I just bought the Garmin RS100 pedals. And have been using Zwift with a Wahoo Kickr for a long time.
This morning I was using both at the same time and the numbers were very different. While Zwift was showing a power of 95, the pedals were showing an average power of 65…and it actually felt like 65. What should I do? If the power on the pedals are right it means that Zwift has been showing me the wrong power all this time!! : (( Please help.
What model of KickR, has it ever been calibrated?
Model Is just KICKR. It was calibrated 4 years ago when I bought it. Do I need to do that again?
I read that there is no need for calibration because it calibrates itself…
The newer Kickr v5 and v6 auto-calibrate. Anything older than that needs to be calibrated periodically. Once a month is probably adequate. Use the Wahoo Fitness app to check for updated firmware and perform the calibration.
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This ---------^^
Thank you Paul. I will calibrate it asap. Do you think that is the reason why the numbers are so different from the garmin pedals?
If you only have one Garmin pedal then that power is doubled and gives average watts. If your left / right balance is not 50/50 then the total power will never show the same value as for example a Wahoo Kickr which calculates power differently.
I’m 50/50 95% of the time after having a bike fit previous to that I could be as high as 10% of a variation your L/R balance often changes with effort for example Z1/2 I’m slightly biased to left side but for Z3 upwards I’m even on both sides.
Possibly but it’s hard to guess whether the the fault lies with the trainer or the pedals or both. You’ll also need to calibrate the pedals.
This guide can help you figure out which Kickr model you have and whether it supports auto-calibration:
I am calibrating the pedals every time because that is what the manual suggests.
Thank you for all the information.
I am aware of the variations between the pedals and the difference with the Wahoo Kickr. But this time the difference is too high…something else must be going on. I will calibrate the Wahoo because I haven’t done that in a long time. Also, I guess I shouldn’t use the pedals inside. Just focus on the numbers from the Wahoo KIKCKR. Right? Thank you James.
I had a bad experience with Garmin RS200 pedals after initial installation and calibration I would get comparable data compared to 3 other power meters however after that the power data was never comparable or consistent even with regular calibration. After receiving 3 sets of replacements from Garmin in under 3 months I asked for a full refund as all gave the same results and I had checked the 3 other power meters against Assioma pedals and were all virtually identical.
To answer your question it’s very difficult to directly compare a one sided power meter against another unless you know your L/R balance is fairly consistent. I used to own the same trainer and would calibrate weekly or every fortnight depending on usage via the Wahoo App.
it’s probably a kickr '18, considering how long you’ve had it, so yeah. ideally you want to calibrate it (from the wahoo app, not zwift) at least once a month. can imagine it would be wildly off after four years. once calibrated, it should be within +/- 3-4% of the pedals. if it’s still off, there’s one or two extra steps you can try, but give that a go first
I totally forgot about calibrating the Kickr!! I will do it now and will see how close to the pedals it gets. Thank you.
Sorry you had that bad experience with the pedals.
I will start calibrating my Kickr every month and see how it goes. Thanks a lot James.
Hello again. You were right, my Kickr is a 2018. So I did the calibration. I test it this morning and the numbers are still off by approx. 30 watts between the pedals and the wahoo. : ( I feel like the pedals are giving me a more accurate reading because of my heart rate. According to zwift I am riding in Z2 but my HR is still in the 80s range. And with the pedals my HR goes to the right numbers (120-130).
Also, I used the Wahoo app and the numbers (watts) were similar to the pedals. Looking forward for those extra steps you mentioned. Thanks.
It’s possible. One way to find out which output is closest to accurate would be to test both with a third, already proven power meter, and see which one is the odd one out.
Assuming it’s the kickr though, here’s what you can do
check the Kickr’s firmware, make sure it’s on the latest version. for an '18, that would be v3.5.2. update it if it isn’t
if the numbers are still off, try an advanced spindown. directions on how to do this are here: How to Perform an Advanced Factory Spindown on Your Wahoo KICKR | Zwift Insider
if they’re still off: now you can probably assume that something in the trainer is broken or failing. it could be the drive belt just wearing out, but it could be all sorts of stuff. it’s too hard to diagnose over forums. at this point, I would be emailing wahoo and telling them the issue and that I’d already tried the above. even though you’re out of warranty, they might be able to help you diagnose and troubleshoot/send replacement parts if necessary. i’ve heard of cases where they’ve replaced whole units out of warranty, though I think they’d go bankrupt very quickly if they did that for everyone so I wouldn’t rely on it. Good luck