MUOV
Indoor cycling brand Muoverti wants to redefine itself and at-home endurance training.
For context: Earlier this year, the UK manufacturer secured £2.4M ($3.16M) to support the launch of its first-generation road bike called TiltBike. With lateral movement and brake levers, it promised the most realistic at-home ride to date.
But, while the hype is real, the company has yet to ship a bike beyond beta testing.
The latest: Muoverti rebranded to MUOV, renaming its TiltBike prototype “MUOV Road” while launching a second iteration called “MUOV Triathlon.”
The new frame features the same dynamic steering and lateral movement as its first product but differs in design, set up for aerodynamic time trial positioning along with digital braking and gear shifting.
The frames are interchangeable with the same drive unit — and both will be available for pre-order this month.
Why it matters: According to Wahoo founder Chip Hawkins, hardware is notoriously difficult to get right. That’s why the endurance tech industry is defined by interoperability, even as hardware and software makers in the space continuously one-up each other.
- Wahoo recently acquired digital racing platform RGT, but its new WiFi-enabled KICKR trainer and bike both connect with Zwift out of the box.
- After abandoning its own connected bike, Zwift white-labeled a third-party manufacturer’s hardware to launch Hub, a smart trainer half the price of rivals Wahoo and Saris.
- In 2021, Wattbike re-released its Atom bike to be more responsive to virtual cycling platforms and recently locked down partnerships with US and Aussie national teams.
Punchline: MUOV may succeed where Zwift failed. With production capabilities and widely compatible software, it may have also made itself an acquisition target in the lucrative and highly competitive endurance economy.
