Usually is time to ride outside after the first week of March.

I will get one through my team's shop but I am not willing to pay full price to get one faster when I will only be using it a few times a month until next Dec.

I wish they would have had this ready for last Dec when I would have killed to have a new toy to play with for my 3 months of snow/winter.

U have a very good point. Let's don't forget this first version has lot to prove also?? TBD

Ray,

Is the KICKR compatible with Dura-Ace 11 speed cassettes?

---

Matthew
Twitter: @AlphaDogCycling
Instagram: @AlphaDogCycling

That is another good point. Let others be the beta group and then get the improved model for next year.

Anyone want to pre-commit to my Cyclops SuperMag Pro trainer with an extra ProFluid resistance unit includes as well? I will also be selling my Powertap 2.4+ black hub, Stans 340 rims (the real 340's not the heavier version) built up with a White industry black front hub, Black CX-Ray spokes, alum nipples and brass spoke washers. The wheels have never seen the road. They have only seen trainer duty as I have Zipps for my on the road riding.

Yes. Up to 11 speed. I included a bit more detail in the 'cassettes' section below:

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2012/08/first-look-at-wahoo-fitness-kickr.html

---

-
My tiny little slice of the internets: dcrainmaker.com

I'm a little confused by the noise level. Initial reports were that the KICKR was super quiet.

This was Ray's assessment (in the comments to his blog post) on August 30:

"As noted above, it’s really super-quiet. Scary quiet. I was trying to find a quieter time in the hall to take a video of it – but the hall is so loud that you just can’t tell how quiet it is (good thing I suppose). In all three bikes, the drivechain sounds were louder than the trainer itself. Kinda crazy.

And he wasn't the only one saying this. For instance, here is a video from TrainerRoad, where even when the rider is pedaling, you can't hear the trainer (the discussion of noise (or lack thereof) begins here at 2:39), and they make the comment that drivetrain noise is greater than that coming from the trainer.

But Ray's video uploaded on January 13 doesn't seem to depict a quiet KICKR. Just watching (err, listening to) the video, the KICKR seems pretty loud. And it measures out at 82.0db, which seems hardly "super quiet," with the Road Machine almost identical at 81.3db and the Lemond Revolution (routinely described as one of the loudest trainers ever produced by man) coming in at 90.0db.

So what gives? I realize the audio capture protocols are different between the TrainerRoad video and Ray's video, but to my ear, they sound like very different products. Are the production KICKRs somehow louder than the pre-production versions that Ray and others had a chance to review?

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

A couple thoughts. Back in August, I said (in that same post): "Of course, on a busy Eurobike show floor, it’s difficult to compare actual measurements."

The video I took was in a perfectly quiet setting, compared to again, a show floor. As I noted then, it sounded pretty quiet (especially compared to other trainers around).

The units have indeed shifted over time. There's a number of parts that have changed since then (many of which are reasons for the delay). However, I can't say whether or not that impacted noise levels. I know for example some changes were made around the casing in the back to make it more resilient to someone picking it up wonky. Again, no idea if that would impact noise substantially.

Note that the difference between 81db and 90db isn't linear, so it's actually a substantial jump in sound.

Now, like any trainer, sound is just a function of speed, so depending on which mode your in, you can control that. For example, in Erg mode, you could just go to the gearing that produces the lowest speed, and your wattage will still remain whatever you'd like it to be. You can see how slowly he was spinning in that video (virtually not at all), which means the noise is substantially lower. You can also however hear the same high-pitched sound if you listen closely- through the busy show floor.

Just my two cents.

---

-
My tiny little slice of the internets: dcrainmaker.com

I live in Germany, pre-ordered it through http://www.probikesupply.com in the states. $150 shipping to here. They also have them for $999 still.

They also show the expected release date as February 14 (Valentine's Day!), so it will be interesting to see how that all shakes out.

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

But you have to add customs and VAT charges :-)

And that brings them awfully close to the already-established CompuTrainer.

---

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

True, but I don't think the secret sauce is the CompuTrainer functionality (power meter, erg mode), but instead the KICKR's ability to communicate with software. That really opens up the cool stuff.

