The Elite Drivo II Is One of the Most Accurate Smart Trainers You Can Buy

Reference to the bicycling.com this article was so interesting. In the world of direct-drive smart trainers, the Elite Drivo II stands out by claiming impressively accurate power measurement (+/- .5 percent). And thanks to a large flywheel that relies on magnetic resistance, the speed at which it can change resistance is reliable and consistent (and faster than the previous edition). It plays well with Zwift and other virtual riding apps, and pairing it to your cycling computer or third party app is easy—just start pedaling and it does it without any further prompts.

Elite also claims that this trainer can accurately simulate hills up to a 24 percent grade, although we respectfully question your sanity if you seek virtual hills that steep. If you’re too much of a purist for Zwift Island, you can use the trainer in Erg mode as a “dumb” trainer, and control the resistance via an app on your smart phone.

The app also has a small library of pre-programmed workouts and a massive selection of virtual courses you can ride, complete with video of the real-life course. Since the trainer is very quiet (although not silent), you’ll be free to construct your own workouts, chase Zwift KOMs, and go as deep into the pain cave as you dare without disturbing your whole house. As an added bonus, you can pair the trainer to your bike computer to see your power displayed on your handlebar and then upload to your favorite training software. For the data-driven, precision-oriented rider, the Drivo II could be a really good training tool. 

What's New for 2019

The Drivo II is an updated version of the Drivo ($1,300). Despite the lower price, Elite improved its accuracy from +/-1 percent, changed the color from white to black, and gave the Drivo II better legs that fold up for easier storage and transportation.

The Most Accurate Power Meter

Elite boasts that the Drivo II measures power with .5 percent accuracy, which is impressive, especially compared to the Wahoo Kickr, which claims accuracy within 2 percent. For anyone looking to do FTP testing, accuracy and precision are of paramount importance. Computrainer, which was the gold standard for years, was only ever accurate within 2 percent. To further underscore the impressive accuracy, consider that both Stages and Quarq advertise accuracy within 1.5 percent on their power meters. SRM offers a track power meter with the same accuracy as the Drivo II, but that unit costs $2,000.

MyETraining App

The myETraining app is Elite’s companion app, and it controls most of the functionality within the Drivo II. With the purchase of the trainer, you get 36 months free access to all of the features within the app, after which you’ll be on the hook for $18.95 a year.

The Trainings section of the app has three modes you can select from. Power mode and Level mode are similar, one letting you manage resistance by power in 10-watt increments, while Level Mode gives you 16 levels of resistance to choose from. Within Program mode you can ride one of nine pre-programmed interval workouts, or you can build your own.

To ride one of these programmed workouts, just press start on the app and the trainer takes you through the workout, timing your various interval segments and changing the resistance as you go. The upside is you don’t have to keep track of complicated workouts, interval times, and power zones. You don’t even have to choose your gears because watts are watts, regardless of virtual speed. If you are having a great day, the trainer keeps a lid on how hard you can go by limiting the max power at each interval. Once you get about 20 watts over target it backs down the resistance to keep you in check. The downside is that if you are having a bad day and can’t hit your target numbers, you can’t make the resistance any easier. Instead you’re locked into suffering along at the pre-programmed power requirement as your pedaling slows to a crawl.

Smooth and Reliable Resistance Changes

In other modes, changes to resistance felt gradual and consistent. On Program Mode, I noticed the power changing within five seconds of hitting a new segment, and by 10 seconds the trainer had fully adjusted to the new power setting. For longer, steady intervals that’s fine. But for short, explosive intervals this system felt sluggish.

Ride Real Courses

The app also contains a massive library of videos of real roads and course, along with corresponding GPS data, so you can “ride” those courses from the comfort of your home. You can also choose from videos and GPS files that have been uploaded by other myETraining users, as well as upload your own.

This can be helpful to anyone who wants to prep for a ride or race on a specific course. Not only can you train on and become familiar with the contours and demands of the route, but you can also become intimately familiar with the landmarks and turns. By the time the actual event comes around, you’ll be so familiar with the route that you just focus on your performance.

This feature does, however, require an additional purchase, on a per video basis, beyond the annual subscription. Prices vary by course but many are between $15 and $25.

Pedaling on Zwift Island

I was pleased with how easily the trainer pairs to Zwift. Just a little pedaling turns the trainer on and puts it in pairing mode. All I had to do was select the trainer on the Zwift app and I was ready to go. I appreciated that level of simplicity, and if your bike is already on the trainer the longest part of getting ready to ride will be putting on your shorts and filling a water bottle.

Riding with Zwift was great, when it worked. But several times during the test, the Drivo wouldn't respond to changes in terrain by increasing or reducing resistance. I could fix the issue by unplugging the trainer and waiting 30 seconds to restart it, but that ate into my limited time for workouts. An Elite representative said the problem could be caused by electronic interference, and suggested moving my computer closer to the trainer. I tried that, and also had several other testers try the trainer in different situations, but the problem persisted. Depending on how much time you spend on Zwift (and how you use that app), it could be a small glitch or a major frustration.

When the trainer did change resistance on Zwift, it felt somewhat harsh. Starting up a hill for instance, the Drivo seemed to pour on the resistance before gradually pulling it back five to seven seconds later to a level that felt more inline with the grade.

The Verdict

The Drivo does a lot of things right. The app has a ton of powerful training tools and best-in-class power accuracy. That makes this trainer very appealing for riders who rely on power. However, riders who care about that level of accuracy most likely will want to to do their own structured workouts and Elite forces you to build those workouts in the app. Other trainers, like Wahoo’s Kickr allow you to pedal as hard or as easy as you like so you can follow any prescribed workout without the extra steps.

I wanted to have the best of both worlds: The incredible accuracy of the Drivo II’s power measurement plus the ability to ride my own workout, using gear choice and cadence to adjust my power.

And given the popularity of Zwift and how important group rides are to the experience, the Drivo’s inconsistent resistance I experienced could be a concern for many riders. It might not be a big deal on a lazy Saturday when you have a few hours to kill, but it could ruin a group ride or race on the platform, or derail your attempt to sneak in an early-morning workout.

I also don’t love that this $1,200 trainer doesn't come with a cassette, which is something other options at this price include.

Despite those concerns the trainer worked great most—but not all—of the times I used it. If you want a smart trainer for riding in a virtual world, and the idea of doing structured workouts is nauseating, this may not be the best trainer for you. But if precision counts and the bulk of your indoor riding will be spent doing structured workouts at targeted power, the accuracy and precision of the Drivo II could make it the best option for you.