With winter weather comes added pounds for most riders. This year I wanted to be proactive and get a leg up on my buddies by riding indoors. Joining a gym in December has helped with that but nothing quite replaces the feeling of riding my bike. After browsing the web for a trainer to purchase, I came across the Real Turbo Muin B+ smart trainer. Elite and their company really impressed me with this trainer and its capabilities. It really seemed to have everything I was looking for and more. But this should be no surprise since Elite has been very involved in the cycling sport for well over 30 years. Sponsoring many teams through the Tour de France, Giro d‘Italia, World Championships, and Paris-Roubaix, it’s clear that Elite knows a thing or two about cycling.
Elite Real Turbo Muin B+ Demonstration Video
Find your Elite Trainer on Amazon!
Resistance: Resistance of the Real Turbo Muin B+ is both fluid-dynamic and magnetic and is controlled electronically. Having both types of resistance smooths the pedal stroke, even while out of the saddle. This trainer can provide over 550watts of resistance with slopes up to 18%.
But where does my wheel go? This particular model of trainer is known as a wheel-off type trainer. This means the rear wheel isn’t needed on the trainer at all. But don’t worry, Elite has made the mating of the bicycle and the Real Turbo Muin B+ quite easy. Just remove the rear wheel, connect your bike, and begin training. An added bonus to this design is you don’t need to go buy one of those fancy trainer tires to prevent having mulched rubber all over the room.
Assembly: Some assembly is required before throwing a leg over your bike and pedaling away. A chain whip, lock ring tool, adjustable wrench and a good set of hex wrenches is suggested. The legs go on quite easily with four hex head bolts commonly seen on many bicycles. This may seem simple but this makes the trainer very stable. The Real Turbo Muin B+ requires that the rider take their current cassette off the rear wheel of the bike chosen to be mounted to the trainer or purchase another cassette to place on the trainer. If you don’t own the needed tools to complete this task, any local bike shop will be able to handle this for you.
Compatibility: Elite mentions in the manual and website that standard 9-10-11 cassettes are compatible with the Real Turbo Muin B+. Campagnolo 9-10-11 cassettes can be used as well but require a different freehub body to be installed. A standard 9mm skewer is used to attach the bike to the trainer by default, but a thru-axle is also available. The wireless trainer is also compatible with ANT+ and Bluetooth, allowing riders to use all heart rate belts to monitor their heart rate. Most 3rd party training software, including, but not limited to Zwift, TrainerRoad, SufferFest, etc are also compatible with the hometrainer.
Real software: Installing this software rewards riders with a variety of training programs, web races, GPS data imports, geolocated races, RealVideo, Conconi tests, training tests, and more. RealVideo allows riders to record any route or course and relive it on the Real Turbo Muin B+ trainer via the RealVideo App, available for Android or Apple devices. But if you are more of a mobile app user, the My E-Training App allows riders to manage a truly interactive training experience as well.
The three things that were instantly noticed while unpacking and during my first ride was the stylish race like design, the smoothness of the trainer, and just how darn quiet it is while riding. Resistance is also more than enough when the grade of the virtual road increases. On some of the rides I was all the way out of the saddle in my lowest gear screaming for mercy. While standing on pedals, crushing the watts, I was very surprised at how well it simulated real road riding. Typically, on most trainers I have ridden, when you stand up to pedal, the trainer’s range of motion seems like you are pedaling a block. Sometimes your feet will slip as you are trying to train in this riding postion. This is not the case with the Real Turbo Muin B+. I will mention that this trainer isn’t 100% wireless, as it does require you to plug it into the wall, but the cord is pretty long. I do I wish I could use my Garmin with the trainer, but I own an older model without Bluetooth so it isn’t really a deal breaker. The compatibility with other training software is quite nice too. I’ve rather taken a liking to Zwifting and it’s made me actually like riding a trainer inside, believe it or not.
In the end, if you are looking for a really quiet wheel-off type trainer, don’t pass this model by. This trainer will make you sweat, and help you to stay competitive. No matter if you use the trainer to keep in shape for the next riding season during the winter months, or for times when the weather just isn’t in your favor to ride outdoors, this is the trainer for you! The Italians really know how to build fine machinery and this is no exception. For more information about Elite and the Real Turbo Muin B+ visit www.elite-it.com
A special thanks to Elite for loaning me the Real Turbo Muin B+ for review purposes. I will truly miss having it in my home once I ship it back to your facility.
– Ryan