Wahoo KICKR reversed gradient [October 2021]

Hi all,

I tried out ANT+ and this resolved all my issues. If you haven’t tried give it a go. I got a dongle off wiggle and a USB extender to sit it right next to the Wahoo. Good luck.

I have noticed this same problem from time to time but I’m riding a Saris H3. The grade display in the minimal seemed completely inverted for a short time.

I’m running a Kickr 5 with my iPad 6th gen.

My issues have been 2 fold .

  1. when doing free ride the gradient does not match the resistance of the trainer.

  2. Occasionally, when in a workout, there is a significant delay between the start of a new segment and the change in resistance.

Is it possible that the 2 problems are related and that the "reverse resistance"is in fact a delay in resistance perhaps related to a problem in the transmission of Bluetooth signal between the device and the trainer?

Just a thought.

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I’m having the same issue…or at least I think I am.

For me it seems to be a combination of lag in resistance, and other times just getting it wrong completely. I was training in ERG mode today, and during the “harder sections” it’s telling me to put out 235W…Couldn’t hit more than 180W despite putting my cadence up from 100 to 140… Then on the “cool down”, target was 145W, to which my cadence was reduced to below 70 and was putting out over 250W - at this point the resistance was really high!

Hopefully they get a fox for this soon, as it’s just no use! I’ll try a couple of the workarounds mentioned on here, but any other suggestions are welcome.

I’m running on Windows 10 with the Zwift Companion app on Android. Don’t think there are any issues with the Bluetooth, as there doesn’t seem to be any drop out in power or cadence.

I agree with Phill that the problem is two fold. I was doing the Bell Lap on Crit City and the hill felt like twice, if not more, the normal gradient. Then the gradient resistance would not let up until about halfway down the hill. I would also have random spikes in resistance on the flats. They were not consistent though. For example, right before the finish on the second or third lap I got a spike in resistance, but not on the next lap. (Wahoo KICKR v5 and it was calibrated)

I’m having this problem too. Glad a fix is being worked on. The workarounds haven’t really worked for me and it’s making Zwift unusable.

To me, it seems more like the resistance is coming way too late. It feels like my avatar is at point A and the resistance is at point A minus ~2km.

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I am also experiencing a similar problem. Wahoo Kickr Core and Apple TV 4K. In free ride there appears to be a lag in the resistance when going uphill. Might take 30 seconds for the resistance of the trainer to change.

In workouts there is a lag in resistance (ERG mode) moving from one interval to the next of about 30-45 seconds.

One workaround I have found is to start a training session, end the ride after a couple of seconds and then start it again. This seems to fix the problem, but not ideal.

I am having exactly the same issues and it is very frustrating. Spent the money to buy a wahoo kickr and climb and the resistance is not matching the course at all. This is extremely annoying in races as you lose the group you are riding with when you trainer suddenly increases the resistance as if you are going uphill when the course is going downhill.It feels like my kickr is riding on a different course then is shown on my iPad. I hope there will be a fix soon.

@shooj: Is there a timeline for the fix? It’s been more than two weeks since this issue has been reported and it makes Zwift sadly unusable.

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Hi all,

Glad to hear I‘m not on my own with this issue. Since a few weeks I have the same problem with the reversed gradients. It appears in free ride mode as well as in races/events. Also in the flats with 0% the resistant feels really tough.
I am riding on a Wahoo KickrV5. Since the problem appeared, Zwift is absolutely unusable for me. Hopefully the problem will ne fixed quickly, at the moment I am paying for Zwift but I cannot use it. Frustrating…

I made a cross check using GTR Cycling App, everything works well.

Hi all,

Just want to give an quick uodate on this topic.
I was able to fix the mentioned problem with my Kickr and the reversede gradients in Zwift. Yeah!!
A downgrade of my Kicker´s firmware to version 4.1.2. solved it!
Everything is working well and smooth again. :grinning: :heart_eyes:

Greetings
JP

Me too! I went back two releases for the Core and its perfect.
Now I just have to fix my HR monitor!

Just as an FYI, downgrading firmware removes the factory spin down calibration, so your power will be off until you do an advanced spin down post firmware downgrade. Mine went off by ~25 watts.

Has anyone seen any improvement with the last wahoo and zwift updates? I haven’t and I’m considering cancelling my Zwift account because this has been going on so long.

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Nope. Still not working. Seriously considering to cancel my subscription, because this is BS

Help! Just updated both Kickr Cores to the latest firmware update and guess I should have read this forum first but having issues with lagging response and gradient reversal making a Zwift workout really weird. Have seen responses on downgrading firmware - how is that done? Thanks for any help!

On the wahoo app, go to sensors, click on Kickr Core and repeatedly click on the trainer icon until “Firmware” pops on the list of menu items. Then click on it, select firmware 1.0.13. As far as I know, that’s the version that doesn’t have gradient change issues. Good luck!

Thank you!!!

Thanks guys - just been having the same issue for the last 2 days (did the firmware update last week)

Reverted back to the older version and done a spindown, hopefully all will be well when I ride again tomorrow.