aversion to indoor bikes was that existing products provided an all-round poor experience in terms of accuracy, reliability and ride feel. We were tasked to develop an indoor bike that accurately and reliably measured power and would play a fundamental part in the future success of British Cycling.

How were the early adopters with the bike?
Our prototypes were integrated into British Cycling’s talent ID and testing programmes from the beginning.

Confidence in the Wattbike at the highest levels within the organisation saw the product rolled out on a nationwide talent ID search, with Laura Trott being just one of many high-profile future World and Olympic Champions to be spotted on one of our prototypes.

How key is accuracy to the Wattbike offer?
Universities and sport scientists started to test the credentials of the Wattbike from launch. We welcomed this (and still do today) as it provides us with a genuine differentiator from competitors. We are confident through rigorous, independent and open research that the Wattbike is accurate to +/-2 per cent. Reinforcing these credentials on accuracy is the use of the Wattbike as the frontline screening tool for UK Sport across their talent identification programmes as it delivers accurate, reliable and repeatable data around the physiology of each individual.

Do the Wattbike’s credentials in elite sport transfer to the health and fitness industry?
Elite sport really bought into the quality and reliability of the data recorded by the Wattbike. Being able to compare performance development through testing and training both on an individual and group basis has been invaluable to athletes and coaches alike. And meaningful, accurate data has been the one thing largely missing from the health and fitness industry. However, in today’s data-driven world we know that members want to be able to analyse their performance and track progress.

The value of measuring power as a key metric within the industry is coming to the fore. We’re experts when it comes to power as it’s the one metric that’s been core to the Wattbike from day one. Add in a live pedalling technique measurement and a left/right leg power measurement and you have an indoor bike like no other.

We haven’t compromised on any aspect of the product for the health and fitness industry; the Wattbike that you see on the gym floor is exactly the same product as the Wattbike being used by UK Sport to search for the next Olympic gold medallist.

What has been the reaction to the Wattbike from the industry?
Initially the health and fitness industry was understandably conservative about how the product would fit into their offering as the Wattbike was a break from the norm of a regular ‘exercise’ bike. The reaction in recent years has been nothing short of phenomenal. We’re seeing a real hunger from the large operators, club managers and personal trainers in having the Wattbike on the gym floor and in studios.

This is a response to the demands of prospective and new members who are very vocal about wanting to use a Wattbike. We get a real thrill from regularly hearing that members have joined a specific club simply because they are offering the Wattbike.

Tell us how the Wattbike is being used on the gym floor
Key to acceptance by the industry has been a realisation of the versatility of the Wattbike. It’s as equally at home as a stand-alone piece of functional training equipment as it is in a 30+ Wattbike studio. The reliability and accuracy of the data means that the Wattbike is the go-to tool for health monitoring and fitness tests for many clubs today. Being able to track and illustrate improvements in an easy-to-understand way adds real value to a club’s relationship with members and provides a host of new and additional revenue-generating opportunities.

Operators are also using the Wattbike to unlock the potential to tap into the fast-growing cycling and triathlon sectors. It provides a pathway to participation where a member can train in a safe environment on a Wattbike in preparation for a goal such as a sportive or triathlon.

What does the future hold for the Wattbike?
We recently won Best Training Technology at the Sports Technology Awards which gave us a brief chance to look back on what’s been a fast-moving and exciting journey for the team and the product. In reality, it’s spurred us on to make the Wattbike experience even better. We’re launching our new Power Cycling – Studio Edition software at LIW 2014 and opening up ways for individuals to share all of that fantastic data from the Wattbike.

The health and fitness industry has really bought into the Wattbike just as elite sport did a decade ago. Large operators are making significant investments in rolling it out nationally, while wellbeing organisations are adopting our test protocols as standard. All of this is driven by members though, and we know that they are finding the Wattbike to be the most effective and efficient training solution. We’re incredibly excited about where this journey will take us next.