If you get the ANT+ dongle from Wahoo, it may work in communicating with it since your ipad lacks Bluetooth 4.0. That may be your only option unfortunately.

Above post is correct. iPad2 does not support BTLE (Bluetooth Smart/4.0) so it can't talk to the Kickr using BT. If you get the ANT+ dongle for the iPad http://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/wahoo-key.html you might be able to collect data but not sure if you can control it or not. Their site says:

" iPad mini Older iPhones/iPads can collect data with the use of an ANT+™ adapter for iPhone" which doesn't seem to imply the ability to control, which you will need somehow to set resistance. I use ANT+ USB stick on my laptop to control mine (w/ TrainerRoad.com), so you can control it with ANT+, just not sure if their iPhone app does that or not.

So if I used my MacBook , do you think that would work and control resistance?

Yep - I use the ANT+ stick that came with my Garmin but you can buy them anywhere and my old 2010 MacBook (no BTLE) to control mine and it's great.

If your MacBook has BTLE already you are all set. Supposedly you can buy a BTLE USB key if your MacBook doesn't have BTLE but if it's a newer one it will.

You *will* need to find access to an iOS device at some point when you buy to upgrade the firmware on the Kickr using the Wahoo Utility app, but that could be a buddy with an iPhone4S/5/5S you borrow for 5 mins.

Thanks mike!
I also have an older 2010 MacBook , and a Garmin 910 ant stick, so it sounds like I'm all set.
One more question if I can. If you want to "virtual ride" how do you get the video and power information from my lap top to my TV??

Can you clarify meaning of "virtual ride"?

sorry, I mean watching a "video" of the landscape while the kickr adjust the resistance to match the hills and terrain that you are viewing

Ah - so that's dependent on the program you are using. I just bought the Kickr three days ago so I've only used TrainerRoad.com so far. I just use my laptop screen as well.

I've been using my Kickr with TR too. I've been having a problem with training ERG though. It seems I can never get my power up to the target power that TR determines. Its always about 15-20% lower. ie. TR calls for 140 watts - I can only get to 115-120 before I start to spin out. If I have a very slow cadence 50-60 I can reach the target sometimes. It's a lot more noticeable on lower power needs. If TR calls for 65 watts, I'll spin out and can only get about 20 watts.

I've gone back and forth with TR and Wahoo about this issue with no resolve. Anyone have this issue?

Not an expert here (only had Kicker for 4 days) but things I'd check:

- Latest firmware installed on Kickr
- Warm up for 10 minutes and do a roll down calibration
- What gear on the bike are you in? I'm somewhere around 50x20 and that seems to cover from about 120-260 watts quite comfortably in erg mode.

Otherwise I'd check in with Wahoo.

- Mike

I didn't know I was suppose to be in a certain chainring to train ERG. I've been in the small chainring and somewhere in the middle of the cassette.

I thought training in erg meant the trainer would adjust to what ever gear and cadence I was in.

I'll give it a try and put my bike in 50/20 and see if it helps.

Thanks!

You are right for the most part I think, but the speed the flywheel turns is a product of your gearing, not the resistance, so maybe there is a range of gearing that works better with certain watts. I'm just spit balling at this point.

In reading this thread I have a question for the KICKR owners. If I understand what I've read are you supposed to leave your bike in a particular gear and simply let the KICKR control the resistance or do you change gears as the power gets more difficult.

What's the procedure? Thanks!

If you are in Erg mode than you just leave the gearing alone and let the electronic resistance change. Haven't used any mode other than Erg so can't speak to others.

So as an example what gear would you leave it in? Big or small chain ring?

I'm feeling pretty dumb at this point as I own an KICKR and did not know this. I've had a TON of problems with it and have overall been pretty unhappy. Part of the reason is that are little to no instructions with the thing. My education with it has come completely by trial and error.

I pretty much leave it in a single gear and keep the same cadence (~90) no matter what the power.

Sometimes if I want to play with cadence (and constant power), I'll change gears. Took me awhile to figure out which gears work best.

I've left mine in 50x21 or 50x19. It seems to give me a better approximation of speed at my natural cadence for the majority of the riding I do so my training logs don't look insane.

I literally took the thing out of the box, updated the firmware with my iPhone, and did a calibration spin down with Wahoo iOS app. Then connected it to my laptop with ANT+ (old MacBook), fired up TrainerRoad, paired with Kickr, picked a workout in Erg mode and rode. I've got 4 hours of riding on it in last 4 days and no issues so far.

The whole point of Erg mode (with Kickr or CompuTrainer) is that you do whatever you want (cadence/gear) and it adjusts the resistance to achieve the target watts.

To the OP, yes, iPad2 with ANT dongle works. I use it that way with Kinomap, and it is fine.

Re: gearing,

if you're using Wahoo Fitness app in Erg mode, gearing doesn't matter, it'll adjust. Same is true of wattage control mode in Trainerroad (most of their programs)
If you're using WF app in simulation mode, gearing matters like it does outside (higher gear = faster speed). Same is true for Segments, Kinomap, others
if you're using WF app in Level mode, gearing matters like it does on an indoor trainer (higher gear = harder)

In general, if you're telling it to give you a certain # of watts, your gearing is irrelevant. It'll affect the average speed of your workout, but the average speed is also unimportant in a wattage-controlled workout

However, if you're riding a course profile, then gears matter. Try riding a steep Strava segment in a 11 x 53 and see what happens.

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M
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'tri or tri not, there is no du' - yoda

The problem with the iPad2 is that it has no bluetooth 4.0. You can't update the firmware on your KICKR without bluetooth, and for many months a KICKR right out of the box doesn't support ANT+ control (only ant+ broadcast). So, you may need to find an iDevice with the latest bluetooth just to upgrade the firmware. After that, you're set with simply using the wahoo dongle on your iPad2.

Also, once you get the dongle, it may have an old firmware on it as well. My iPad2 with the Wahoo app was unable to flash the dongle, and Wahoo recommended I use Quarq's Qualvin software to flash it (which worked great).

So, short answer is you need a dongle and potentially one-time access to a friend with a more modern IOS device.

Could I use the garmin Ant dongle?

The Garmin dongle for iPad? I don't think it works with anything at all except garmin's app that nobody uses. For iPad, it's wahoo or nothing.

For a mac or PC you can use any of the ANT+ usb dongles, garmin or otherwise.

All of this presumes your KICKR has the firmware that supports ANT+.

And how exactly does one know this? Just curious...

Is there KICKR firmware that does not support ANT+?

I got a new KICKR about 4 weeks ago and right out of the box it didn't support ANT+ control. It broadcasts power data if you pedal, but no controlling is allowed. The non upgraded firmware might also change resistance on a sin wave from 0w to 1000w, on a 10 second period. My kickr right out of the box would essentially lock up every 10 seconds, then be really easy, then lock up, etc. since no software had told it how to act yet.

I'm sure a unit produced today would have the latest firmware on it, but from a vendor you just don't know when it was produced. The good news is that it's really easy to update if you've got access to a modern IOS device.

Hi all, been reading these threads, as well as the TR website. Still a bit confused a to what will work....

I -don't- have a macbook, but I do have an Ipad 3, and a new Windows 7 Laptop (Alienware 17 :)).

So do I use the Ipad, with a Wahoo app, to control/update the kickr? And then will my windows 7 laptop, with the TR software installed, work with the Kickr via a garmin ANT dongle plugged into my laptop?? Actually, my laptop may have bluetooth as well, so better to use that?

Like others, I want to use the erg mode with the TR workouts.

Thanks!