Wahoo Kickr First Thoughts
So I received my Wahoo Kickr approximately 3 weeks ago and have had a chance to ride it several times. Wanted to give everyone my .02 on this piece of equipment. I started out with a Computrainer in '06 and switched to a Quarq which I used on the E-motion rollers for the past 3 seasons. BTW, I bought mine from Clevertraining.com with a 10% off coupon (from DCrainmaker's site) and free shipping. I think it came to $980 or so.
The set up is extremely easy to do. If you follow DCrainmaker's blog you don't have to read the manual. For my purposes, I use a iPAD Mini and the Wahoo fitness app (free from the App store). I've been riding with my Tri BIke for most of the season so I hooked that up. The Quarq was also used to ensure that the numbers were accurate. FYI, I do not use Trainerroad.com so I cannot comment on the interaction.
Pros:
1. It is very quiet. It does get a little louder (higher pitch) when I shift into a higher gear but o/w the kids can watch TV while I ride w/o having to blast the TV. I can now watch movies with dialogue rather than the shoot'em out, no plot action movies I had been watching all winter long.
2. After I calibrated the Kickr (approximately 10' of riding) the power is and remains extremely consistent with my Quarq.
3. I use Training Peaks and the native app allows me upload from my iPAD directly after my ride. No more having to go looking for my Garmin 500.
4. No tire changes needed. I just hook my chain to the flywheel and go, or actually stay put 
5. The construction is extremely well constructed and solid. I didn't think anything would be heavier than the CT. I believe this thing is. Seems like it should last at least a decade.
6. There are several ways to ride. Resistance, Erg, Sim and manual. For most of the peeps here the only ones that I think anyone really needs would be Erg and Sim.
Resistance: I have not tried this but supposedly each level is associated with a progressive resistance curve. Not sure how it would benefit those of us who are already aware of their FTP.
Erg: similar to the CT. there is a screen where you can hit the +/- button for hundreds/tens/ones to set your power. It does not matter what gear you are in or your RPMs, you require the same amount of power to hit this number. The resistance in this mode changes with 1-2 seconds of changing the wattage number. Quite nice as the CT would take some time for you to get to your goal wattage. The challenge is that going from 290 to 300 you need to hit the hundreds and tens tab. You adapt quickly as it doesn't take too many times of changing it from 290 to 390 before your realize that you need to change both the hundreds and tens tab. On Slowtwitch this seems to be a big source of discontent. No big deal in my mind.
Sim: This mode allows me to input what type of bike I am riding (road bike in the hoods, aerobar, etc) and then I can change the % incline and wind speed. I think this mode will be the most exciting in the coming years. I read where Strava and Wahoo may be working to create an app that allows end-users to load up whichever ride from wherever they want. What a great way to pre-ride courses. Currently kinomap has a version of this but from my understanding, depending on your speed the video may need to slow down. For now, I use this mode as my recovery. Instead of hitting the tabs to go from 240W to 100W, I find it easier to hit the Sim button which then allows me to spin freely and not commit to a certain wattage. Feels a lot better too.
Cons:
1. I had some trouble one time connecting my iPAD to the Kickr. Without the control app, the Kickr is just a big piece of non-resistance equipment. Since I found this out at 0515, I was particularly peeved that I got up so early and couldn't go back to sleep (nor did I want to go to work early). I figured out later that you can check to see if the trainer is logged on and reconnect.
2. I am not sure if this next one is a con or a pro. For my 95-100% FTP rides, I have been having difficulty generating these watts on the E-motion rollers. Part of this is due to that fact that the bands have stretched out and the resistance generated is not as high so that I have to pedal harder to obtain certain watts. With the Kickr, I have had no difficulty hitting these wattage goals. I am not sure what this means when I start going outside.
3. I need to purchase a new HRM that is bluetooth compatible. Guess who sells it...yep, it's Wahoo and only costs a mere $79.99 (though 10% off and free shipping from Clevertraining.com).
Final thoughts. I think this piece of equipment is awesome. I think that I will ride my rollers occasionally so that I retain some of the muscle memory that occurs from having to stabilize my body. You can get a little lazy riding a fixed trainer. I think that the best place for the roller rides are the 80% ABP as it doesn't require that much energy to reach and maintain these wattage numbers.
Comments
Where does the iPad sit? Does the Kickr have a place to put it, or must that be jury-rigged?
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Keep on posting your "learnings"!!!
Thanks!!!!
I find that I do most of my riding in either Sim mode or Erg mode. watts feel much more like outdoors, as confirmed this past Saturday with an outdoor test to match up to my indoor test (almost to the watt). Finding that, overall, the KICKR delivers a much more road-like feel IMHO. I used sim mode for the indoor test.
Looking forward to new apps like Wahoo Strava (though the latest comments on DC Rainmaker's thread don't leave me holding my breath on it). I like it a lot now, and expect to love it with some new apps out.
A follow up question regarding your KICKR experience: did you have to buy any add-ons like wahoo's cadence sensor and or Wahoo's HR monitor?
Or does the KICKR meassures cadence and transmits to the App and you can pair with the usual HR monitors?
Tks
Speed on erg mode is meaningless, as it is on level mode. Both for good reason, as the trainer is attempting to do something other than replicate outdoor conditions. For example, in Erg mode, you can set it at 200 watts and pedal at 80 rpm, and it will give you 200 watts to push. But you could be in the 34/27, or you could be in the 50/11. KICKR don't care, it's going to give you 200 watts to push against. So your speed will vary.
Make sense?
Did my first ride on the KICKR this week and loved it!!! Noise level (wistle) above my TACX Fortius but ride feeling much more "real".
I do have one problem in case any of you have the solution: while the pairing with my iphone was a non-brainer (up and running in a couple minutes) I have not been able to pair my iPad 2. Any suggestions?Further discovered my MacBook is ALSO "old" and need a new one to connect TrainerRoad!!
Apple Store .... here I go!!!!
Positives:: Just great overall. No tires to blow up. Solid. Minimal calibration need. Good free wahoo app to use. Great ride feel.
Negatives:::: No comprehensive manual. Lack of ant+ control on the wahoo app. Weird location for power cord plug in.
I'm just waiting for my CompuTrainer to die of old age so I have an excuse like this to finally the enter the second decade of the 21st century vis a vis trainers. DON'T REPAIR YOUR CT!
Pity about the software ;-(
The Kickr came in today. Will pick it up at the bike shop. Will let you know my first impression tomorrow. I will be using it with Trainer Road (ERG mode), ANT + (second generation) stick, Garmin Ant+ strap, and Speed Concept cadence/speed sensor. Question though, what mode do you use for FTP testing?
I just use the Wahoo Fitness app on my Iphone.
Usually Erg mode.
Sim mode for testing and dial in a slope.
Got the Kickr last night. Super simple setup unlike the computrainer with the senor wires. Like the feel of the Kickr more than the computrainer. Used trainer road with the 20 minute FTP test. Did the spin down. All very simple. Good purchase overall. New FTP of 258