Am I the only one who went out and replaced my trainer with a brand new Kickr to better enjoy Zwift or are there other like me.
I’ve considered it, but being a broke college student, I simply don’t have the money to spend on one. Plus, living in Texas, this is the first really cold week this winter (like sub-40 degrees F, so maybe not that cold). I wouldn’t even be able to justify purchasing a trainer when it would only get used a handful of times each year. I just use the fluid trainers available at the gym for free.
In case you didn’t know, you are also gonna need an Ant+ usb
I have the ant+ and USB extension, I love it… Best decision I’ve made but I live in Canada so we are knee deep in snow right now.
I do 90% of my interval work on a trainer regardless of the time of year, so it was a no brainer to invest in a kickr as soon as I saved up the cash for it. I think I’ll probably make the money back in tires since my trainer was eating them up regardless of what tires I was using.
Ugh, I meant to also say, yeah, Zwift was a prime motivator haha.
I’m sure you’re not. And I bet there are others who went out and bought new computers or graphics cards to run Zwift better, too. Zwift is stimulating the economy!
I hope Wahoo becomes an in-game sponsor and helps give back to Zwift for all the Kickr’s it’s selling.
I bought one, and zwift was part of what pushed me to get one.
How well do your power #'s compare coming off a fluid (kk) trainer . to the Wahoo Kickr . equal , greater , less than ?
Jim, It it really all depends. Power meters aren’t always perfectly accurate and have different accuracy ranges, typically within 1-2%. In addition, if you don’t calibrate your power meter each use, it can be a bit off.
I personally use a PowerTap, and since you must remove your rear wheel to use a KICKR, I can’t compare any numbers. If you have a crank/pedal based power meter, it’s fair to assume 1 or 2 percent of your power output will be lost due to friction in the drivetrain.
It shouldn’t be a huge difference, but if you see the KICKR with slightly lower numbers than a crank based power meter, this could be the reason. If they are very different from to another, you may need to recalibrate. The differences can add up pretty quickly. If you assume 2% error for the KICKR, crank/pedal based power meter, and drivetrain efficiencies, you could be looking at a potential 6% difference in power numbers. If you use a single side power meter, you could be looking at even more of a difference.
Essentially, the numbers should be really close. Heck, even using virtual power the numbers are usually within 5%. In the end, everything will be slightly different, and there’s just not really a whole lot you can do about it.
My kickr reads about 15 watts higher then my quarq, it doesn’t matter how hard I’m pushing it always seems to be about 15 watts, so as far as a percentage off it would be closer the more watts your’ pushing. This is about average for what people are getting compared to other power meters with there kickrs from what I have heard, after performing a spin down test of course. But I can hold more power on the road then on the trainer so it works out ok when I get out on the road.
I use a CycleOps PowerSync on Zwift which is same as Kickr. I also use a Fluid 2/Stages/Garmin 1000 and my power avg after the ride is always within 1%. I’m the kind of guy who stares at the Garmin then back to the Zwift screen making sure my power #'s are close. I bit crazy but it does pass the time.
I bought one a few weeks ago. Best thing I ever did. No more boring indoor workouts. KICKR and Zwift makes it much more bearable and I would rather stay indoors than go out in bad weather now when I only have a small time window.
I have a PowerBeam Pro by Cyclops and I am thinking about getting a Kickr just for using with Zwift. The think I hate is the flexing that happens on the bike, I am a sprinter and can make a lot of power, the Powerbeam Pro is not hard enough without Zwift controlling the power as I can spin it out and run out of gear. There is no way I can sprint up to 57 mph! LOL
Joe
I have the PowerSync which is the same as the PowerBeam. Today I spent some time on a Kickr and there were a few things I liked about the Kickr better but also things I like about my PowerSync. As far as watts go I get 900-1000 on both so really no difference. As far as spinning out on both units I had to up the resistance with my Android so I could sprint in the middle cog in the rear. Both Cycleops and Kickr have a app for this. The resistance on the hills with the Kickr is nice but soon the PowerBeam/Sync will have this.
Those of you who have used the Kick’r, what is the noise level like when compared to a good fluid trainer? Is the Kick’r louder, or quieter?
Art, it’s definitely quiter than my old Tacx Satori. My wife says the sound is more consistent throughout my workouts rather than getting much louder during intervals. I suspect this is down to the ergo mode allowing a more consistent cadence.
Don’t be fooled by some reviews though that suggest you can only hear your drivetrain!
I fell in love with the whole Zwift concept as soon as I heard about it. Knowing that Zwift wasn’t at the time Mac friendly I resisted investing. But as soon as I saw the Mac invites going out I searched the internet and found a unit with 20% off so I snapped it up straight away. My Kickr arrived one day and that night my invite e-mail came. Bad habit but when I checked my phone that morning I was no longer tired, I was just super excited to get hooked up and riding. So excited in fact, my 1st ride was in my PJ’s and slippers!
I’ve read about some problems others have had with their trainers, but my experience was a completely problem free set up, it all worked 1st time. I don’t know if complements go to Wahoo or Zwift for that but needles to say, when things work 1st time every time, it encourages users to come beck sooner.
So in answer to your question, I add my voice to say, you are not the only crazy one.
Like Dave I got a 20% off deal, although I would have bought one anyway.
For me the KICKR with Zwift or TrainerRoad is exactly the motivation I needed to ride indoors. I reckon have logged more miles on the KICKR in the last month than I did on my Tacx the whole of last year.