TechnoGym MyCycling review

The Italian manufacturer of pro gym equipment may not be on many cyclists’ radar yet but it does have history having sponsored the MG-Technogym team in the mid-1990s, for which Paolo Bettini made his professional debut.

Its new MyCycling trainer is expensive, more so than most competitors, but it shows. It’s the best looking – though of course that’s always subjective – made of glossy, curvaceous, cast aluminium rather than plastic.

Everything about it is smooth, plush and Italianate. Via Technogym the turbo’s metamorphosis from instrument of torture to luxury item is complete.

Whereas other smart trainers come in big cardboard boxes, the MyCycling comes in a chic black carry case that, given the monster weight of the average direct-drive smart trainer, is actually very useful if you want to transport it.

Having said that, the MyCycling is relatively light at 18kg but no less stable than the others in use for it, probably because of its robust fold-out legs.

Watch: Fat burning HIIT session

Technogym supplies an 11-speed Miche cassette (on a Shimano-pattern freehub), skewer and tool-free end caps for 130mm, 135mm and 142 thru-axle rear ends. These come in their own presentation case like a box of expensive chocolates.

Like the other smart turbos, Technogym has its own MyCycling app, which offers comprehensive data including pedal stroke analysis in-ride through an optical sensor – though we have to admit we did not discover where this feature was both during the ride and after – and of course firmware updates.

There are paid-for workouts devised by Ivan Basso and via the app you can even engage a real-life coach.

With Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity the MyCycling pairs with third-party apps. Sharing rides with Strava and Garmin Connect is also possible, though in a 15-minute ride the iPhone Strava app claimed that our maximum elevation was 24,324ft.

The MyCycling appeared to connect perfectly with Zwift as a ‘controllable trainer’, but although the other data was accurate – speed dropping as gradient increased etc – Zwift didn’t control the resistance as it should.

An email from Technogym explained that the MyCycling app must be used to connect the unit to Zwift – it won’t fully work if you pair the unit alone.

To sum up, the MyCycling is the classiest trainer here and the most expensive, but not the most powerful and not the most intuitive to set up and use.

If money was no object we may well pick the Technogym over its competitors such as the Tacx Neo, Wahoo Kickr and CycleOps Hammer, but it’s hard to justify the extra spend.