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The Elite Qubo Power Fluid ElastoGel is an effective turbo trainer. The large flywheel is completely immersed in oil, which enables high-resistance levels to be obtained even at low speed. Elite’s Qubo Power Fluid ElastoGel trainer is a great addition to your cycling arsenal when the weather is foul or you are crunched for time.
Features:
- Fast Fixing System: The bicycle can be clamped and released with a single action
- Unit 100% more powerful compared to a standard fluid
- Qubo frame for rapid initial set-up, roller pressure is set automatically by rider weight, no calibration required
- Thanks to the exclusive compass system, the frame moves to simulate the behaviour of the bicycle on the road
- Elastogel roller with increased diameter (45mm) for even less noise and better tyre grip
- Folds up quickly for easy transport or storage when not in use
- Weight: ~8.5-9kg
Elite Qubo Power Fluid Trainer Review:
Resistance is provided by a smooth, oil-filled flywheel – Elite claim it is more powerful than a standard fluid trainer, but I’m not convinced. I think it provides slightly higher resistance for a given cadence/speed, but not by much.
As I say, I can’t measure the resistance generated by the Qubo alone, but I can measure the difference when the Qubo is rolled up to the Elite Trisco Rollermaster fluid trainer. The Trisco is certainly more powerful with a rolling resistance of 2.4 Watts at 60rpm – a figure in the same ball-park as other fluid trainers.
With the Elite Qubo, I obtained different figures of 1.7 Watts at 60rpm – much in the same ball-park as the Elite Qubo and a high level of power output for a roller trainer.
Again, there’s no way of telling whether this extra resistance is thanks to the Qubo or the higher rolling resistance of the turbo itself.
Does The Elite Qubo Provide An Accurate Piece Of Simulation?
I certainly think so – the rear wheel is held in place by straps that are clipped to the fork dropouts – the Qubo is designed to accept either quick-release or bolt-through rear axles.
One of the selling points of this trainer is that it can be set up very quickly – just adjust the height of the two adjustable feet, place the rear wheel in the roller and clip the front tyre to the fork – that’s all there is to it.
I tried it on different bikes and the fitting was easy every time – I didn’t need any tools to fit the bike to the roller. The Qubo is quite stable – there’s no movement of the front tyre at all though if the bike has braze-ons for a universal skewer then you need to be careful about fitting the front wheel. If you don’t fit the skewer all the way into the fork then the bike will rotate as if there was a quick release skewer – no big deal, but it’s just something to be aware of.
Roller pressure is set automatically by rider weight, no calibration required. The obvious advantage of this is that your ideal pressure can be set quickly and easily every time you fit your bike to the roller.
Elite say the roller is less noisy than a standard fluid trainer – I agree completely. It’s just ever so slightly noisier than my DeSoto Rollers, but is quieter than the K-Edge Q1 fluid trainer I reviewed. When you’re riding hard it does emit a high-pitched squeal, but it’s by no means as annoying as some fluid trainers I’ve used.
When you’re riding at high cadence (above 60rpm), the sound of the tyre against the roller becomes very apparent – but it’s not any louder than riding on a worn road tyre.
It’s important to realise that if you’re going to use this roller then your tyre choice is important – make sure you have a tyre with a smooth tread pattern. I’ve had no problems with the Elite Qubo and the Schwalbe G-One’s I’ve tried it with. The Elite Qubo gives a very good feel through the tyre – but it does depend on your tyre choice.
Handling is very good – the Qubo turns easily and the dual roller system means that the trainer has a very good and accurate feel, especially at low speed. Elite claim the Qubo frame moves to simulate the behaviour of the bicycle on the road – I’m not entirely sure what this means, but it does mean that the rear wheel turns when the handlebar is turned.
I suppose one way to explain this is to compare the behaviour of the Elite Qubo to a K-Edge trainer I reviewed a while back. With the K-Edge, the rear wheel doesn’t turn at all, even when the handlebars are turned. The Qubo, like all the fluid trainers I’ve used, turns the rear wheel when the handlebars are turned.
The Qubo, like all fluid trainers I’ve used, is very quiet when you’re not riding hard – you can have a conversation with someone, watch TV or listen to a Podcast without any trouble at all. At high cadence, the tyre noise on the roller and the squeal of the trainer are quite obtrusive, but you can hear a podcast or movie without too much trouble.
High-cadence riding (above 60rpm) is where this trainer is at it’s weakest point – the resistance will rise sharply and it’s hard work. It’s hard to get the sort of high-cadence work that you need with a turbo trainer.
This isn’t really a criticism of the trainer, but rather a criticism of turbo trainers in general – I’ve yet to try one that provides smooth resistance for high-cadence riding.
This high-cadence work is particularly important for triathletes, cyclists in a time-trial and draft-legal cyclists. Ideally, a turbo trainer is for spinning only – any hard efforts on a turbo trainer will result in very poor training due to the sharp rise in resistance that occurs at high cadence.
Elite Qubo Power Fluid Trainer Review:
The ELITE QUBO is specially designed to be SUPER-FAST to set up and take down. The unit is 100% more powerful than a standard fluid trainer, its a very smooth ride and the unique QUIETER technology makes this a winning formula.
I have to say I’m not really convinced by the “faster fixing system” claim, I like the Elite Qubo and I also like the Elite Trisco trainer – it’s probably going to put me in hot water when I say this, but I think the Trisco is quicker to set up than the Qubo.
I’m not as fussed about the “100% more powerful” claim – I can’t see how this is possible unless you simply cover more of the roller with fluid and force the same amount of fluid under higher pressure – we’ll probably never know, but I’d think it’s basically the same amount of fluid under pressure as in other rollers and that the Elite Qubo has a slightly bigger flywheel.
When comparing the two I would say that the Trisco is just a touch quicker to set up. It’s probably a second quicker – but if you’re a big event racer and are going to be setting up and taking down your trainer the whole time and don’t want to waste a second, then the Elite Qubo might be an advantage.
