I’m looking at moving from a KICKR Move to a refurbished KICKR Bike V2. Is anyone able to share any significant design or manufacturing issues that may arrive with the bike? I’m trying to avoid issues that lack a real solution and the remedy option is swap it out. Thanks
My first things on my Kickrbike V1 to go were the following in order:
- Saddle
- Bar Tape
- Seatpost/Handlebar quick release clamps to actual high quality hardware (technically this was the first I replaced on mine because they snapped the day I got mine, but this was a rare case; note that mine was also a refurb unit, not brand new).
- Handlebar replaced completely
From there all I’ve done really is keep it clean. The worst thing that can happen is what happens to all bikes and the Zwift bike as well, which is sweat going down and going into the bottom bracket and ruining the BB bearings. A “solution” is more fans, or a method of keeping the sweat drips from going anywhere near the BB at all.
In my case, I wrapped large portions of mine with vehicle wrap material.
More recently, I’ve taken a lot of the more horizontal parts off like the “top tube” adjustments that make it longer/shorter, and filled the bolt and connection points with grease; same with the seatpost and stem. Over time in a no surprising way, even small amounts of sweat have gotten into those bolts and started to begin corrosion.
Pulling the seatpost and stem out and stretching the frame at minimum once a year to clean it out is what I would recommend (more if you’re a heavier sweater). Again, more things you can slip grease onto so they don’t corrode, which I started doing this year.
So really, wiping it down, and filling areas with grease to keep sweat moisture out really is the end-all-be-all thing to do.
As far as manufacturing issues go, shouldn’t have any. If you do, contact wahoo support.
One final reminder to anyone looking to get a Kickrbike, is reminder you have to press the button on the side to unlock the climb / tilt feature EVERY TIME. (and if you’re on bluetooth, I’ve noticed if I take coffee break, it sometimes disables again).
But don’t worry, it becomes second nature, and really isn’t all that annoying.
Why is it not annoying?
Worlds like France have the spawn point on a KOM which tilts the bike like 6%, which is as far more annoying than pressing a button as you start your ride.
One final reminder that tilt is also tied to trainer difficulty. So if you set TD to 0%, there will be zero tilt functionality besides manual tilting via hoods. Set it to 100%, you get 100% up, -50% down (because that’s just something Zwift chose to do, not something we can change, not a big deal IMO, some may disagree… but I find -100% tilt uneasy feeling.)
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Andrew Many thanks for sharing. You mentioned V1 Bike. Will the Reconditioned V2 have the same issues? Just wondering if wahoo resolved any of them. I’ll definitely be putting my Brooks B17 special on. I’m 72 and it’s the only saddle I can use for my endurance rides.
Was the handle bar swap a preference based or feel or are they just defective?
Are the crank issues read about from corrosion or something else. Sounds like yours didn’t experience that?
Cheers
Paul
As far as I’m aware not much changed. The quick release clamps MAY have changed to something a bit heavier duty, but I’m not 100% sure; regardless, unless you’re using the bike yourself alone, there’s no harm in swapping it to a heavier gauge nut and bolt. The only reason why they did what they did was to allow multiple users to change the size often… however, the choice on the hardware is easily stressed; mine was bent when I got it, and yeah, snapped same day I put mine together.
Handlebar tape is for sure not great, it’s very thin, and the bar is just a round aluminum type. I replaced it with very cushiony bar tape and to a aero flat top bar which I just find more comfortable and what I’m used to on my outdoor bikes. The bar tape for is an easy one to consider off the bat. Though I’ve had some people say “it’s fine”.
I have not had any issues with the cranks, it was redesigned in the first year, so they’ve all got more “meat” between the bolt holes now.
One thing I will recommend, unless you’re just that used to it, is do consider shorter cranks. I’m down to 167.5mm to match my new road bike, and the shorter I go, the more comfortable I get and the less strain in my hips and knees (less movement as well).
Only other thing I’ll say that I have is a rocker plate, the KOM RPV1 to be specific, which I got simultaneously with mine. Which it has been on it now for 3 years, and I have not had issues.
I personally find the rocking considerably more comfortable for endurance rides, along with the tilting action.
Still not as comfortable as riding outdoors due to constant movement, but it’s as close as we can get inside!
Beyond that, grease what you can, keep it clean, and enjoy it.
I have never regretted my purchase. I enjoy it [almost] every single day.
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Which clamps did you upgrade to? I had to get a custom shaft clamp to keep the seat from creeping down constantly on my V1 and the V2 needed it too. And the bars creak all the time.
The fact this is an ongoing issue with these things for the last 5 years at the price point they sell for is beyond comprehension…
Literally just replaced with some metric bolts I had in my toolbox that were long enough.
