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Turbo trainers. Need help.
Hi, I'm looking at investing in either a Wahoo Kickr Power Trainer or the Wattbike. I'd appreciate any advise/comments regarding the actual use of the equipment. Obviously, I'm aware of the portability of the Kickr over the Wattbike so I'm more concerned about the effectiveness for training, specifically intervals as well as the use of Sufferfest videos. Additionally, I can save a chunk of money with the Kickr over the Wattbike and still get power readout (important to me).
I know the Wattbike uses air and magnetic resistance but lacks automatic adjustment...what kind of resistance does the Kickr use? Decisions, decisions.
I've looked for reviews about the Wattbike and have only seen positive ones that usually come via the Wattbike website. The only negative one I've seen was from a personal blog written by a competitive triathlete who, it seemed to me, brought up some valid points. Additionally, I know someone who had customer service issues from the very beginning of their dealings with Wattbike. Any and all advise is welcomed. Thanks.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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19 comments
I do understand that a turbo is good for intervals and that a quality resistance model is going to be around 250 - 400. My question is why go to 1K for a turbo with power when fitting power cranks and consistent set up will get you 'proper' power data on the turbo PLUS you can then ride power out on the road too?
turbo's are not expensive to start with. I saw a KK Road machine, the one I have on sale for £250 (I brought min 3 months earlier at £350 grrrr).
Also you have a Turbo for indoors of course, don;t you find interval training etc so much easier on them as you have no traffic flow to interrupt a session ?
Why is a Kickr better than a Flow? If it is calibrated then does this not provide you with a consistent level of effort/power numbers to measure progression on?
And if I want more accurate data wouldn't buying a power meter to fit to the bike be the most economic route. I am thinking of going to a Rotor power crank + garmin to acheive more data than I will ever know what to do with.
Why would I purchase an expensive turbo instead?
I just got myself a Kickr to replace an older Tacx Flow. Couldn't be happier.
... or you could use that cash to buy another (different sort of) bike and just have some fun.
ah Beefy exactly the position I was in and on the road away from virtual power I felt lost, so of course I paid for a PM ...
such is cycling, the more you get into it, it becomes a drug (a good one !!)
++ Trainerroad and accredited turbo, I have found it an absolute revelation, problem is I now want a power meter as find training with power much better than hear rate.
I was going to buy a KickR but instead settled for a KK Road machine and Trainer Road with Suffefest vids and I am really happy with my choice.
The main reason for not going with KickR was that I needed to spend another £54 to get a Campag socket part and that was just OTT in my view. I was also attracted by the Wahoo segments app which allows you to ride on Strava segments - but I have seen the app universally panned.
You going to tell us what the decision is?
Went for the Kickr as it seemed best option for me. Only time will tell! And training!
I've made my decision. Thanks for all the advice.
If the Cyclops is on the TrainerRoad approved list, you just need TrainerRoad, ANT+ dongle and a speed/cadence sensor.
TrainerRoad will then give you an estimated power output based on your rear wheel speed and pedalling cadence. You can then do Sufferfest to the power profiles in TrainerRoad.
Yes, it won't match up to a genuine power meter for true accuracy, but for working at specific levels and measuring improvement over time it is fine; and not reliant on heart rate.
Does no one have a problem with the chain and cassette not being worn in together, so the chain will skip/slip on the cassette where is gets least use? Or does everyone replace their chain religiously before it gets beyond the recommended wear limit?
I use a chain stretch measuring tool that tells me when the chain is ready to change. Using the tool helps to preserve the cassette. However, at some point the cassette will need to be changed and I think that is dependent on your maintenance habits of the whole drive chain, mileage and conscientious replacement of the chain before it goes beyond the point of no return. In my case, I was told by my bike shop that come the end of the season I was gonna need to replace the chain and cassette which is the happening about now.
Currently, I have a Cyclops Mag Pro Trainer (about 4-5 years old now) with heart rate training. The problem is that I can't seem to get my heart rate up to the zones necessary for improvement. (I also use Sufferfest videos or do things like flying 40s.) Whether that's because of my current ring/cassette ratios, lack of strength to push bigger gears at high cadence, psychological barrier between indoor and outdoor "do or die" or something else entirely, is the unknown. And the only way to find out is to try something different.
The lower price of the Kickr would allow me to purchase another bicycle and maybe some professional personal training. The Kickr also will provide better feedback (I think). This is why I'm trying to get information from anyone who has used the Kickr and if it has helped to both regulate and track training sessions that lead to increase in fitness. I think I'm thinking too much about it, but it's a substantial purchase and I don't want to make a £900+ (though cheaper on Wiggle) mistake.
Your zones are set correctly from a threshold test? And you're redoing this after each block of training to 'reset' them?
Possibly, but £1000 is a lot to spend to 'try something different'
Just curious as to what level you are at to consider this as an investment? Though if you're looking at getting properly coached, a powermeter for on the bike is a worthwhile investment.
What feedback exactly are you looking for? You can get reams of data out of a turbo with a bike mounted power meter and garmin, upload to TP/Stracva etc. and away you go.
People also do the same with a normal turbo and power meter, and then the power meter on the road allows you to track your effort/
I don't think you're thinking about it too much, but I think you need to know clearly what you hope to achieve from it, what your objective is, what's currently holding you back etc.
All valid points. Thank you.
The Kickr seems better suited to what you want, but if you're looking to spend that sort of cash I think you could get more for your cash out of buying something like a Stages power meter (or other), and then a turbo for around £200, and whatever a cheap wheel/cassette/trainer tyre to dedicate for the turbo.
That way then you have the power to use out on the road as well and not just the trainer.
It's true that there are other options, the recently reviewed KURT model with the inRide power meter accessory gets you all pretty much the features of the KICKR save the automatic resistance switching, for less money.
That said, KICKR + TrainerRoad = best training solution IMO, I would rate this option well above a Wattbike. Sure it might not have the full extent of the fancy metrics on a Wattbike, but as a practical tool for training I think it has some great advantages.
I actually see the separate cassette as a plus, I always switch to a spare wheel with a trainer-specific tire anyway.
Looks like the KickR would be a pain. Haing a separate set of sprockets on the turbo and taking the wheel out every time?
You probably know but you can do Sufferfest with TrainerRoad and one of their listed turbos plus an Ant+ dongle & sensors - doesn't have to be a Watt Bike.