Considering buying one but seems like there are mixed feelings about it.
For the ones that have one: would you buy it again if you could go back pre-purchase or not?
No regrets.
No regrets. Have more than 60 hours on it with TrainerRoad in four months of ownership. Brilliant system.
No regrets. Trainer road on erg mode gets it done.
I wish I would of bought mine sooner. Get trainerroad.com
I was thinking about asking the same question. However I recently added to Kickr’s to a personal training studio I own and was hoping for some insights. I’ve only used them a few times (I haven’t used them in Multi rider mode yet) and once I figure out the little details (software options and how to’s) I think I’m going to really like it.
I’ve come from a Computrainer and the Kickr just feels better. I love the feel. I much prefer the direct connection to the drivetrain as opposed to the wheel. I know I’ve only had 3 rides, but the power numbers just seem more consistent. Another big plus is just 1 cable; the Computrainer was a complete mess of cables. All that said, The Computrainer did serve me well for many years. Also, unlike most, I liked the the 3D software.
I’ll get back to you when I have more time on the Kickr, but I have confidence it will be more praise.
By the way, I have found PerfPro to work perfectly with the Kickr. I’m looking forward to trying Virtual Training and Kinomap too. I would like to know what benefits Trainer Road has over PerfPro, as it seems to me that PerfPro has all that TR has and more… but I could be wrong.
Can someone fill me in… I’m on a Kinetic and Trainerroad right now. Knowing that I will always use TR, what does the Wahoo give me a above the Kinetic?
Absolutely none and would do it again without hesitation. The unit is super stable and very accurate feel especially with the heavy freewheel. The direct resistance versus resistance against the wheel is a huge advantage. Plus it is all Bluetooth.
Put on trainerroad and put it in ERG mode. No better workout. I will still use this in good weather for tough intervals and other workouts.
So, I have been a big proponent of computrainer for a long time. There were some things I didn’t like about it, but for the most part it was great. I eventually converted the resistance unit to run on a rock and roll base which helped as racermate has never updated the hardware component of their offering. Since the software got stale (and I rarely did race simulation) I moved to TrainerRoad and never looked back. A few months ago we did a couple projects with BestBikeSplit and wahoo and I tried out the Kickr. I haven’t been back on my computrainer since. There are some issues with Kickr that are being taken care of (negative slope in sim mode), but I bet I’m like 90% of athletes out there and do most indoor training in Erg mode and the kicker and TrainerRoad are very hard to beat. (Also there are options if you want to do a race simulation with TrainerRoad and Kickr … sorry for the plug). The only small issues I have with the Kickr are occasional ant+ drop outs (very rarely) and i’ve been using the beta android app (when not using trainerRoad) which doesn’t have a lot of functionality. Bottom line the hardware is really nice and it being relatively opensource it should have a very nice future in terms of software.
I bought my kickr back in November because I really hated indoor trainers and I wanted something to make it more interesting. My plan was to sell my kickr in April when it started to warm up and get a power meter. There is no way I’m getting rid of this thing now. I’ve seen too many gains with my bike with using it in combination with trainerroad. I would absolutely recommend it.
ERG mode is what it gives you above your Kinetic. Doing TrainerRoad workouts in ERG mode is like a whole new world. If TR has you doing intervals at 120% FTP then in ERG you WILL do 120% FTP, no slacking no coasting no CHOICE!. I was on the first order of Kickr in March and have no regrets
Once you use trainer road/kickr combo you wont want to do structured workouts on the road ever again, it’s so nice in ERG mode. Set and forget and no slacking off.
absolutely no regrets…
TR and ERG mode is a perfect match.
This is just a question - I have no idea of the answer, so please don’t take any offence.
Is there any data to suggest that Erg mode is better than holding a specific power on non-Erg mode (is there a term for non-erg mode?).
My intuition tells me that because in a real race one must hold their own power that erg mode doesn’t train this skill.
Is there any data out there on the topic?
The point of erg mode is you either maintain the power or fail the interval. With normal resistance mode, you can back off a bit. It’s psychological so not sure what “data” would really show.
I don’t see how targeting a power manually on the turbo will make you any better at pacing than using erg mode.
This is just a question - I have no idea of the answer, so please don’t take any offence.
Is there any data to suggest that Erg mode is better than holding a specific power on non-Erg mode (is there a term for non-erg mode?).
My intuition tells me that because in a real race one must hold their own power that erg mode doesn’t train this skill.
Is there any data out there on the topic?
I think that you’ve posed a really good question and don’t pretend to know the answer for certain. My personal experience is that erg mode on a Computrainer seems to nicely calibrate my brain to specific effort levels that are easy for me to replicate outdoors after a winter of only riding the trainer. The one significant negative of erg mode is that it always allows you to choose a perfect cadence and leads me to look for that 15 1/2 or 16 1/4 tooth cog to make things" feel just right" outdoors. In the same vein, I do know that running specific paces on the treadmill leads me to be able to automatically run the same pace outdoors with incredible ease without the use of GPS feedback.
Hugh
No regrets - sort of. The trainer itself is great. The beta Android app, however, is basically worthless. If you don’t have an ipad or iphone then save your money or wait until they release a working Android app. When my wife is traveling for work and takes her ipad, I can only use the Kickr in the default mode because the Andriod App on my Nexus 4 in erg mode will lock up the trainer, it will just stop working, or some other problem will arise . . .that’s if the Kickr will even pair with the phone to begin with. I’ve tried several Andriod devices and they are all the same. Functionality is flawless with iOs worthless on Android. But maybe other Andriod users have a different experience.
Absolutely no regrets. Went from CompuTrainer to Kickr. Kickr has a better feel, better software, and easier set-up.
No regrets here. I use the KICKR with TrainerRoad and Sufferfest videos. I’ve ridden more indoors this winter than I have in the past 5.
The point of erg mode is you either maintain the power or fail the interval.
Can you explain what you mean by this (fail the interval)? As someone who uses a “normal” fluid trainer I’m not exactly sure what you mean by this and just wanting to understand the difference. By fail do you mean that you stop pedaling and wait for the interval to end? For me, there are times I can’t hit the power levels, so I’m churning at about 90% (for example) of my target. I view this as “failure” even though I’m still getting training benefit of pushing as hard as I can.