Elite adds climbing simulation to its armory with new Riser

Elite has bolstered its turbo trainer ecosystem with a ‘Riser’ that lifts the front of the bike, to replicate climbs as well as providing handlebar movement for a natural ride feel.

Similar to the Wahoo Kickr Climb, and the movement of the Wahoo Kickr smart bike, the Riser (£824.99/$1,099.99) can lift a rider up to mirror the slopes, boasting up to 20 per cent up and 10 per cent downhill capabilities. 

However, the mechanism also offers micro-movements at the handlebars, and similar to the Elite Sterzo, lets a rider move their on-screen avatar by turning the bars left or right. The ability to steer, as opposed to using the robotic lines of Zwift avatars, can provide an advantage. At the moment, race organisers can enable or disable the capability. 

Having tested the up/down movements on the Wahoo Kickr Bike, I was a genuine convert. What I’d expected to be a bit of a gimmick, in reality, allows you to replicate the additional stress real climbs place on your upper body - something that otherwise gets missed via indoor training, and perhaps a useful asset for those training ahead of hilly races or gran fondos abroad.

Elite says that the Rizer offers “patented hardware technology to improve handlebar feel and comfort in the spot where you mount your front forks, which is designed to allow easy side movement of the bars when you’re blasting those climbs” - this really sounds like something we need to experience to qualify, so stay tuned for a future review. 

In terms of practical concerns, the Rizer arrives fully assembled. The platform is made from steel and aluminium alloy, and it has adjustable feet in case your floor isn’t quite flat. 

The trainer communicates with apps, and can replicate climbs on an online course, enabled by ANT+ and Bluetooth communication. However, if you’d rather be in control, there are manual buttons that you can use. 

The unit weighs 14 kilograms, the max load is 120kg and the size is 728mm (height) x 345mm (width) x 387mm (length) - there’s no folding mechanism, the expectation is that riders will leave this set up. 

Whilst the Riser is compatible with disc or rim brakes, with QRs and adapters included in the box, it is only compatible with Elite’s trainers: the Direto XR, Direto XR-T, Suito, Suito-T and Tuo. 

The accompanying app is used for set uo, and is available for iOS devices (iPhone and iPad) and Android devices. Up to five different rider profiles can be attributed to one unit.