I swapped the gym for indoor cycling for a month – and couldn't believe how strong my legs felt after

Before I get in to the thick of this Wattbike Proton review, I want to start by saying I came to this completely new to indoor cycling as a form of fitness. I go to the gym at least four times a week for strength training, so a stranger to exercise I am not. But indoor cycling? Well, that was new to me. And, honestly, I was dreading it.

I have friends who love cycling, and who I know would absolutely love this machine. But, for me, the idea of being sat on a bike as my daily exercise felt really counterproductive. I spend all day sat down at work, and to move from one seat to another to exercise just didn't seem right. But I was keen to see if the Wattbike could surprise me, and so committed to replacing some of my regular sessions at the gym with a session on it.

I wasn't thrilled at the idea. I have done strength training for the last decade – aware of how important it is in later life, I make sure to spend time building and maintaining muscle. And I couldn't see how cycling could be part of that long term. But, as I learnt pretty quickly, if there's one thing cycling does, as well as improve your overall fitness, is build strong legs. And I was shocked and impressed at how much easier every day things like climbing the stairs and playing with my kids felt after testing the Wattbike Proton.

For a month, at least three times a week, I used the Wattbike Proton, as both my main exercise session and as an addition to some of my strength training. Here's how it went...

Set up

Once ordering the Proton, the Wattbike team arrange delivery and set up for you. With no space inside, I had this one delivered my garage, which made life a bit easier in terms of dropping it off. The guy who delivered it walked me through the basics and checked I was happy before leaving - I have to say, the customer service from the team has been exceptional.

The bike is fully assembled, you simply need to plug it in and adjust the height of the seat and handlebars to suit before you get started. And that is as simple as twisting a very obvious knob on both to get them to your desired positions. Which means it's perfect if you're sharing it between family members - a quick adjustment is all you need. And with a seat height range of 50-83cm, it's unlikely to not fit.

The Wattbike Proton looks and feels very sturdy to sit in, which you might expect with it weighing just under 50kg. It is heavy. There are integrated wheels at the front, so you can tip the bike forward to move it around, but even just doing that is an effort with the weight behind it. Once it's in place, you don't want to be moving this bike about too much, even if you do have the strength. It's cumbersome and awkward, which is something to bare in mind if you're thinking about storing it somewhere while not in use.

The design is really smart and compact (57cm x 102cm), which is really small in comparison to other exercise bikes. However, it still requires a decent amount of space, and needs to be close to a plug socket - two things definitely worth bearing in mind if you're place is on the smaller side or are thinking of using it outside. I have an outside socket, so it wasn't too much of an issue to get it powered up, but the relatively short cable included isn't going to stretch too far if you're outside.

The Proton supports both Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity, so you can connect to a variety of devices and software. It is refreshingly simple to set up, so much so I spent a while wondering what I'd missed. But the answer was nothing, it really is that easy to get going.

Ride Experience

Overall I found the Proton to be a smooth ride, but did have an early teething issue. Being new to cycling, I found the standard saddle (included) to be really quite uncomfortable, to the point where it made me not want to use it again. By the end of my first half hour ride my glutes were really sore, and sitting down on a normal seat for a couple of days after, let's say, required an extra cushion.

I got in touch with the customer service team for some advice, and they were really quick to respond by sending me a replacement comfort saddle. However, I didn't ever get around to swapping the saddle as I was also kindly given a pair of TRI-FIT Sykl Pro Skin Bib shorts, which made the world of difference. If you're new to cycling, I would highly recommend them.

With a comfortable seat and Zwift set up on my iPad, I was away. I plugged myself in and off I went on multiple different programs, Zwift allowing me to immerse myself in all kinds of virtual environments, not only pushing my training, but ensuring I didn't get bored. I found the Proton's response to Zwift's resistance levels really impressive, and I really had to tone some of them down to suit my beginner cycling legs.

When I just wanted an easy ride, I would plug my headphones into some music or watch a TV show to help pass the time. And I loved being able to do both, to push myself in training (which could be as easy or tough as I wanted) and then to have a more relaxed session just listening to music. I did struggle a little with the gears, however, when pressing I wasn't always sure if the gear had changed, and so ended up pressing a few times and then needing to bring it back down. The buttons are quite soft in general, so locating the actual trigger wasn't always the easiest, which isn't ideal when you are mid-flow.

I enjoyed using the bike in erg mode, where it responds to resistance, however I did notice a small delay in it's response, which resulted in me pedalling really fast with little to no resistance at all on a few occasions.

Overall, I really enjoyed using the Proton, particularly with Zwift. Part of the appeal of cycling for me is being out in the fresh air, seeing the world go by, and the combination of the power of the Proton replicating the environment, and Zwift showing me it, it felt really immersive. It's the closest thing to the real thing, and actually better in some ways. There are very few occasions I would get on my bike after dark for safety reasons, but the Proton meant I could go for a ride after dark without having to go near a busy road or buy reflective equipment, I could just do it in the safety and comfort of my own home.

Being in the garage and plugged into my music or a Zwift experience, I didn't really notice the noise of the Proton. However, that would be very different if it was in the house. It's by no means the noisiest bike I've used (assault bikes, I'm looking at you), but it's not really quiet either. It's also worth bearing in mind the noticeable vibration you can feel through the pedals while in use.

Verdict

As someone who is not a fan of cycling, I was really pleasantly surprised by the Wattbike Proton. It might not look like much, but it packs a lot of power and more workout options than I had realised it was capable of. It's compact design means it takes up less space than you might think, and gives you access to a whole range of workouts from the comfort of your own home. It is well built, and the easily adjustable design means the whole family can use it.

But probably the biggest selling point of this bike, compact design aside, is the price. When you compare it to others of its kind on the market right now, it's at least £300 cheaper, and there's few cheaper that have the same level of power or functionality you'll find here. It's still by no means cheap, but the investment will go a long way, in both length of use and indoor cycling experience.