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Home > Forum > Triathlon Forum > Is it my KICKR, my MAC, Trainer Road, or me? Edit confirming solution.

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Is it my KICKR, my MAC, Trainer Road, or me? Edit confirming solution.
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hugoagogo
Jan 22, 15 9:19
Post #1 of 10 (3353 views)


As geauxtri suggested, I acquired the Suunto Movestick Mini. My old Garmin stick was only 1.0 but 2.0 is required for ANT+ two-way communication with the KICKR. The bonus is that this thing is so small, I can leave it plugged into my laptop all the time without worrying about breaking it off, etc.


I cannot get Trainer Road to see my KICKR unless I reboot my Mac Book Pro immediately before each workout. I got to this resolution by trial and error, and sometimes I have to reboot twice before it works -- very frustrating. At any rate, I now reboot, then bring up TR, then wait for TR to recognize the KICKR, then insert the ANT+ dongle (apparently, the MAC and KICKR must be talking to each other over bluetooth) so TR can recognize my HRM. I have found no other sequence that works.

So, am I doing it wrong? Anybody have any suggestions? It sure would be nice to have an instant connection instead of having to play with it for 5 or 10 minutes before I can start each workout.

Thanks in advance.
Last edited by: hugoagogo: Jan 28, 15 13:40
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Re: Is it my KICKR, my MAC, Trainer Road, or me? [hugoagogo] [ In reply to ]
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GreenPlease
Jan 22, 15 9:41
Post #2 of 10 (3332 views)
Sorry I can't be of any help and not to rub salt in the wound but... man am I glad I went wired with a dedicated computer. I fought different trainers all of last year. In fairness to wireless though, my place is a wireless black hole.
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Re: Is it my KICKR, my MAC, Trainer Road, or me? [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]
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TriHack
Jan 22, 15 10:03
Post #3 of 10 (3315 views)
I think Apple changed the BT stack in Yosemite and that broke a bunch of thugs, like TrainerRoad. It's likely related to Continuity.

I talked with TR over support and that was the conclusion. It also affects other products, not just theirs.

I switched to the iOS app for now. I'm a Kinetic InRide, which is also BT but a different platform, so my experience may not translate directly to you on a KICKR
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Re: Is it my KICKR, my MAC, Trainer Road, or me? [hugoagogo] [ In reply to ]
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Miamiamy
Jan 22, 15 10:30
Post #4 of 10 (3291 views)
I don't have an answer. But I have a similar routine. For me I can't leave the kickr plugged in. So I have to power up the kickr, do a spindown in the wahoo utility, fully exit the wahoo utility and then open trainer road. I use the iOS because my Mac is too old for trainer road.
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Re: Is it my KICKR, my MAC, Trainer Road, or me? [hugoagogo] [ In reply to ]
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OkotoksLawyer
Jan 22, 15 11:44
Post #5 of 10 (3246 views)
I use my Kickr with a Macbook Pro and TrainerRoad but don't have this issue. Just a couple things to maybe help.

1. I find Bluetooth to be far less reliable than Ant+. I've found things as seemingly innocuous as the placement of my water bottle on the table between my laptop and my trainer makes the signal drop. So I just get the Kickr to talk to the Macbook via Ant+. I find it much more stable.

2. I have Bluetooth problems sometimes when I have had other Bluetooth devices hooked up to my Macbook and then try to pair the Kickr. Perhaps the reset is just clearing other paired BT devices that then makes the Kickr - MacBook pairing better?

3. If you've used a Garmin program (definitely the old Express uploader) that uses the Ant+ stick, this can "block" the Ant+ signal talking to TrainerRoad. Before you start TrainerRoad, quit all your Garmin uploading stuff (if applicable).

I don't know if any of this helps - but there is hope!
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Re: Is it my KICKR, my MAC, Trainer Road, or me? [OkotoksLawyer] [ In reply to ]
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hugoagogo
Jan 22, 15 12:54
Post #6 of 10 (3194 views)
Thanks for your suggestions. I do not seem to have any issues with ANT+. My HRM always comes up immediately. I paired my MAC and KICKR via blue tooth unintentionally (that just seems to be the way it paired -- or maybe after going through various machinations, am now pairing). Any suggestions on how to force pairing through ANT+?

Thanks again.
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Re: Is it my KICKR, my MAC, Trainer Road, or me? [hugoagogo] [ In reply to ]
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Trevor DeRuise
Jan 22, 15 13:34
Post #7 of 10 (3165 views)
hugoagogo wrote:
Thanks for your suggestions. I do not seem to have any issues with ANT+. My HRM always comes up immediately. I paired my MAC and KICKR via blue tooth unintentionally (that just seems to be the way it paired -- or maybe after going through various machinations, am now pairing). Any suggestions on how to force pairing through ANT+?

Thanks again.

Sorry about this! I'd say ANT+ is a good way to go. If you just turn off Bluetooth, the only Kickr option you will see will be for ANT+. Be sure that Garmin Express or ANT Agent are not running in the background and trying to steal your ANT stick and you should be good.
Professional Mountain Biker and Community Manager at TrainerRoad - Cycling's Most Effective Training Tool
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Re: Is it my KICKR, my MAC, Trainer Road, or me? [hugoagogo] [ In reply to ]
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OkotoksLawyer
Jan 22, 15 13:42
Post #8 of 10 (3158 views)
If you look at the picture in this link

http://support.trainerroad.com/...ers-and-Power-Meters

you should be able to see how a Kickr shows up as an Ant+ option. Just unpair it in the Bluetooth list that appears above.

Good luck!
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Re: Is it my KICKR, my MAC, Trainer Road, or me? [hugoagogo] [ In reply to ]
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geauxTT
Jan 22, 15 14:13
Post #9 of 10 (3141 views)
I use my Kickr via ANT+ USB dongle with Trainerroad and a Mac, but I purchased a Suunto Ant+ key as it needs to be USB 2.0 or better and the Garmin ANT+ stick I had was just USB 1.1.
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Re: Is it my KICKR, my MAC, Trainer Road, or me? [geauxtri] [ In reply to ]
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hugoagogo
Jan 28, 15 13:41
Post #10 of 10 (2981 views)


As geauxtri suggested, I acquired the Suunto Movestick Mini. My old Garmin stick was only 1.0 but 2.0 is required for ANT+ two-way communication with the KICKR. The bonus is that this thing is so small, I can leave it plugged into my laptop all the time without worrying about breaking it off, etc.
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