DC Rainmaker- VOLT Review

I like being pleasantly surprised by smaller companies that nail a product. And the JetBlack VOLT is one of those such products, from one of those such companies.

“The VOLT is not only a direct drive trainer, but one that comes with a cassette. Priced at about $849USD, it easily undercuts the Wahoo KICKR CORE in price – and seems to match it on real-world accuracy and sound (it’s basically silent)

“Plus, it’s got a nifty feature that passes through your heart rate sensor data via the trainer, allowing you to pair the entire trainer/power/cadence/heart rate as a single channel on Apple TV, saving you one further channel for steering (with Zwift). Don’t worry, I’ll explain how that works later.

“I’ve been using the JetBlack VOLT for more than a month now for all my trainer rides, and frankly, if blindfolded, you’d never be able to tell this wasn’t a KICKR CORE. Of course, sometimes it’s more than just the trainer itself that makes the experience. While many users never bother opening up the manufacturer’s companion app for their trainer (except firmware updates), JetBlack has one. And if there’s any area that needs a bit more love, it’s the app. Still, as you’ll see, it’s hardly mission-critical to the day to day Zwift or TrainerRoad user.

“Note that JetBlack sent over this VOLT & rocker plate media loaner, which I’ve been using to put it through its paces. Once this review is done, I’ll get it boxed back up and sent back to them. If you found this review useful, you can use the links at the bottom, or consider becoming a DCR Supporter which makes the site ad-free, while also getting access to a semi-weekly video series behind the scenes of the DCR Cave. And of course, it makes you awesome.

With that, let’s get into it.