The Proton is the third smart bike we’ve seen launched in recent months aimed squarely at capturing a broader fitness audience than the cycling enthusiast market has to offer. It provides direct competition for both the Zwift Ride and the Elite Square and Wattbike hopes to tempt users away from Peloton too with Hub, its subscription-free training software.
Why are we seeing so many of these less-expensive – they’re hardly cheap – bikes coming to market now? In a nutshell, the cycling industry is in such a bind, players such as Zwift, Elite and now Wattbike are having to reach beyond it to maintain and grow sales.
