Vibration in high gears with Wahoo Kickr Core

After some testing last night i’ve realized it’s occurring at the lower rev’s as well on larger gears, it seems to be the wattage that increases the volume of the vibration. No reply from Wahoo yet.

I have Cyclops Hammer and have similar issue, but mainly when in small chain ring up front. I also think it is related to chain pulling at a slight angle vs in big ring in certain gears. I have had Hammer for several years but it is just now doing it. When I let the trainer spin out at the end without pedaling I do hear some noises as well so something with flywheel seems off.

I am having same issue in smallest 5 or 6 cogs. Nice in erg mode but too horrible to ride in free mode. Tried 2 new cassettes. New chain. Adjusted front derailleur. Checked rear and properly aligned, but tried adjusting (di2) while riding (in both directions) and it clearly wasn’t that. Had someone put their ear close and examine while riding and they say it sounds like a bearing inside. Although it is quiet when on bigger cogs, it momentarily makes the noise as you accelerate the crank with heavy force, but disappears when at constant rpm. In small cogs, however, the noise is constant. Also, this is anecdotal, but I 'think it causes wattage swings. Not sure on that, however. I am on a newish Trek Domane 7 disc that rides fine outside and I have tried another bike on it with same result. I would like to try my bike on another demo unit, but none are in stock anywhere.

I tried swapping cassettes, and a new chain. It made no difference so I had to take mine back, repair was only option and it could take weeks/month. I got lucky and added some $ to get a Taxc Neo2t the store had. So glad a did, the taxc is smooth, silent and i love the stability. The core always felt like i was going to fall to my right if it got too aggressive (and i’m not a big rider)

it was frustrating as wahoo would only reply every 48hrs and their suggestions were crap.

Darn, I’m about to open a Wahoo ticket. If this gets too painful to fix - I cannot afford to wait weeks for a replacement - I will probably end up buying a Neo too and then selling my Kickr Core when I get a replacement. It’s a pity, as I wanted to add the Climb accessory :frowning:

I think steering will be the next big thing vs climb. So no big loss for me. The road surface feel is fun, but I turn it off for most rides.

I have wahoo kickr 2018 and have exact same isue, its not just kickr core unfortunately :frowning:

Hi All, i have a Kickr Core and have done 4000km, in the last year or so, i am 100kg+ and ride high cadence, at times high power… i haven’t noticed the problem… i’m really happy with my Core. i use mine on a concrete floor that has vinyl flooring on top, ( linoleum.) i’m just wondering if what you Zwift on has any effect? maybe a soft flooring lets the unit rock too much? just a thought

Do a “Factory Spindown”. That smoothed my Kickr right out. Zwiftinsider.com has the instructions but you can also just do an internet search and find how to do it.

I just uploaded my issue to YT so others can compare. The video was made of my second unit but the problem exists with my third, too.

youtube . com/watch?v=IpI2KjOJa4c

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I got my kickr core v5 two weeks ago. Noticed the vibrations right away, but i thouhgt that it was normal. After using it for two weeks the noice and vibrations is getting worse. Cassette and chain is new. When riding downhill and pedaling hard, the whole bike is vibrating. I have contacted the store I bought it from and hopefully I can cancel the purchase and get my money back. For the price of 1 270Euro I had expected better. Don`t know if the Neo 2 has the same issues, but I am considering one instead…

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That’s exactly what I’m getting too. I can feel that sound just from watching your video. I don’t believe mine is so pronounced yet, but it can’t suddenly get better. I feel the vibrations in my feet and saddle.

I took the belt off recently to be able to turn the flywheel and axle bearings independently but both feel fine when I do that. The tensioner pulley bearing also feels fine. I’m not generating any kind of load when I do that of course, I just wanted to be able to eliminate any obvious problems.

I may try breaking the chain, wrapping it around the small sprocket and pulling the chain back and forth around it from above with my hands to see if I can feel any rumbling then, though this also won’t create anything like the load your legs create.

I’ve had my unit too long to get a refund so I’d like to try and fix it. One thing I noticed is that there is a lot of play in the cassette splines on the freehub. When the cassette slides on the fit is not exactly snug but it seems secure once the cassette nut is tightened up. To replace the axle bearing you will have to get the freehub off. Has anyone done this in their unit?

I have a similar grinding in the small cogs (beautifully smooth in other cogs), but having listened to it while pedalling by hand, I’m pretty sure the noise is coming from the drivetrain rather than the Wahoo unit. So maybe different from the original poster. My best guess so far is that the cassette spacing is wrong (for an 8-speed 1990s Stumpjumper) - will try a different spacer as soon as I can get the (probably overtightened) lockring off!

I had the same problem with my V5 Kickr. When the chain was on the smaller cogs, there was vibration under load. My solution was to make the chain shorter to have it as short as possible. It is also very important to use the right chain lube. Wax and any other viscous lubricant are not working on the trainer. There is too much stiffness in the chain. There is no problem on the road, but you feel every vibration a lot more on the trainer. Same is when you use a new chain. It is also necessary to remove all of the initial coating inside the links. WD40 can be used to clean the chain, as well as the pulley wheels and other movable parts of the derailleur. The most effective lubrication I found is “Finish Line Keramik Kettenöl”. This is a very thin lube. The Kickr is very sensitive for that issue.

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