Just wanted to provide some input for newbies, being one myself. I had probs getting my Kickr to work with my Felt bike’s cassette. Issue: My bike had a 9-cassette, Kickr comes with a 11-cassette. Despite the advertised claim that Wahoo works with anything; do not believe that. Do yourself a favor, just swap the 11 for a new 9 and everything will run well.
Zwift worked as advertised! As for pairing to Zwift, there were no problems other than I initially tried to do it with a Windows 10 laptop (that didn’t work). Using my iPhone 10 to pair up quickly/seamlessly did work.
Now am riding more and more. Great job Zwift.
Thanks for the post.
Yes 11 speed cassettes does not work with 10,9 or 8 speed bikes. Also campagnolo and Shimano is not always compatible.
Correct. Your cassette needs to match with the shifters on your bike. So the trainer works as advertised, as long as your bike has 11-speed shifting, which most purchased in the past few years will.
Right. We’ve happily used our KICKR with 7, 8. 10 and 11 speed drivetrains over the years. Each just required the appropriate cassette and spacer. Nine speed would be just like 8 and 10; we just haven’t had a nine speed bike to use.
I just setup my Kickr tonight but I did install a 9 speed cassette to match my Cannondale’s setup. However, my Kickr didn’t come with the 1.8mm spacer and I think I need it. Everything tightened up fine but I’m getting a good amount of clacking and some of the bigger and smaller gears don’t quite engage. Did yours come with the spacer and did you install it?
The extra spacer to use an 8, 9, or 10 speed cassette on a standard 11 speed hub, which is what the KICKR has, is available at your local bike shop, at a low price.
Using a 7 speed cassette on a standard 11 speed hub requires an additional spacer and easy extra step.
Slightly off-topic from the discussion of 9 speed cassettes, here’s a post, for reference for anyone reading this thread who’s interested in using a 7 speed drivetrain on a modern wheel-off trainer:
7 Speed Bike on Wheel-off Trainers: Your seven speed bike will probably work on a modern direct drive trainer. There’s a YouTube video showing the concept and the adjustment that is needed for a seven speed cassette versus what’s needed for an eight, nine or ten speed cassette. Those 8, 9 and 10 speed cassettes will go straight onto the 11 speed direct drive trainer with a simple adapter. For 7 speed use, you need to add a second spacer, 4 or 4.5 MM, and file a couple of small indents in the aluminum spacer. Our local bike shop provided a 4mm spacer for a couple of dollars and we’ve been using a 7 speed triple from the 90s on a 2014 Wahoo KICKR for months.Here’s a video that helped me:
How To Install 7 Speed Cassette On 8/9/10 Speed Hub
