Would love some real-life reviews of the treadmill. Not sure if it’s been delivered yet.
Would love to know: 1) delivery process, 2) installation, 3) use with and without Zwift, 4) ‘feel’ of treadmill compared to others and Woodways too …
Thanks in advance.
Mine got delivered last Friday (25OCT).
Delivery - two guys showed up to move it in. I showed them the location and they brought two large boxes in. The one with the deck seemed quite hefty for them. The landing on the stairs was a challenge as they turned the 90 degree corner.
Assembly - probably took them about 20 minutes overall. Packed all the packing material back in the boxes and brought that back out to their truck. One of the gentlemen then showed me the treadmill controls quickly, and reminded me that to get it out of “shipping mode” I needed to complete setup in the wahoo app. Then showed me the handles for moving it and off they went.
So all i did for delivery/installation was point them as to where to put it.
Since the weather has been unseasonably warm, I have continued to run outside rather than on the treadmill. So cannot compare the feel or anything yet. I did hook it up to Zwift and it seems like the control of the incline is going to be a nice change when running. Looking forward to actual runs when it snows tomorrow/this weekend.
I will note, it was quite a hassle to complete the setup in the app. Initially the treadmill said it could not find my WiFi network. Tried to contact customer support but they close at 4:00 pm CDT and are not available on the weekends. Since it was 4:03, I was out of luck. So, I did the standard and turned the treadmill off and then back on. Found the Wi-Fi. But, it would not compete the setup on my phone. So, I tried on my iPad. No luck. I tried multiple times, making sure I had the latest version of the app and everything. No luck. Then, my fiancé tried on her phone after loading the wahoo app for the first time and creating a brand new account. Worked finally. So we have been able to use it but like I said, we have only done like 5 minute jogs on it to verify it all works. I suspect this weekend as the weather tanks I will run on it as will she.
Thanks for the write up and let us know more if you can once you start running on it.
I have a used Woodway that I use quite a bit but I’ve had issues with the speed control on the right numerous times and have needed to get it replaced 3 times already.
Well, I did a simple five mile run on it last night. Had it connected to Zwift and let the treadmill control the incline while I was in free run mode.
First off, I will say my history with treadmills is whatever my health club use to have, and the Sole F85 we had prior to this. I have never run on a slat treadmill in my life.
The KICKR Run seemed nice and “solid”. What I mean by that is it felt sturdy but not that it felt like a hard surface. The belt size is just as big as any health club treadmill I have run on. This one is one of the open belts with no front guard at all which was new to me. Did not even notice once I started running.
I can say I like the treadmill changing the incline is nice. Although I need to check since it showed the positive inclines and that was obvious. It never showed a negative incline (it can go to -3%) even when the road on zwift went down. Not sure if that was zwift or the treadmill. I want to give the free run a few more runs to get used to it. I did like the changes in pace but I got going a little faster and a little slower than I wanted to but I feel that is more me needing to get accustomed to the placement on the belt.
One touch I really like is when you are running in standard mode and are using the controls to change pace. You can change it by large chunks (30 sec/mile pace change), medium (5 sec/mile pace change) and small (1 sec/mile pace change). I really like the opportunity to dial small changes into my pace such as a 7:55 pace rather than a 8:00 pace for example.
I plan to try a workout on the Wahoo app to see how that works with controlling the treadmill as I am guessing their app should work flawlessly with it. I have not tried the lateral movement ability to the treadmill at all so cannot opine on that.
Also, Wahoo customer service is calling me tomorrow to understand my concerns from the initial setup that I commented on in the survey they sent to me. So kudos to them for following up. I will report back after the weekend when I have had a chance to run a couple more times and hopefully my fiancé has gotten a run or two on it also.
1) Delivery 10/16: white glove delivery guys scheduled time and did everything physical/hardware. I was hovering. Note box dimensions b/c chunkiness/thickness means it has to have somewhat straight shot through regular doorways. No issues for me.
2) Installation. Annoying. First: Required wifi and app for all setup. I have wifi running on other devices nearby (zwift PC, Kikr trainer, etc.), but app failed to find my wifi so the whole process was stuck. I had to go buy an extender. Then update firmware a few times. Then watch some videos. It kept telling me setup wasn’t complete, but wouldn’t find network reliably even after extender. After getting a connection, there were still errors and I couldn’t get the treadmill to run. Chat - redirected to email - service was good, and we tried some debug steps over the course of a few days, until they determined I had a bad console.
10/30 repair. 2 weeks later, I get the console and replacement paddles, and a subcontracted service person with no experience with this model. We replace the console, easily, we go through another firmware cycle, and they walk him through a calibration procedure for the paddles. It runs!! He leaves and then I realize he calibrated for only one discrete change per paddle direction (none of the mico/macro adjusting). Thankfully I watched the menu sequence for calibration, redid it myself, and it worked. So now I have it running! No idea what happened inside the bad console.
