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Wahoo Kickr BIKE Review: Cycle The Alps Without Leaving Home

Kickr

"The ability of the Wahoo Kickr BIKE to simulate a real ride by tipping, shifting and dragging is amazing."

  • Customization

  • Easy to use

  • Integration with external apps

  • construction quality

  • future-proof

The fitness world is constantly looking for innovative ways to make you look and feel good. From hula hoop to shake weight, the fitness industry is a constantly changing animal that clones itself year after year, with minor changes pretending to be "game changers" for your health. Take the exercise bike. Since the word "fitness" became ubiquitous with personal health, the exercise bike is the same as it has been since its introduction. Well, until now.

The Wahoo Kickr BIKE is something new. With an abundance of technologies in its compact frame, the Kickr BIKE offers the most impressive indoor cycling experience available to the public today, both for those who want to improve their cycling game and for those who want to lose a few pounds.

The Kickr BIKE was developed to emulate how a bicycle works in the real world. Conventional exercise bikes have a flywheel that you can manually adjust to increase resistance. On the Kickr BIKE, resistance is changed by magnets and an electric motor that change as you push through the gears, as well as changes in incline. The feeling is similar to driving a real bike.

Get ready for rock and roll

How does a stationary bike change the grade?

The Kickr BIKE is intelligent and can therefore be combined with virtual training programs such as Zwift, in which you can take a virtual ride. The Kickr BIKE either reacts with increased resistance when you drive up a hill or rolls your wheels when you drive down a slope. As you change gear to cope with the hill your avatar is climbing, the Kickr BIKE leans back to match the slope and puts you in a position on the bike that's exactly what you're up against would experience the street.

Before you get to Hill Tackling and avatars, however, you need to set up the Kickr BIKE. First, download the Wahoo app, which you can use to connect to the Kickr BIKE via Bluetooth. It contains numerous instructions for assembly and general FAQs. Once everything is assembled (which took about 20 minutes), all you have to do is plug the Kickr BIKE into a standard outlet and start pedaling.

Kickr bike

With the Kickr BIKE and the free Wahoo app, you can turn yourself and perform simple workouts. This includes adding wind resistance to a trip or using ERG mode. These are independent, advanced functions, but they do not use the full potential of the Kickr BIKE.

Since the Kickr BIKE does not contain a touchscreen and the training programs in the Wahoo app are slightly restricted, the inclusion of training programs from third-party providers such as Zwift is of crucial importance. When you can see a hill rise and the resistance gradually increases naturally, you can focus on your workout. In the meantime, your miles can be logged regardless of the training route chosen by Strava, Apple Health and a number of other fitness apps.

I've never been one for gimmicks, but the Kickr BIKE's ability to simulate a real ride through tipping, shifting, and drag is mind-boggling. Not only because you can concentrate on the task at hand (destroying half a mileage for a new PR), but also because you learn how to be a better cyclist.

The Kickr BIKE is much more fun.

Maybe being a better cyclist isn't on your priority list. If I have to decide whether I want to pay for spin courses or ride the Kickr BIKE in Zwift, the choice is easy. The Kickr BIKE is much more fun.

Addressing cycling enthusiasts

If you are a serious cyclist, there is no comparison. With the adjustability of the Kickr BIKE you can imitate your real bike exactly. There is even a "Bike Fit Wizard" that allows you to take a photo of your personal bike to get accurate numbers for the setup in terms of size. The Kickr BIKE uses standard parts so that you can put on the handlebars, saddle and pedals and even adjust the crank length if necessary.

You can also adapt the Kickr BIKE to your outdoor bike by adapting the gearbox with different drives. It can handle one to three chainrings and 9 to 12 speeds, creating an experience like it is in the real world. It even simulates the small bumps in resistance when changing gears – but with the Kickr BIKE, you never have to worry about losing a chain.

You can adapt the Kickr BIKE to your outdoor bike by adapting the gearbox with different drives.

In addition to adapting the fit and powertrain, the Kickr BIKE can mimic the various shifter configurations from Shimano, Sram and Campagnolo. Whatever you're doing, the Kickr BIKE can keep up.

Technically, yet charming

That was a lot of jargon for the bike nerds, but that's the secret charm of the Kickr BIKE. The marketing of this device makes you believe that only serious cyclists can sort out the intricacies of the Kickr BIKE. Wahoo's incredibly easy-to-use app makes setup and use a breeze.

If you have all the information right in front of you and try out different formats by changing gear or choosing the desired crank length, a beginner can get to know cycling. If you are not interested, the Kickr BIKE has a function called ERG mode, which, in conjunction with a training app, takes over all resistance tasks completely and lets you step on a given power output for interval training or general exercises.

In short, it doesn't matter if you are a cyclist. This is a great exercise bike. Period.

What would keep you from buying a Wahoo Kickr BIKE? The price. At $ 3,499.99, it's certainly not cheap. You also need to sign up for a training program like Zwift to get the most out of all the bike's features. That costs $ 14.99 a month.

In short, it doesn't matter if you are a cyclist. This is a great exercise bike. Period.

If you're just looking for a fitness aid, these prices make a peloton look pretty reasonable, and other exercise bikes are a bargain. Measuring the Kickr on these less intelligent training devices is like comparing your old Nokia 5110 with the iPhone 11.

warranty information

One year material and processing guarantee.

Our opinion

The Wahoo Kickr BIKE has completely changed my view of indoor training. The over 200 miles I covered with the Kickr BIKE was the greatest fun I had indoors with my bike. By bringing the most positive aspects of a real ride to the safety of my home, I don't know how to return to a regular trainer.

Is there a better alternative?

The closest competitor is Tacx & # 39; NEO Bike. It is an intelligent trainer, so it has some similar functions. Instead of tipping the bike to adjust it to the current incline, the Tacx gives a simulated road feeling that essentially mimics the bumpy nature of gravel, cobblestone or slippery roads. At $ 3,200, the Tacx is a little cheaper, but in our estimation, and without driving the Tacx, the Wahoo is the obvious choice due to the ease of use and adaptability of all components.

How long it will take?

The Kickr BIKE feels durable. It is robust and has never creaked or complained about the efforts I have made. Even more impressive is the inclusion of additional, currently unused buttons for future functions by Wahoo. This type of preparation convinced me that the Kickr BIKE only gets better with additional firmware upgrades.

Should you buy it

Yes. The Kickr BIKE revolutionizes indoor cycling from "just one more workout" to a comprehensive experience for anyone who wants to jump on it.

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