After initially seeing the REI 20% coupon applicable to the Kickr SNAP this year I picked one up. I had been debating between a Vortex / Bushido (possibly ordered from Germany), Power Sync or other less common option -- i.e. bkool, elite.
ERG training sounded interesting to me and I really enjoy data and toys. Certainly with a Power Meter and virtually any other trainer (my existing unit was an old grey Kurt Kinetic) one can get their workouts in fine.
I've now ridden the SNAP about 5 short times, but notice odd behaviors here and there -- generally accuracy or ERG control issues. From my experiences I wanted to start a thread related to the SNAP and hope others can share their experiences or best practices. I did a quick search and the SNAP seems to show up in a few other semi-related threads, but nothing that specifically talks to my intent.
My experiences:
My first few rides had SNAP reporting 15-25% lower power than my Power Tap reported. I tried spindown and advanced spindown calibration with little success. I *believe* the fix for me was to tighten the load unit to my wheel further (2 full turns). I was likely closer to 1 full turn in the early goings. Now I seem to be within the stated 5% accuracy, generally within 3% (n=3 rides or so this way).
Another user on DCR's comments mentioned a problem with the Trainer Road workout Keeler Needle -- the steeper ramps seemed to not work properly. I decided to try it on my own and also noted the problem. It seems like the steep ramp causes the trainer to get confused and ignore most new setpoints. It did "grab on" at a few places during my ramp, but it ended up looking like a wild stair-stepping interval rather than a ramp. This was with BT control.
Quickly changing setpoints with the Wahoo app seems to miss updates at times, possibly related to the ramp problem above. i.e. riding along at 140, clicking "+" twice to go to 340 left me with a displayed SP of 340 but the SNAP controlled to 240. Fixed by manually moving away from 340 and back, but annoying.
Using the SNAP with Trainer Road (at least the Windows Beta) doesn't seem to work well for me. ERG control seems randomly delayed, possibly by 30-60 seconds at times, and the spindown requests kept failing (after asking for a spindown I'd see "requesting calibration" followed shortly by "calibration failed, retry?').
General Notes:
-I haven't tried it with Zwift or any other apps yet (Just Wahoo's generic app, TR for iOS and TR Windows Beta)
-I am hopeful accuracy remains good if my wheel tightness is consistent, but after the first few rides I was nervous about how sensitive it seemed to wheel tightness -- with no warning of tightness being off or calibration failing.
Again, starting the thread with hopes others can share their best practices or experiences. Are my examples consistent with your's? Do you have workarounds? Other issues?
My firmware is up-to-date (as of now... 2.0.28).
Minor updates -
1) Looks like FE-C is in a beta (2.0.29) now, although I haven't tried it.
2) After using the SNAP for awhile I am seeing better results. I cannot say exactly what I did to make this change, but this is what I know:
--I did an advanced spindown after an 80 minute ride
--I try to check my tire pressure carefully and set to 115 psi each ride
--I more carefully adjust my knob pressure to 2 full turns after initially touching the wheel
I also check how close my readings are early in the workout and avoid spindown calibration if they seem within 5%. I guess if I see they are that close I am scared the spindown will cause more error :)
I would say I am generally happy with the SNAP over the last 3-4 weeks (I've had it for roughly 8 weeks). I'm at least seeing pretty consistent 5% or less error from my PT readings.
ERG training sounded interesting to me and I really enjoy data and toys. Certainly with a Power Meter and virtually any other trainer (my existing unit was an old grey Kurt Kinetic) one can get their workouts in fine.
I've now ridden the SNAP about 5 short times, but notice odd behaviors here and there -- generally accuracy or ERG control issues. From my experiences I wanted to start a thread related to the SNAP and hope others can share their experiences or best practices. I did a quick search and the SNAP seems to show up in a few other semi-related threads, but nothing that specifically talks to my intent.
My experiences:
My first few rides had SNAP reporting 15-25% lower power than my Power Tap reported. I tried spindown and advanced spindown calibration with little success. I *believe* the fix for me was to tighten the load unit to my wheel further (2 full turns). I was likely closer to 1 full turn in the early goings. Now I seem to be within the stated 5% accuracy, generally within 3% (n=3 rides or so this way).
Another user on DCR's comments mentioned a problem with the Trainer Road workout Keeler Needle -- the steeper ramps seemed to not work properly. I decided to try it on my own and also noted the problem. It seems like the steep ramp causes the trainer to get confused and ignore most new setpoints. It did "grab on" at a few places during my ramp, but it ended up looking like a wild stair-stepping interval rather than a ramp. This was with BT control.
Quickly changing setpoints with the Wahoo app seems to miss updates at times, possibly related to the ramp problem above. i.e. riding along at 140, clicking "+" twice to go to 340 left me with a displayed SP of 340 but the SNAP controlled to 240. Fixed by manually moving away from 340 and back, but annoying.
Using the SNAP with Trainer Road (at least the Windows Beta) doesn't seem to work well for me. ERG control seems randomly delayed, possibly by 30-60 seconds at times, and the spindown requests kept failing (after asking for a spindown I'd see "requesting calibration" followed shortly by "calibration failed, retry?').
General Notes:
-I haven't tried it with Zwift or any other apps yet (Just Wahoo's generic app, TR for iOS and TR Windows Beta)
-I am hopeful accuracy remains good if my wheel tightness is consistent, but after the first few rides I was nervous about how sensitive it seemed to wheel tightness -- with no warning of tightness being off or calibration failing.
Again, starting the thread with hopes others can share their best practices or experiences. Are my examples consistent with your's? Do you have workarounds? Other issues?
My firmware is up-to-date (as of now... 2.0.28).
Minor updates -
1) Looks like FE-C is in a beta (2.0.29) now, although I haven't tried it.
2) After using the SNAP for awhile I am seeing better results. I cannot say exactly what I did to make this change, but this is what I know:
--I did an advanced spindown after an 80 minute ride
--I try to check my tire pressure carefully and set to 115 psi each ride
--I more carefully adjust my knob pressure to 2 full turns after initially touching the wheel
I also check how close my readings are early in the workout and avoid spindown calibration if they seem within 5%. I guess if I see they are that close I am scared the spindown will cause more error :)
I would say I am generally happy with the SNAP over the last 3-4 weeks (I've had it for roughly 8 weeks). I'm at least seeing pretty consistent 5% or less error from my PT readings.