I did have to drill the holes out a fractional amount to go to a larger size, M8 perhaps? I don’t see myself snapping those anytime soon without damaging something else first.
I know Wahoo isn’t working on a v3, at least right now. But I will make a point to the designer if there is a v3, to make that a proper bolt and the collar is threaded instead, which would make so much more sense.
It really is probably the worst design choice on the whole thing, why it was chosen I’m not entirely sure, I presume to keep it easy for the end user. It could’ve been a step up in diameter though.
I shipped my 3 month old Zwift back today. They said they will replace it with a refurbished V2 Bike. I’ll be very excited if it shows up clean and not corroded and no design issues. Little stuff isn’t an issue on the Bike, as I’m a trained bike mechanic working at a LBS. The Move has a design defect that they have no appetite to fix. Standard Wahoo remedy is to replace the unit. I wish I had known Wahoo still has quality issues when my 3 year old V5 KICKR died (electronics) and they offered the Move for $800. Had I known it would take 5 new Moves to get one without bad flywheel bearings and after 2000 miles, the plastic track with metal wheel develops a dent in the plastic causing the fore aft slide to stall, I would of bought a Garmin trainer.
23000km on a v2 and still no regret. I only swapped the seat fod a wider sella italia.
Zwift supports steering and top buttons do power up, u-turn and rideon bomb.
I only wish i could set up some dream gearing. I settled for 1x13 unusually wide cassette.
What do you mean?
Open the Wahoo app and you can make whatever gearing you want, real or totally unrealistic (and choose shifting type, Shimano, Shimano synch, SRAM, Campagnolo).
Note that I think if you set Campag shifting though you lose the ability to use steering, as it uses those side hood buttons.
I’d like equally staged gears, say 36 gears and just up/down button. With more than one chain ring, none of the shifting modes make any sense to me. Wahoo could just allow as many sprockets as I want on my virtual cassette, or at least allow more than 13. No reason to limit it like IRL.
“Dream Drive” on the StagesBike SB20 allowed you to configure 50 gears, and set the left buttons to shift multiple gears at once. The bike has some other drawbacks (such as the manufacturer going out of business) but that was a nice feature. You could have tiny changes in resistance if desired.
So set up custom gears and as a 3x on Shimano Synchro / SRAM eTap.
Then it’s just shift up (large paddle/right either) and shift down (small button/left either), and you’ve got 39 gears with potentially equal spacing if you do the maths.
The only major annoyance of something like that is having to sweep through that many gears; that’s a lot of button clicks when hitting a climb or going for a sprint.
The shifting modes are just based on similarities to how the IRL components shift.
Shimano mechanical - left as front derailleur (depending where you are in the world), right as rear
Shimano synchro (though none of my bikes work this way) - rear / big button shifter down, small button shift up
SRAM Mechanical - right buttons down, left buttons up, both sides = front derailleur
SRAM eTap - should be same as Shimano Synchro I believe
Campagnolo - not sure the sides, but I know the steering buttons are used in addition.
But you can absolutely set up your gearing fully custom.
I very much imagine the reason why Wahoo did this is because it makes the most sense to someone familiar with bicycles; to have something to compare it to.
I don’t believe most people would have a clue what the heck a 3.27 to 1.53 range means… sorry, 4.73 to 1.06. See, even I have no clue what that is lol, but that’s one of my bike’s ranges!
Hi Regarding the play controllers. Some of the features like power up’s and access to the entire Zwift menu do not appear to be supported on the V2 bike? So looks like they will be needed when I set mine up. I read on a late 2024 thread Zwift made a change that lets you use play or Wahoo for shifting. I want to use the play for everything but the V2’s duplication of shift paddles and brake leavers. Is that going to be an option, or has that not worked.
I’m thinking I’ll try to match my dI2 2x12. Hopefully it will duplicate sync, shifting, and exchanging the paddle use. I have both my big paddles set up to increase RPMs as opposed to how mechanical one had always worked where they were different from front to rear derailer.
No, Kickrbike (all versions) requires the shifting on the kickrbike itself, it cannot use the Play controllers to shift.
If you have steering connected, both the play controllers and the Kickrbike V2 can brake.
Alternatively you can disable braking on the play controllers, and use just the brake levers on the kickrbike (likely the safer option).
Don’t expect any further changes from Wahoo.
Synchro to me is still weird; on my Di2 bikes, the left brifter is always only my front derailleur; right side will shift front when necessary. But on my Kickrbike, I can use either side and it’s just shift up/down; I have no control of my “front derailleur”.
I have not found a way to make it act the same as my actual Di2 bikes, and I’m not sure there’s a way due to lack of options.
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