Premium trainer brand Kinetic, which recently launched Kinetic Fit, its power-based training application, has announced a new video streaming subscription package with The Sufferfest. For US$10 per month, Kinetic Fit users get unlimited access to The Sufferfest’s collection of cycling training videos with officially licensed footage from professional bike races including the Tour de France.
Kinetic has created each corresponding workout in the app with power and cadence targets.
“This really raises the bar for indoor cycle training, especially for people who are short on time or money,” said David Simpson, Kinetic’s Marketing Manager. “The videos are effective and motivating on their own, but streaming them in Kinetic Fit has the added benefit of displaying real-time targets and wattage output.”
The Sufferfest streaming subscription from Kinetic provides unlimited access to 28 expert training videos that target key objectives such as speed, climbing and time trialling. The videos, with sadistic names like ‘The Long Scream’ and ‘A Very Dark Place’, aim to ensure structured and efficient power-based training. By streaming the videos instead of downloading them, ‘users save valuable device storage space and pay a fraction of the cost of purchase.’
Kinetic adds that it is the only brand partner of The Sufferfest to offer such a service. The videos can be viewed via Kinetic Fit on an iOS device, a second screen using an Apple TV, or by direct HDMI input with an adapter. Android subscribers will need Google Chromecast and a television while the Android version of the app is in beta.
The Kinetic Fit app was released in February 2016 in iOS and Android (beta), and is a free download on iTunes or Google Play. Coupled with Kinetic Smart Trainers, it uses Bluetooth Smart technology to transmit wattage output and workout metrics such as heart rate, distance, speed, and cadence while cyclists complete pre-programmed interval workouts written by professional coach Drew Edsall.
In addition to providing ‘the most cost-effective approach to power-based training’, Kinetic has also simplified the ‘getting started’ process for first time users and experienced athletes alike. A dedicated section of its website features step-by-step instructions, videos, and customized support for Kinetic Fit.
All Kinetic Smart Trainers sold through retail since October 2015 are already compatible with the firmware requirements of Kinetic Fit, and Kinetic has a free firmware upgrade program for its Version 1 inRide sensor pods. Kinetic adds that even owners of the earliest generations of Kinetic Rock and Roll or Road Machine trainers can inexpensively retrofit their equipment by purchasing Kinetic’s inRide Sensor Pod (MSRP US$75; or US$130 for sensor pod and BLE heart rate strap).
Kinetic plans to update the Fit app regularly with new workouts, power-training plans, social incentives and added functionality and features, many of which will be open to all app subscribers during the ongoing extended free trial period. Users will automatically receive the updates.
Kinetic, founded in 2000, is a division of Kurt Manufacturing, a leading provider of high quality precision-engineered parts for the zero-tolerance automotive and aviation industries. Kinetic designs, manufactures and distributes premium leak-proof cycling trainers including the Rock and Roll, the first and only side-to-side free-moving fluid trainer.
Using proprietary technology, Kinetic’s inRide Sensor Pod, a standard feature in its Smart trainers, and retrofit option for earlier models, wirelessly measures wattage via the Kinetic Fit power-training application. The free Kinetic Fit app connects athletes to a content-rich world of streaming video, professional coaching, guided workouts, social competition and data analysis.
Kinetic is sold in 36 countries worldwide through a large network of independent bike stores and international distributors.
