Wahoo Fitness is well known for its clever designs and intuitive operation. And now the company is bringing a hugely customizable Wahoo KICKR Bike which is the brand’s first standalone trainer bicycle. It is a fully connected and completed integrated smart bike that is built on Wahoo’s indoor cycling training ecosystem.
The KICKR Bike comes equipped with popular bike fit programs, in-built incline simulation, front and rear braking, bike-like shifters and all of the connectivity you’d expect of a modern trainer.
And of course as it boasts a fully customizable design, you can adjust its overall height, saddle height and setback, and handlebar height – according to your choice and comfort – and there are five effective crankarms lengths on tap as well. The cranks have six different pedal holes. These allow you to switch between crank lengths ranging from 165mm to 175mm.
A 13lb flywheel with electromagnetic resistance control is driven by a belt-drive, which is connected to a set of funky webbed cranks. Beneath the chaincase is the motor that controls the pitch of the bike. Its heavy flywheel and high torque brake are paired with a robust physics model to simulate the feeling of riding outdoors on the road.
Besides, for an interactive cycling system such as Zwift is being used – in which the rider views a computer-animated road on their computer or tablet – the KICKR can tilt up by as much as 20 degrees, or down by a maximum of -15 degrees, in order to match the ascents or descents in the onscreen ride.
The associated Wahoo app will help you on how to tweak the KICKR’s six adjustment points, in order to match its geometry to that of their usual bike. You can upload a photo of your bike to the app, which will determine the approximate fit for your KICKR Bike. Wahoo claims that the entire process can be performed in about ten minutes from start to finish.
Moreover, auxiliary thumb buttons on top of the shifter hoods can be used to manually raise and lower the training bike. The two buttons on the inner face of the shifter body are used for steering. Also, it is possible to customize the virtual gearing of the KICKR Bike to mimic your normal bike. Overall, you can accommodate pretty much anything in the app.
Wahoo describes the KICKR Bike as “it blurs the line between the indoor reality and outdoor experience.”
As expected, at $3,500, it is the most expensive indoor training bike on the market. A limited number of KICKR Bikes should ship to US buyers starting in October, with full availability in early 2020. Read more details here.
