Elite Direto XR Review: Is It Worth Buying in 2023?

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This is my review of the Elite Direto XR. It was Elite’s flagship trainer before the introduction of the Elite Justo. So, is it still worth buying in 2023?

My Direto XR rating at a glance:
Resistance & Gradient 5/5 | Accuracy 1/5 | Noisiness 3/5 | Power Consumption 5/5 | Ride Feel 4/5 | ERG Mode 2/5 | Ease of Setup 5/5 | Portability 3/5 | OVERALL 3.5/5
More about this bike trainer scoring.

Who Is Elite Direto XR for?

The Elite Direto XR is suitable for passionate cyclists who appreciate a realistic ride feel indoors, thanks to the high power.

Unfortunately, it is rigid and offers no side-to-side tilt, lowering the overall riding comfort.

It’s also less portable due to its dimensions, weight, and weirdly placed carry handle. So, it’s not as suitable for people without a dedicated training area.

XR struggled with ERG mode and accuracy during my tests. More on that below.

Main Features and Tech. Specs Summary

Here is the summary of the main features and the technical specifications of the Elite Direto XR.

Ease of Setup

The Direto XR setup was relatively easy. I only had to unfold the legs (wings), choose the correct adaptors, and plug the trainer into electricity.

One of my biggest issues with Direto XR is its poor portability. It does have a carry handle, but it’s weirdly positioned.

This makes it unsuitable for people who don’t have a dedicated training area and often need to relocate the trainer. Luckily, it’s not as heavy as Wahoo KICKR or Tacx NEO 2T, for example.

The foldable legs are useful because the trainer doesn’t take up as much space when not in use.

But its much bulkier than Wahoo KICKR.

Also available at competitivecyclist.com

Ride Impressions

The Direto XR reacts quickly to gradient changes in third-party apps. I tested this in Wahoo RGT on their punchy Pienza course. It includes descents and steep climbs in quick succession, so it’s perfect for this test. 

Thanks to its huge power, riding steep gradients is really hard, so I recommend halving the trainer’s power to keep your cadence high.

Unfortunately, Direto XR struggled a lot in ERG mode. I comment on this in depth below. I also measured a higher noisiness (~62 dB @ 200W) than trainers like Wahoo KICKR, Tacx NEO 2T, or Saris H3.

Accuracy Tests

I double-checked the Direto XR power and cadence accuracy with my Favero Assioma DUO pedals. I use them as a benchmark for smart trainer and power meter tests.

I tested Direto XR’s ERG mode, responsivity, and road feel in multiple indoor cycling apps. Of course, I updated its firmware using the Upgrado app, properly warmed it up, and calibrated it before testing.

Test #1: ERG Mode

This ERG mode test is the benchmark test I use for all smart bike trainers. It has a short warm-up, ramp-up, multiple 30×30s high/low power intervals, and cool down.

The following picture shows the results from TrainerRoad. 

As you can see, I couldn’t maintain the target power (green line) because the trainer took a long time to adjust the resistance, even though I kept a fairly constant cadence.

This is the first time this has ever happened to me with a smart trainer. Feeling-wise, even the ThinkRider X7 Pro worked better.

I noticed the inability to respond well to changes in power output and the higher than real measured power during warm-up.

The Direto XR increased resistance for about 3 seconds after the interval started but decreased it almost immediately at the end of the interval.

Unfortunately, even with the decrease, the trainer had a problem; therefore, maintaining the target power was almost impossible.

The following picture shows a comparison with the Favero Assioma DUO, which is considered one of the most accurate and reliable power meters.

The final deviation in accuracy was really big, reaching about 7.3%. To be sure, I rechecked the firmware version. Everything was up-to-date and set correctly. Maybe I just got a defective unit?

It didn’t look like it, as the cadence matched perfectly, and no dropouts occurred.

Honestly, it’s a little mystery to me why the Direto XR was so inaccurate. Anyway, you can check out the data set by yourself.

Test #2: Freeride

The freeride on the Pienza course in Wahoo RGT allows me to test the trainer’s responsiveness, ride feel, and accuracy.

Direto XR changed the resistance based on the terrain quickly and probably the most accurately of all trainers I tested.

Hard sections (10% gradients) felt really like 10% gradients, and I could feel a .1% gradient change.

Unfortunately, I again noticed power deviations between the trainer and my power meter already during a ride, which is always a bad sign.

And here you can see (again perfect) cadence charts.

See the dataset.

Also available at competitivecyclist.com

Elite Direto XR Alternatives

My Verdict

Elite Direto XR disappointed me. I expected it would perform better, especially in accuracy and ERG mode.

On the other hand, it provided one of the most accurate and nuanced resistance changes during a freeride. This is ironic because this is exactly what it had a problem with in ERG mode.

I would recommend Saris H3 or Wahoo KICKR for a good ERG mode. I’d only consider buying the Direto XR on sale.

Anyway, I hope you find this review helpful. Please use the links below if you decide to buy XR despite its flaws. It’s the best way to support Cyclists Hub. Thank you.

Also available at competitivecyclist.com

Elite Direto XR FAQ