SubscribeIn my lead-up to Ironman Mont Tremblant I was given the opportunity to do an extended test of the Kickr bike trainer from Wahoo Fitness. Given that I’d just popped an innertube on my trainer wheel while doing an important intervals workout, the timing was perfect and I jumped at the chance.
2 very obvious differentiators exist for the Kickr: other than the power cable, it’s wireless; and, the bike chain attaches directly to the trainer (rather than a friction fit of a trainer wheel against a spindle). Both of these are major differentiators from, say, the computrainer.
“Wireless?!” you ask. Yup, the Kickr is controlled with either Bluetooth or ANT+. You can control it via software on a smartphone (apple or android) or software on a PC (and maybe a Mac, though I haven’t looked).
Unlike other computerized trainers that come with mandatory, bundled software, the Kickr has an open API that allows any software developer to build software for the Kickr. There is a free ipad/iphone app from Wahoo that provides pretty basic controls of the Kickr, but there are seemingly new releases from various developers weekly. In some ways this is a curse and a blessing: choice is good, but it can make getting started challenging. I historically was using PerfPro for my workouts with the computrainer and was very happy that it continued to work with the Kickr.
Also a big deal for me is that the Kickr works with my mountain bike. The trainer is adjustable in height to match various wheel sizes 29″, 26″, 650’s, 700’s, etc. this means you don’t need a front wheel riser to use the trainer AND you can simulate climbs/descents by changing the trainer height (not the front wheel height).
Here you can see my bike mounted to the Kickr as well as the tyre shreds left behind from my training tyre on the computrainer. Please ignore the sweat stains on the floor 🙂
Pro’s
- wireless (and somewhat portable if you’re strong – it’s pretty heavy)
- no trainer tyre (rubber mess, flatting tubes, etc)
- no loss of power due to tyre slipping on the trainer
- no calibration required for tyre pressure on the trainer
- open API for developers to build software
Con’s
- more vibration when riding
- limited bundled software
- occasional (though rare) power dropouts (probably due to reception issues)
All in all, I have to say that the Kickr is exactly what this industry has needed for a long time: a strong competitor for Racermate and the Computrainer. At this point, I’d have to say that the Kickr is definitely just that. At a better price point, with wireless integration using proven standards in the fitness space (ANT+, Bluetooth) and with the open API so that many can release control and training software, the Kickr is now my absolute recommendation for someone looking for a computer controlled bike trainer.
Move over Computrainer, there’s a new top dog in town and it’s called KICKR!
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