The Wattbike Atom has received an update in 2025 and is now called the Upgraded Atom, replacing the Next Generation Atom and the original is just called the Atom. Got it? No, neither have I.
Pro cyclists' favourite exercise bike sees a handful of upgrades, but the way to tell the various models apart is the colour of the legs. The outgoing model has silver legs, and the new one has black legs.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, the latest Atom claims to offer a more realistic ride feel in ergo mode and quick-release adjustability to get the perfect fit in no time at all.
On paper, it looks like not a whole lot has changed, but will it be enough to tempt dedicated cyclists to splash the cash and upgrade from a conventional turbo trainer setup?
Wattbike Atom (2025) review
Price and availability
The Wattbike Atom costs £2,495 in the UK, $2,995 in the US and $4,995 in Australia. Wattbike has a number of distribution partners for other countries. Head over to Wattbike to find out more.
Design and build quality
Wattbikes have always felt very sturdy, and the updated Atom is no different. Just manoeuvring the bike into position gives an indication that this thing is built to last.
Weighing 45kg, the Atom is not budging when you’re laying down the power doing intervals, but should you need to move it around your home, there’s a pair of castors mounted to the front of the bike. However, the bike is still quite long, so care needs to be taken when navigating tight hallways.
Much of the weight is thanks to the sturdy aluminium frame, which looks very futuristic and verges on being too attractive to cover with clothes when it inevitably sits in the corner of the spare room, collecting dust.
One of the key upgrades over the previous generation is that now all position adjustments are tool-free. Dotted across the bike are a number of large twist-lock levers used to adjust saddle height, saddle fore/aft position, bar height, and reach.
This makes it straightforward to dial in the perfect fit, and all adjustments have graduated markings. If a family member also rides the bike and changes everything, just note your key measurements, and your fit can be quickly reinstated.
All the adjustable parts feel very secure when locked down, but feel easy to move into the desired position. It’s possible to replicate a wide fit range, from relaxed road bike geometry to aggressive time-trial or triathlon positions.
‘Shifters’ are attached to the 42cm wide handlebars, which change the virtual gears. The ergonomics of these felt great with intuitive operation and extra buttons to cycle through Zwift shortcuts, for example.
All your ride data is displayed on a user-provided tablet, which can be paired up to either Wattbike’s own platform, called Hub, with a huge number of workouts, or paired up to 3rd-party apps like Zwift or Trainerroad.
Connection stability was generally good, although there were a few occasions where the tablet would not pick up the Wattbike, but this was sorted with a quick power cycle.
Further upgrades include an improved ergo mode that claims to offer smoother, more stable resistance, making structured workouts more effective. Other changes include a hybrid saddle, which Wattbike claims is more comfortable for both male and female riders.
Resistance is provided by an electromagnetic system that delivers a very realistic ride feel with minimal noise, ideal for early-morning or late-night training sessions. It tops out at 2,500W, which is more than enough, unless you’re on the Team GB track cycling team. Wattbike claims the power metre is accurate to ±1% and needs no calibration.
Performance
Getting my fit dialled in was straightforward, made even easier by having my road bike across the room to take measurements from and by the sliding contact points being oh-so-easy to adjust. It’s as simple as attaching the pedals, pairing with your desired training software, and starting your ride.
Although almost all aspects of the Atom are adjustable, the crank length is not. Whilst many riders won't have even considered how long their cranks are, others live and die by their bike fit.
Coupled with the current trend of running shorter cranks for a slew of reported benefits, I was disappointed to see that 170mm cranks come as standard with no options to change.
This will likely be a non-issue for many riders, but in a training tool that’s designed to replace a turbo trainer setup and replicate the fit of their bike, some will consider this to be a deal breaker.
Other smart trainer bikes on the market, such as the Zwift Ride, Tacx NEO Bike and the Wahoo Kickr Bike V1, all feature adjustable crank lengths, so it’s disappointing to see Wattbike overlook this.
The Atom features a pair of extensions attached to the handlebars, which couple up as a tablet holder. In theory, this is a clever integration to cover multiple requirements, but in practice, it’s more of a help than a hindrance.
Firstly, the extensions are mounted to the tops of the handlebars, meaning there’s no space for your hands in the most relaxed position. Many riders use this position when climbing, and this is no different when riding indoors. You could hold onto the pads of the tri bars, but this isn't comfortable for long periods.
It’s also not an option to remove the tri bars if you still want somewhere to mount a tablet. Wattbike clearly decided enough of their users wanted tri bars, and the tablet integration is a smart use of space, but in reality, it just makes the setup a bit inconvenient.
Ride feel is excellent and among the best indoor trainers I’ve ridden. The transmission is smooth and simulates a very real ‘road feel’ and inertia, which is often the downfall of many indoor trainers.
The gears add more realism to the experience, and using the buttons to change up and down the virtual cassette felt natural. The Atom feels incredibly planted and stable, even when thrashing away on the pedals, thanks to its 45kg heft and wide footprint.
Wattbike has built a reputation for providing incredibly detailed real-time pedalling analysis, something that other brands are still playing catch-up on – the Atom is no different. The Wattbike Hub app shows your pedalling dynamics in real time and can be used to diagnose biomechanical imbalances and more.
There are stacks of info if you're riding within the Wattbike Hub ecosystem, but pair the Atom with Zwift, Trainerroad, or any others, and your pedalling dynamics suddenly disappear.
I appreciate that it would require some cross-platform compatibility to display this data natively in Zwift, but it’s not possible to view it after the ride in the Wattbike Hub, so a major benefit of the Wattbike ecosystem suddenly becomes irrelevant if you venture beyond its walls.
Verdict
The Wattbike Atom retains much of the DNA that made the original so popular, but adds a handful of updates to make it even better. The ride feel is exceptional, and the ability to simulate gradients and change gears adds new levels of immersion and overall enjoyment.
Tool-free adjustment is a welcome addition, but it’s disappointing that the cranks offer no length adjustment, and a lot of the pedalling dynamics data is only available in the native Wattbike app.
It’s a potent training tool, but I’d want it to be perfect for the price, and other options are significantly more affordable that cover 95% of the same feature set.
Also consider
The Zwift Ride was the brand's first foray into hardware, a standalone smart bike. It’s a compelling package for the money, featuring virtual shifting, stacks of adjustability (including different length cranks) and a sturdy all-metal platform. Most troubling for the Wattbike Atom is that it’s more than 50% cheaper.
For those looking for the creme de la creme of indoor riding, the Tacx Neo Bike Plus has to be a contender. It packs all the features of Tacx’s top-end trainers and adds endless adjustability, plus integrated fans to keep you cool.
