Jetblack Volt First impressions

A light bike doesn't replace good fitness.

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Tophergoggins
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2021 9:29 pm

by Tophergoggins

Not a lot of review of the JB Volt out there besides YouTubers that got units for free.

So far I'm nervous that I'll have to send it back but the jury is still out.

Pairing: Right off the jump it was a nightmare and the app is terrible. Not sure why anyone would try to stuff a half-assed training program into their app when there is 0% chance someone is going to drop $1K on a trainer and not use one (or more) of the industry leading apps like Zwift or TR.

I was able to get the firmware downloaded but I think the app said it was finished downloading/installing long before the trainer was - I got rapidly blinking lights of all colors for a good 45 mins (during which time it could not pair with my laptop) and the manual (which is about 4 pages long) had no definition for the light code. The app detects the Bluetooth signal as a single connection which is great but for the ANT+ there are no fewer than 4 signals that are all oddly named and some you can't pair together (speed/cadence and what I'm guessing is the actual trainer can't be paired at the same time). To make things more confusing there were two signals for each signals with different addresses if that makes sense). A total of 8 ANT+ signals were detected by the app. Confused.

First Ride: After 90mins of IT troubleshooting which freezing my ass off in my bike shorts I got it working. There was a lot of chain noise on the casette which I'm willing to attribute to the rear mech needing tuning. The cassette that was included looks to be warped (hopefully that's the case and not the hub itself). I took it off and put it on again, snugged it up and it seems to be a bit better but it doesn't spin 100% true. There's something else going on that I can't quite figure - it seems like my frame flexes a but when I tighten down the quick release even though I'm positive the skewer is the correct length and the cassette is the same size as the 11sp on my bike. This seems to put the rear mech slightly out of alignment which might be causing the chain to rub on the second smallest cog.

My first ride was a Zwift race (ITT) which I quit half way through due to the noise. The flywheel also doesn't seem to be properly balanced so when it's spinning flat out there is a dull but powerful vibration that I imagine you can feel throughout my house (like a washing machine with a slightly imbalanced load). I doubt I can fix that so I will try again once the chain noise is sorted and see if it's a deal breaker.

My power seems a bit on the low side which I will take responsibility for (for now). And I will probably be demoted a full category if that's the case.

Finally, the unit gets crazy hot! I read about the thermal drift problem and I'm surprised it's not a bigger issue - I can't imagine anything working properly or consistently with that big of a temperature swing. Unfortunately I also can't imagine everything lasting a very long time under those conditions.

I will tune up the rear mech, get rid of the noise and report back.

All the good stuff about the trainer is well documented and it certainly feels solid, easy to assemble, smooth, etc. but can't get the negatives out of my head just yet.

by Weenie


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