Wahoo has launched the latest iterations of its Kickr Smart Trainer and Kickr Bike.
Both get enhanced features, with the most significant being Wi-Fi connectivity which, according to Wahoo, will “enable a more seamless and connected user experience across the Wahoo ecosystem.”
Wahoo’s focus on its “ecosystem” is confirmation that the US company, now with its subscription service Wahoo X that incorporates RGT and Wahoo Systm (opens in new tab), is aiming high with physical and digital smart training products.
(Image credit: Wahoo)
The addition of Wi-Fi connectivity across the new Kickr Smart Trainer and Kickr Bike should give users significant increases in data transfer speed compared with Bluetooth and ANT+. Wahoo says on-screen stats can be delivered 65% faster than before, making workouts more seamless and eRacing more precise.
Wi-Fi also solves the issue of dropouts, according to Wahoo.
Wahoo says it’s the first major brand to introduce Wi-Fi for the smart trainers and bikes.
The other updates aren’t such major ones: both Kickr devices now have what Wahoo is calling ERG Easy Ramp, which makes it easy for riders to get back up to the required power if they get off the bike or stop pedalling mid interval. Wahoo’s indoor training product manager Tyler Harris told us that “from that stopping point we’ve ramped it over roughly 10 seconds to allow you to build up your cadence and ease back into that interval.”
Both new devices also get odometers to record total distance. This is for, according to Harris: “People wanting to know how many miles are on their trainer for servicing intervals or when third parties want to sell it as a used trainer.”
Wi-Fi, ERG Easy Ramp and the odometer are the three updates that the Kickr Smart Trainer and Kickr Bike share; the Bike additionally gets its resistance pushed up to an “industry leading” 2,500 watts via a new motor design that Harris says also makes it even quieter.
(Image credit: Wahoo)
And finally the Kickr Bike gets a new direct connect port so that it can facilitate every connection protocol riders might want to use, whether Wi-Fi, hardwired, Bluetooth or ANT+.
Wahoo Kickr Smart Trainer and Wahoo Kickr bike specs
(Image credit: Wahoo)
Visually the new Kickr Smart Trainer – which would be ‘V6’ but Wahoo simply wants it to be referred to as “new” – is more or less visually identical to the previous version, the Wahoo Kickr V5 (opens in new tab)– which won a place on our 2021 Editor’s…