University of Nottingham - Why Wattbikes work within Higher Education (Case Study)

The University of Nottingham is home to some of the UK's leading sports facilities. Named Sports University of the Year by The Sunday Times in 2024, 2021 and 2019, the university has earned a reputation for investing in a world-class environment.

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David Ross Sports Village is the facility at the heart of the program – a flagship multi-sport facility featuring football pitches, tennis and basketball courts, an elite High-Performance Training Zone and 200 station Fitness Suite open to students, staff and the wider community. The facility regularly hosts elite athletes, such as Notts County Football Club, Nottingham Forest Netball, British Weightlifting and 2x Olympic medallist Emily Campbell, as well as everyday gym-users.

Continually developed since opening in 2016, the facility most recently underwent a major refurbishment in 2024, with a full refresh of the equipment within the Commercial Health & Fitness facility.

One feature has remained constant throughout this evolution: Wattbike.

"Wattbike is the industry standard," explains Tim Lawrenson, Head of Strength and Conditioning within the University's Elite Sport Programme. "It is a simple, but consistent, system to use."

Student athletes competing in sports including hockey, rugby and American football use Wattbikes for off-feet conditioning, enabling them to develop their aerobic fitness while reducing injury risk throughout the season. The same approach is adopted by leading professional organisations worldwide, including Manchester United, the South African Springboks and numerous NFL teams.

Wattbike plays a key role in exposing students to the highest-level training techniques and processes.

Want to find out more - take a look at how the University of Nottingham's Elite Student cyclist Hannah Clough performed when she came to Wattbike HQ for testing.

Beyond high performance, the University of Nottingham demonstrates how Wattbike can add value within a commercial fitness environment.

"We have members who simply want to stay fit, get stronger or lose weight," says Health and Fitness Manager Tom Sherratt. "Whatever their goals are, we'll be able to help them."

That versatility has made Wattbike a core part of the university's health and fitness offering.

"We have sold memberships due to having Wattbikes." explains James Nee, The Assistance Health and Fitness Manager at David Ross.

Members use the bikes independently, gym instructors incorporate them into one-to-one coaching sessions, and they play a key role in small-group training classes. Whether supporting structured performance testing, interval training or low-impact cardiovascular exercise, Wattbike delivers an experience that suits users of all abilities.

Powered by the latest Performance Touchscreen monitor (PTS 2), and seamless connection to the free Wattbike Hub app, members can track key metrics including power, calories, distance and heart rate with confidence, supported by the accuracy and reliability trusted by elite sport and exercise professionals worldwide.

Reflecting on the university's decision to further expand its Wattbike fleet during its 2024 refurbishment, Sherratt summarises the philosophy behind the investment:

"By having Wattbikes at our facility, we are offering the best to our members.”