3. with Zwift: It paired right away, I was off running in no time. Is there run power in zwift? would be nice. I ran a hilly segment and sure enough the incline automatically graded! It felt cool though at running paces, less immersive (less “rollercoaster”) than rollers on the bike in zwift. I really like being able to set up steep inclines versus speed efforts to work different muscles and in prep for different race conditions, without manually adjusting and without staring at some brutal interval bar. I hope there will be some interesting group events, that helps me kill some of the monotony. I hate indoor running with a passion. Just like I used to hate stationary bike, until zwift. So, here’s hoping the “zwift effect” generalizes! I didn’t do anything yet outside of zwift.
4. (runfree, read here) I rarely run indoors, and I don’t even know the fitness center’s model I used. This treadmill is a beast. super heavy and tall platform. The adjustment paddles are convenient to use while bopping about, and intuitive. Side placement is MUCH better than reaching out front and gimble-stabilizing your finger to tap some little button on a screen! RUN FREE mode is really a thing. It’ll probably be my default mode, once I acclimate a little, because it is very sensitive. I need to be precise in my position, or else I start ramping speed, that ends with me recognizing I’m going too hard, and in my effort, I tend to run closer to the front. Vicious cycle. It’s a subtle effect, but the feeling is that “idling” in zone 2 will take a little more awareness than it does on the road or in constant pace mode.
Overall, I’m excited to have the benefits of a treadmill, with the use case of immersive+group efforts in zwift, which make indoor workouts bearable for me. The run free and dynamic grade changes in zwift are a class above the fitness center treadmills of the past. The app and setup suck. Service was good especially in light of this possibly being chaotic in the rollout. Delivery/Technicians won’t know jack about this unit. Not their fault. There’s not much they do that the user wouldn’t, and they will require user intervention for wifi/app setup. Just mentioning that to manage expectations of the proceedings.
Hope to see some of your avatar bums in Watopia!
We got ours delivered 10/30…had a couple issues with the company Wahoo chose for the delivery…RXO.
Butt the guys who showed up were great. Very heavy unit, but they got it set up and running. Updated on its own right away, no issue connecting to WiFi. Was able to immediately run on Zwift. Would I rather run on a woodway, yes. But my latest quote for a woodway path was 12,500 installed. So 5,500 installed for the kickr run… I should be able to go through a couple of these…I like the run free mode so far…
Help. Total newby to buying a TM. I have the money to spend $5k on a TM but that seems like soooo much money when others are less expensive. My goal: quality over price. I have a Kickr bike stand. I am not interested in the run programs (software on the TM’s) as I have never used them in the past. I live in Seattle. Looking for quality and convenience. I have tried to do my research (Peloton, Kickr, Landice). I want very little hassle and easy set up. I am not familiar with Woodway (note above). Can you please nudge in certain direction. I am 61 years old (30 Ironmans). Thank you.
I have always liked (and still have) Precor. That said, I’ll be buying the wahoo run after it’s been out for a few months. For me, zwift run is a fun and motivating feature. If I would buy a different treadmill it would be a Sole. I’ve used a variety of treadmills at various gyms, and they are far more similar than different. The Sole models are functional, easy to maintain, and relatively inexpensive.
Here is what my experience has been:
-Ordering went fine. No problems taking my $$.
-Shipping company was a disaster (RXO, which I think then subcontracts out to actually delivery service). Limited availability to where I live (Bend, OR). Delivery guys were clueless. Didn’t attach some parts correctly. Left without attaching ipad holder. Didn’t test treadmill.
-I quickly realized incline paddle not working. But if on zwift, incline motor working just fine (and the ONE run I got on this was awesome). Called wahoo, they did a lot of trouble shooting, sent me some parts which were the wrong parts. Called Wahoo again and then shipped correct parts. But then said they could not find any contracted repair person to swap out the parts (new console and paddle apparatus). Solution? They would send me an entire new treadmill and then shippers would take the old treadmill away and parts away.
-Waited for confirmation of new shipment. Took a bunch of back and forth until it got set. Shippers show up and say there is no order to take the old treadmill away, they won’t even touch it to move it out of the way. Having no space, they take the replacement treadmill away and I still am stuck looking at a new but inoperable treadmill.
-Currently trying to get the story from Wahoo and RXO why this happened and now I’ll need to wait likely more weeks until delivery can be scheduled again.
-The most frustrating part? Its been 6 weeks of back and forth. I have the parts to fix it and it would probably take me 10 minutes to fix but Wahoo states they can’t allow that and would void warranty. Other concern is the delivery guys said they are exchanging/returning a bunch of these treadmills so not sure if this is a broader problem with these treadmills.
I will say, the one 30min run I did on it with zwift run was great and if this thing actually ends up working it seems solid.
Any updates on your Kickr run experience? I had planned on getting one after the holidays but postings from users on here and on Reddit have raised concerns. Wahoo did such a poor job with the initial rollout of the Kickr Bike so it’s a surprise that the same sort of thing is happening again.
