Wahoo KickR Resistance Too Low

Hey everyone, if you haven’t done so and this affects you, scroll to the top of the page and click on the Vote button. Squeaky wheel get the grease.

Hi Simon,

I must followed your instructions using my MacBook and worked perfectly the entire 1-hr ride! I usually use the Apple TV but noticed the issue recently. I tried using the iPad but had the same issue. I wonder if I just need to reboot the Apple TV or the iPad and follow your instructions.

Thanks again for your solution!

Ray

An update to this post. I did another session today with no issues bu this time I didn’t reset the bluetooth on the Mac. I ddid the warmup and spend down using the Wahoo Fitness app, closed it out and went to Zwift right away. I skipped step #4. You may have to do that step only once.

So far so good.

I have exactly the same issue. The resistance does not alter when the course changes gradient. I also have a kickr climb and due to the fact the resistance does not change the kickr climb does not work either. This is very annoying as it only started happening a month ago. I have tried alsorts to get it to work but to no avail. I need help I’m at the end of my wits.

Zwift please oh please can you do a firmware upgrade to resolve this. Or I’m going to leave and use bekool

Hey James,

Are you using a Mac to run Swift?

Yes i’m Connecting through a MacBook pro

Ray, did you resolve the issue? If so how? Thanks in advance

Try resetting the Bluetooth on the Mac. Find the post by Simon Page in this thread and follow the instructions. It worked for me.

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Hey James,

Were you able to try out what Simon wrote for his solution?

Not been able to try it yet. Plan to give it a go this weekend. Fingers crossed, hope it works or there will be quite a few expletives spoken on Saturday. LOL

I rode yesterday after work and I went straight to the app with no changes and started to ride. Within 1 mile I noticed that it wasn’t adjusting the resistance, so I stopped, reset the bluetooth on the Mac and continued the ride again. This time it was working just fine and through the entire ride.

It should work for you as well.

Its working fine for me… its NOT ZWIFT probably 9 out of 10 cases here are computer / ANT issues.

Continuing the discussion from Wahoo KickR Resistance Too Low:

I have exactly the same issue with my Wahoo Gen2 KICKR. In free ride or group rides the resistance does not alter when the course changes gradient. And in workout mode I just end up spinning out in the hardest gear and can’t even reach 120W
I am not using a Mac
I use an Alienware Gaming laptop with a Bluetooth connection to Zwift Companion App on my Iphone.
Pleeeeese help?!?

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Realised I never replied to this and how the thread has grown!! In terms of the issues, I regularly experience 1, 2 and 3. That said, I think I have resolved 2 and 3.

Issue 1a - This seems to be more obvious now that I’ve worked around the inverse gradient, and workout issues. Now when I start a ride (I leave my bike in 34-28 when not riding), I don’t go anywhere until I either get down to about the 14, or I move up into the 50 chainring. This isn’t the worlds biggest problem, but clearly something isn’t right. Starting on a flat piece of road (real or virtual) isn’t a 3-7w effort. So overall it feels low.

Issue 1b - following on from this. I seem to be able to go up steep sections much easier than I should. This ISN’T the inverse gradient issue. Simply if I’m on an 8% incline, I can comfortably hold pace in 50-25 for example. I went up the Epic KOM this morning and never came out of the big ring. That’s not a brag, it’s not normal. My FTP is around 220w-ish at the moment.

Issue 2 - Inverted gradient. This happened twice last week on NYC. In both instances I basically spun out up the 15% gradient (in the 50-11) and then could barely turn the pedals coming down the other side. In both cases, relaunching Zwift fixed the issue. I now make sure the laptop is hooked up to the ANT+ extension, and that I’ve got my Kickr turning, before loading Zwift. It seems odd that this would be the cause (I’d understand not seeing the Kickr, but why see it and communicate back to front?) but so far it is working. I can share log files for the rides if that helps.

Issue 3 - as per earlier message. This seemed like a 1s vs. 3s average power. I noticed it in free ride today - Zwift was showing 190w, I knew I was working harder at that moment and when I glanced at companion app it was showing 234w. Sure enough the screen caught up 2 seconds later. For me at least, the answer is using 1s power in workout mode.

Issue 4 and 5 have happened, but not enough to give any real insight. I lost resistance in a group workout once which was annoying and I’ve never tried again. Like Hannah, it was fine before joining the group (and at the start). For losing gradient, I’ve not really had that, but my kickr randomly locked up for maybe 0.5 seconds today on the Epic KOM. Just a random huge level of resistance applied momentarily. Could be a one-off

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The Zwift - Kickr problem is so frustrsting!

Kickr generation 1
Ipad 5. Generation
Tickr

I feel that I’m wering down my cassette much too fast as I only use the 3 smallest sprockets on the cassette.
Im preparing to train for longer climbs but it’s no fun doing 80+ rpm 52/11 to get the enough resistsance it’s so far from emulating climbs.

The trainer dificulty slider have NO effect at all.

I think that Zwift is about to owe me a new cassette…:thinking:

I’m really looking forward to a solution and I really hope that Zwift take this seriously.

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Same here. Use a Kickr with Zwift over an year now. Initially all was fine but lately (last couple of months) I need to use 52/11 in group rides and high rpm to get some power output. Especially on longer rides (ZBR 100 km), the too high cadence need in order to output enough power is annoying.
Recently I got the issue of fully loosing the terrain feedback from Zwift too…
Restarting the Kickr seems to work on the latter but that is not nice to do when you are in a group event.
Tried calibration etc. but as reported above, that does not help. As I do not recall having this issue always, guess it is an error slipped in a Zwift software update. With Trainerroad and Sufferfest no issues only in Zwift group free-ride events.

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On my 3 last races I have lost connection with Kickr2018/AppleTV/BLE-connections, where I needed to connect everything again. Rendering me LAST every single time, and having to race alone to try and catch up. Growing tired of this. 10K solo (300+ watts) to the bottom of the Alpe du Zwift climb on the race last thursday was not fun.

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I’ve recently encountered the lack of variable resistance issue but I found that unpairing and re-pairing my Wahoo Blue SC Speed and Cadence sensor during a ride restores the variable resistance. Please see my post below.

Hey all, I’m closing this topic since we now have two heavy posted Wahoo Kickr resistance topics. Here is the one to post to: