STAC Zero: A totally silent, no-contact bike trainer
For every triathlete who’s ever complained about the noise of their trainer or having to change trainer tires, a new Canadian company has the solution. Kitchener, Ont.-based STAC has come up with a totally silent, zero-contact bike trainer powered. The STAC Zero harnesses the power magnetic force — two magnets on either side of the wheel create resistance of up to 2000 watts.
“The development of the STAC Zero was really driven by our own need,” says cofounder and triathlete Andrew Buckrell. “We were really just frustrated by the lack of diversity in the current generation of trainers, and all of the “quiet” versions being released were really only marginal improvements over what was currently out there. On top of that, it was a frustrating compromise to either switch over to a trainer tire or accept the associated tire wear when the weather or traffic conditions were not really suitable for riding outdoors. Creating a trainer that not only virtually eliminated both noise and tire wear, but also incorporated both an inexpensive yet accurate power measurement became our main goal. Once other people started showing interest in the design, we really started to get the idea that we might be on to something and decided that we needed to get it out to the market for the fall indoor training season. Since then, it’s been an unbelievable response we’ve seen, which only encourages us to push harder.”
[kickstarter id=”1102891136/stac-zero-silent-zero-contact-bike-trainer”]
STAC Zero claims to be the quietest trainer in the world. We recently tested it out and confidently agree with that statement. What’s just as impressive is it’s one of the smallest, easiest to set up and most portable trainers as well. At just $500 for the power model and $400 for the non-power model, it’s also affordable, especially when you consider how much you’ll save by never needing to purchase separate trainer tires again.
For those interested in how the magnetic power works, STAC has an informative video that demonstrates the Eddy Current theory, which it uses. The science is a little complicated, but after watching our bike wheel spin freely and smoothly between the magnets, it’s clear to us that STAC has uncovered the next big thing in trainer technology.
[iframe id=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/fqPnmMaTtE8″]
The STAC Zero was founded by triathlete Andrew Buckrell and is currently in the kickstarter phase. There are 2 weeks left to back the project, which currently has 124 supporters and has raised over five times the pledged goal of $10,000.