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Now THAT is informative (and please don't take that as a comment that DCR is not informative, since he is pretty much the God of BikeTech Information).

So that begs the question, (1) can the belt be replaced with a quieter alternative or (2) would there need to be a corresponding change to the interfacing hardware in order to swap to a quieter belt or (3) would there need to be a re-design of the reduction ratio or (4) no way to tell unless you could see one in person? Or maybe there is a (5) I'm not thinking of.

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

For me, the draw of the CT is not needing to try to match shifting and cadence to hit the power intervals, just hit your cadence and keep going no matter what. Same thing I want out of the Kickr. And much as I love the idea of not needing a trainer wheel to keep aired and continually check the resistance unit tension, I'd rather do that than deal with high-pitched whining. Is this something a belt change could fix?

---

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

The Computrainer is $1,630 these days. ;)

It does however bring it fairly close to the PowerBeam Pro though (without head unit). With head unit, it's a ways off. But without head unit, it's in the same ballpark although with different functionality sets.

---

-
My tiny little slice of the internets: dcrainmaker.com

Man, I thought it was still more like $1300. Why can't this sport be cheaper?

---

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

It's funny. I just watched the video and though 'gee, that sounds loud' (yes, I know I shot it).

I was curious to see if I just did a simple 200w ride at normal cadence what the decibles would be. So I just jumped on. Came out almost identical.

But the thing is, I think my laptop actually sounded louder playing it back than the trainer did. I guess to me (in the room), there isn't that undercurrent of loudness. And the high-pitched sound does seem higher on the tape than in real life.

If you're in Paris - I'm happy to have ya swing by and listen. :)

---

-
My tiny little slice of the internets: dcrainmaker.com

IIRC the Kickr will also perform in an erg mode just like the Computrainer.

Hugh

---

Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

The missus has family there, so you never know, but if you're telling us that your subjective opinion is that it's not "that bad," then I'm not too troubled. I'm in a house so I don't have the same concerns that apartment/condo dwellers - just hoping to maintain the peace at home when I decide to jump on the trainer at 5:30am to bang out come intervals while the missus is asleep upstairs!

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

It does, it's what I use 90% of the time. Set and change the wattage as you see fit. You can see a workout done that way in today's post, I had various cadences to hit, but just set the wattage as the workout required manually as I went along to stay in my HR zones.

---

-
My tiny little slice of the internets: dcrainmaker.com

My wife has very little tolerance for loud noises/sounds. She's fine with it and has used it herself on a few rides.

Just my opinion (well, I guess and hers). But I am serious, if any Paris folks want to swing in and listen (or ride it), I'm open.

---

-
My tiny little slice of the internets: dcrainmaker.com

I agree that is the hardware is a POS then no amount of cool software is going to make the user experience a good one, but my point is that while there are certainly core similarities between the KICKR and the Computrainer, it's the Ant+/Bluetooth compatibility and the corresponding ability to interface and operate with cool software that is the key differentiator of the KICKR, IMHO.

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Wow, interesting stuff, I hadn't seen that yet.


Just read through the lawsuit, and then the patent itself. I'm no patent pro, but I think it's junk. The first patent they claim was in 1999. Looking at the core tenant, it's:


"1. A data signal having data encoded thereon transmitted over a communication channel, comprising: (a) a first data field defining a first operating parameter value for one of one or more operating parameters of an exercise device; (b) a second data field defining a second operating parameter value for another of said one or more operating parameters of the exercise device; and (c) a third data field defining a checksum of said first byte of data and said second byte of data, said checksum configured to be used by the exercise device for error detection of the first operating parameter value and the second operating parameter value. "

What's interesting is that they aren't suing RacerMate, who did this before them. The first handlebar units were 1987 - 12 years prior.


I'd expect this to be tossed. It would otherwise cover every piece of exercise equipment ever made, plus every software app and device related to exercise ever made. Weird.


(But again, thanks for sharing, cool to read through)

---

-
My tiny little slice of the internets: dcrainmaker.com