Wahoo Kickr and Rear Derailleur

Hello,

I just wanted to ask if this is normal.

I have a Wahoo Kickr and when I attach my bike to it using the quick release skewer the rear derailleur moves inwards and I think this is causing issues with my gearing when I change to the small cogs; it’s very rough, noisy and there is heavy vibration.

My bike is 9 speed and I have used the spacer which came with the Kickr behind the cassette. I am also using the correct 130mm hub seating.

I have tried adjusting the rear derailleur using the cable tensioner bit that you turn but it hasn’t helped.

Does anyone else have any issues like this?

A picture from behind.

Any help would be much appreciated.

It’s kind of hard to tell from the picture, but they look pretty well in line to me. I have a Kickr Core and in the hardest gears I also get some vibration and noise (not a ton, but I can feel it), was told that it is normal for the Kickr? I assume from the fly wheel spinning up so fast?

Thanks Mike,

When I get into the small cogs it’s really loud and vibrates a lot, as in the the whole bike starts shaking and feels something is about to break. I haven’t been able to use these gears for a while now because of this but now that I am getting a bit better stamina and powerwise I need these gears :sweat_smile:.

This happens at low cadence too.

If it is that severe then I suggest you start a support ticket with Wahoo, they will ask for a video of the issue with sound.

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I was thinking that but there is absolutely no noise coming from the Kickr itself. I am 99% sure it’s the drivetrain on the bike so this weekend i’m planning on cleaning it properly and then lube the chain to see if it helps.

I just wanted to know if it’s normal for the rear derailleur to move inwards when tightening the quick release skewer?

maybe a tiny amount, but shouldn’t be anything significant. Make sure you have the correct spacers for the size of rear hub too, the Kickr should have come with a few different sizes (on the non-drive train side).

Should look like one of these:

I’ve used the correct 130mm spacer as in the picture, I just don’t understand why the derailleur moves so much, the more I tighten the skewer the more it moves in.

I think i’ll try cleaning and relubing the drivetrain, if that fails then take it to my local bike shop and see if they can help.

If that all fails, just live with it and eventually get a 11 speed bike.

I’ll update this thread just incase somebody else has a similar problem. Thank you

That really doesn’t sound right to me. In the photo, unless it’s a lens distortion then the derailleur does look like it’s angled inwards.

Maybe someone who’s a gear expert might be able to provide more input, but something seems wrong here to me.

Agree, something doesn’t look right. It looks to me that the frame & cassette are not aligned, if you look at the gap on the outer edge it seems bigger at the top. Might be a perspective thing though.

Could it be that your derailleur hanger is loose/bent/whatever? Start by checking the tightness of the screw(s) between the hanger and the frame, checking for straightness requires more advanced tools (or as a first aid measure at least a trained eye). And if the screws are indeed loose, add some thread locking compound first.

Thanks guys.

I will take the cassette off and put it back on to ensure it’s on properly on.

The rear derailleur hanger screws are all tight. I’ll take a few more clearer pictures too.

I think the main issue is that it moves inwards when tightening and so what I might do is take a clip of me tightening it to show you how much it actually moves in when I get home later. Can I put a YouTube link here?

I also have a problem using the same trainer and an 8-speed cassette; the lower gears keep slipping but the higher gears are fine. I don’t know if this is related to yours. My derailleur does move when tightening the skewer, but isn’t this normal?

I’ve been thinking it must be a problem with my setup, I couldn’t see how the Kickr Core could be at fault here. Please keep us updated with what you manage; it might help me fix my issue.

Is the cassette locked securely, with lock ring as vibration occurs when even partially loose. Your chain looks to be in correct alignment.

I’m not sure if it’s supposed to move in so much when tightening, that’s why I was asking.

Will definitely keep the thread updated.

I took the cassette off and put it back on properly but still have the same issue.

Looking at the derailleur again, i think it looks twisted when I move it down to the smallest cogs. See picture below, what do you guys think?

To me it still looks like the derailleur hanger is somehow off (slightly bent?), plus the jockey wheels are slightly too much to the right (change to a mid-cassette cog to see if this is still the case and turn cable adjuster counterclockwise in small increments to fix).

Just curious: if you loosen the quick release, can you move the rear fork sideways on the axle?

It’s a tiny bit straighter when I change to the middle cogs. Maybe I should replace the rear derailleur as its about £30 new…? And the hanger too.

Or take it to the local bike shop and see what they think.

When the quick release skewer is undone there is no movement left or right with forks so its definitely a snug fit. I thought this could be a problem before so I tried switching the adapter to 135mm but then the forks wouldn’t fit unless you pull them apart a bit.

Replacing the derailleur as a first step does not make too much sense to me. Taking it to a bike shop, on the other hand, does, as these kinds of things are a lot easier to diagnose hands-on.

Oh, yet another thing: does the derailleur move the same way if you use your rear wheel instead of the trainer and tighten the QR?

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Are your RD pulleys solid or hollow/honeycomb? If hollow, make sure one of them is not broken. Both the pulleys on my Force RD broke over time more than once. Now I just get the cheap solid ones.

Something doesn’t look straight, but I’m not sure what.

If I was you I’d replace the hanger first as that should be easier & cheaper. But a bike shop would be the best bet.

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