Thanks for tuning in today we're going to be reviewing the Elite trainer folding mat. If
there's one indoor cycling accessory everyone should own it's a training mat.
These go underneath your trainer and prevent any sweat or grime from going onto your floor
and provide a non-slip surface so definitely a must as you always sweat when you're riding
especially indoors where you can't really match the wind flow that you would get outdoors.
What we have here today is the Elite folding mat, it's actually been out for a while but there are
actually no reviews for it which is why we thought we'd do a quick review for it. Packaging-wise very
simple you can see a very compact form factor completely folded up. It doesn't take up much
more space than a small towel. You have Elite folding mat printed on top a couple little nice
to haves on here for specs and that's about it so very simple. We'll go ahead and take it
out of this little protective back and go over these specs. So retail price on this is $62.99
which is actually quite affordable compared to all the other trainer mats on the market and the elite
training rolling mat which is actually $105. So this one undercuts that by quite a bit it's
made from a polyester pvc material that provides anti-slip so it won't move around on the floor
so you can see there's little grippers on there. It has a black finish and it is 5.9 by 2.9 feet
so quite large and will go completely underneath your bike and provide a nice
coverage and protection here. Again you can see the anti-slip material on the back side
it is a black finish only while the other mat that elite offers is a bright red.
You have elite logo on here that's about it as far as what comes with it
this is it you just fold it up when you're not using it and then unfold it when you do.
Now lets take a closer look at the fit and finish of the Elite folding mat.
What's great about this it has a foldable design so unlike a yoga mat which will roll up and still
take up quite a bit of space this folds up into little small squares so it's very portable and
if you don't have a dedicated pain cave that means you can unfold it use it and then fold it up back
when you're not using it again so a nice portable design that you can even potentially travel with.
Compared to their other training mat this is quite a bit thinner it's more
of a fabric finish than a rubber coating. You have the Elite logo printed right on the side
and this mix of polyester and pvc material so you can see these little dots here it's
almost like a bath mat so it should prevent it from moving around. Nicely finished too
you can see all the seams on the corners and all black with just the white Elite logo.
When you open it up it's quite large so it is a very big item once it's open so really cover up
the bike and prevent any grime from getting on the ground. It is pretty thin too so you can see more
of a fabric finish rather than that thicker rubber you'll find on a yoga mat or thicker training mat.
Here you can see the floor mat in action thanks to the folding design it's very compact so
you can put away in a shelf when you're not using it and then when you need it unfold it
and do some training so this is great if you don't have a dedicated area like a pain cave.
One thing you'll notice you can see the fold marks are very obvious and they don't seem to really
smooth out over time either. That said it's still quite a large mat and thanks to the
anti-slip backing it stays in place really well even with a big trainer like the Elite Suito
and a steerable wheel block everything stays in place really nicely.
Now lets do a quick comparison between the Elite mat and other mats on the market
here we have the other Elite mat this is the rolling design so you can see it's more of a
foam with this texture on it bright red really hard to miss with the Elite logo down the side.
That's one reason why it's much larger so you can see when it's actually not being used
it has a big footprint so more of like a yoga mat and this rubber texture on here so it also
has this brighter finish that means any grease and marks will actually be very visible.
If you put these side by side you can see the big difference between them is just thickness
so this is more of a fabric finish well this is a thick rubber so this one is actually $105 too
so quite a bit more expensive but a little bit more durable so if you have a dedicated area this
might be a better option because you don't really have to move it around and provides a little more
protection while the folding one is a much more portable option that's a little bit sleeker.
Now if you're wondering why do i need a dedicated training mat can't i just get a yoga mat
the big difference between a yoga mat is usually much thinner so you can see it's more of a rubber
finish this is a cheap Retrospec one and you can see this is just a yoga mat that we have used on
the trainer but it easily gets damaged it's not really designed it doesn't have the durability
of this thicker finish so it kind of collapses and it's meant for
your body weight not a full bike weight so that's why a dedicated trainer mat is a good option
and something you get a lot of mileage out of. Now let's go over the pros and cons for the folding
mat what we like about it it has a portable design the thin fabric folds up really compact so if you
don't have a dedicated space you can easily unfold it and then store it somewhere else.
It also has black color which really hides all the grease marks and the anti-slip backing holds
the mat in place well so even if you have a steering block everything stays in place.
Some of the cons for the mat is the fact that you do have visible fold marks which are a little bit
unsightly and it doesn't feel quite as durable as rollable mats which have a thicker foam
construction. Taking everything into account would give the folding mat a 9.0 out of 10. It's a nice
compact folding training mat. Thanks for watching this review don't forget to like and subscribe.
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