I have a new Kickr with the AXS freehub adapter. Is there a cheaper option than getting a pricey Force cassette?
You can get the slightly less expensive XG-1250 (Rival) cassette instead. I also have a Kickr with an XDR freehub body, and I was able to get one of the older all black Force cassettes for pretty cheap, so I threw that on there, works great. But even if you didn’t want to spend extra money, you could theoretically just have one cassette and move it back and forth between the Kickr and whatever rear wheel you choose for outdoor riding. The XDR/AXS setup makes switching them around very quick and easy.
You can try a regular chain 11sp or Eagle chain and the stock 11 speed cassette. The gear spacing difference between 12 and 11 is like 3.8mm vs 3.65mm, so you should be able to use 3-4 gears just fine before you have issues.
Is there any difference between a Rival and Force 12 speed cassette?
For the trainer? No but you need an XDR free hub too.
You can get the slightly less expensive XG-1250 (Rival) cassette instead. I also have a Kickr with an XDR freehub body, and I was able to get one of the older all black Force cassettes for pretty cheap, so I threw that on there, works great. But even if you didn’t want to spend extra money, you could theoretically just have one cassette and move it back and forth between the Kickr and whatever rear wheel you choose for outdoor riding. The XDR/AXS setup makes switching them around very quick and easy.
A little off topic, but related… I’m installing a Wahoo XDR body on my Kickr. The supplied nut that comes with the body to secure it to the Kickr shaft isn’t long enough to extend past the small cog/circlip and engage my bike. The stock nut (the one it came with that holds the Shimano freehub in place) is longer and is better, but it’s still not right. Did you have any issues mounting yours? I’m thinking the shaft spacer (spaces the freehub on the Kickr axle) is maybe a millimeter or two too long, but…
Never mind. I got it sorted.
I didn’t realize I needed to use a spacer I got with the Kickr originally - that didn’t come with the XDR kit. Tricky Wahoo… :[
Heaven forbid they’d kick (pun intended) down another $0.70 spacer in the $60 XDR freehub kit…