I just bought the Kickr v6 in January 2026 and swapped out my Saris H2. Kickr v6 during workouts is great, but on free rides I spin out on flats and to a degree on downhills.
I have an FTP of 215, but on a free ride I can barely keep it above 100W before I’m spinning out and bumping around on my saddle, and the watts drop off or register between 0-50W while I wait for it to slow down. It doesn’t take much to cause this to happen, and is frustrating if my workout ends and I’m free riding to the end of a route since it kills my averages. I didn’t have this issue on my H2 which had an outdoor riding feel on free rides, and it means I can’t jump into races on Zwift.
The Kickr v6 doesn’t require (or have) a spindown now in the Wahoo application to calibrate, which other versions required riders to perform, and it has the latest firmware installed.
Anyone have the same issue and can provide steps to resolve it? I’ve been reading through somewhat similar posts, but most are not relevant being on the Kickr v5 where spindown calibration seemed to correct the issue.
-There is a factory spindown in the Wahoo app. DO NOT USE ZWIFT TO SPINDOWN. Takes 10-15 minutes to perform.
-Are you double recording? In app I use a Quarq PM as the source and the Kickr. I use a Botl2 to record off of the Kickr. The Quarq is used to compare to outside and the Bolt to compare the Quarq to the Kickr. BT for Zwift and Ant+ for the Bolt. Initially the resistance is very low until I shift a few times to get it going. If you are doing similar: What until ride starts to engage the second reading. If done at the same time the signals are messed up and resistance never comes.
-If using BT…do not overload with signals. My HRM is on Ant. If I put it on BT it continually drops out. If using BT…try Ant+. Make sure you have a UB500 adapter (TP-Link is most common).
-Try unplugging the Kickr and wait for the green light on the power block to go out.
Welcome to the forums. This is Haziel from Zwift. I want to share some recommendations that may help you.
After reviewing your account logs, I noticed that a firmware update is available for your Wahoo Kickr v6. Please try updating the firmware through the Wahoo app, as this could help reduce the difference that you’ve been experiencing. To guide you through the process, I will share this article: How to Update Firmware on KICKR trainers, BIKEs, and RUN.
If you have any additional questions or require further assistance, please feel free to contact us. We’re here to support you!
@Haziel_P I had already updated the firmware, but I guess not ridden on Zwift. In the last 3km of Navig8 yesterday as I popped out of my SST long workout I tested out sprinting. I was still having a hard time holding efforts above 100W before I spin out. I attempted @Andreas_Wilke suggestion and waited out the spin down, and to a degree it works but you can’t do that constantly and it didn’t appear to be a permanent, but was able to hold over 100W closer to 150-180W with a bit less bumping around, but it feels like I’m not pushing and just letting my legs drop. If I put in any sort of sprint effort like at the end of the route I spin out before I’m crossing the line.
I’ll try a dedicated free ride this week to see if it’s coming out of a workout to free ride that this occurs, or on any kind of free ride.