Update on my Kickr Run: Finally got it running and love it. It was a bit ridiculous, I had parts to repair the original treadmill but they couldn’t find a certified repair person for this simple repair and if I did it myself then it would have voided warranty. So I waited patiently and they delivered a complete new treadmill and returned the other one. The delivery guys the second time around were much better as they now knew how to properly set up (first one was the first they had ever done). They did mention that they were exchanging SEVEN Wahoo treadmills that day, and I don’t live in a big town. So obviously there was a wide spread issue with the original hardware/controls and it wasn’t just my treadmill.
I will give Wahoo kudos though. Through this all they were extremely responsive and kept me informed throughout the process. They did refund the shipping charge, so that was nice and eased a little of my frustration. Now that it is operable, I absolutely love it. It s a major upgrade over my old Sole and the run free mode is awesome. So it was worth the wait. I’d definitely recommend it and would expect that they have whatever original issue straightened out by now.
Replying to last on here with some small updates and a few questions for those that have the KICKR run treadmill.
So, I have been playing around and really like running with the Wahoo App controlling the treadmill on a run workout. Basically when a change in pace and/or incline comes up it flashes on your iPad (what I use to run the wahoo app) and you simply tap the speed paddle forward to accept and the treadmill automatically adjusts speed and/or incline. If you do a workout on Zwift, it tells you what to change the speed or incline to and you need to manually do it.
So, the wahoo app only has 43 run workouts and I am trying to figure out how to build my own workouts. It says you can upload to the wahoo app from training peaks but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to build a treadmill run workout in the training peaks app (change the pace and incline). So if anyone has figured that out, I would love to learn.
Also, I tried out running with the lateral tilt working too. Generically when I run workouts on the wahoo app i let the treadmill change the lateral tilt because it seems kind of fun.
I had one delivered today. I found a wahoo dealership who also services treadmills. My main concern was the setup and initial problems that many have experienced, so the assurance that there was some expertise to get it up and running was the key to the purchase decision. And we ran into problems. Now it was sub-zero F this morning and the boxes were in that for a few hours so that may have been a contributing cause, but we kept getting an ‘e-stop’ error. The treadmill wasn’t always detecting the magnetic emergency stop strap. Seemed like vibration or shock tripped it. Called customer service, who requested a video, took the front control panel off to check the connections (they were ok), reassembled everything, and it seemed to work. Not buying ‘it was cold’ as the reason for the issue. Going to play with the e-stop strap tomorrow to make sure it stays stable. Delivery crew was great and the treadmill is awesome
Question to Wahoo treadmill owners - how does the “smart” works? does it broadcast pace/cadence like a foot pod, does it record a file you can sync to online platform?
The reason I’m asking is when doing hill simulations using incline on a treadmill, there is no elevation change like running outside, so it does not impact the load calculation (the watch just thinks you are running slower with high HR)
Would be nice if the treadmill was capturing the incline information and translating it to elevation so that numbers are “correct”.
I know the right answer is: you are an idiot, it doesn’t matter that much. But my mind is OCD with this stuff and it bugs me when the numbers are “wrong”.
Thanks
I’m like you about the number, and was surprised the power wasn’t better integrated in the app.
But a hack if you use it with zwift is to record your running power meter in the bike setting, switch to run, then save that zwift run. The power data is saved, even though I can’t see it on zwift display or kicker run during the run (only on my watch).
Don’t shoot the messenger. She’s just an easy, slow moving target running up a zwift hill.
Ha! thanks for the reply.
I guess I can keep using the Runn sensor (I can’t stand zwift) if I get it.
Surprising they haven’t done this better given how much they invested in this thing.
I know this is an older thread. Just came here to add my experience as of today.
Treadmill ordered 2/27
Delivered eight days later on 3/7.
RXO was very communicative about the delivery window, notified me when 30 min out, etc.
They were very fast and efficient in getting the parts in the house and assembled everything in about an hour. The treadmill initially displayed “Er 03”. I figure out how to install Wahoo app and update the treadmill. Now another error appears “Er 01”. At this point, the guys leave saying, sorry we just assemble and we usually do Pelotons… fair enough. When RXO contacts me for feedback about the delivery, they’re surprised about my complaint since they guys never noted that they left with it still not working. I was not given any assembly or user manual; just a bag of allen wrenches.
3/7 I chat with Wahoo support and on 3/10 replacement parts are mailed to me (a new upper console and two smaller packages I haven’t opened). They scheduled a local technician to come out next week.
So yeah, it’s been a little frustrating having a brand new and pricey treadmill dead on arrival. I don’t regret this purchase (yet) and am really looking forward to training on it, especially using the free run mode. I mostly run outside but due to hearing issues and many close calls with cars, I’ve been running inside more and more. The Zwift running community is pretty amazing too.
Anyway, that’s my experience so far. I’ll update once I have a working treadmill and some runs under my belt.
Hope everything gets figured out and you get to run on it soon. Definitely try out the wahoo app run workouts. So simple to simply tap the lever to accept the change in pace/incline coming. No need to adjust the speed yourself. That and free run are just super nice options on the treadmill.