There was a time when us cyclists faced a bit of a grim choice when the seasons changed. You either continued to ride outside, getting cold, wet, and straining your eyes to see by the dim glow of a half-charged bike light, or you put your bike on an old, dumb magnetic wheel-on trainer and rode indoors with nothing to entertain yourself besides the entirely un-natural feel of having your bike locked in place and a real wheel constantly slipping despite having a turbo tyre fitted.
Fortunately for us, that world has been consigned to the history books, in no small part due to the rapidly proliferating Wahoo ecosystem. The company that pioneered smart trainers for the masses has, in the last few years, brought to market enough peripheral tech and accessories to transform indoor training from a necessary drudgery for only the keenest athletes to something that many of us actually look forward to; so much so that it’s far from unusual for indoor training to be a year-round activity rather than just a winter necessity.
The thread that ties all of the latest Wahoo tech together is realism. By creating as immersive an experience as possible, with as few setup barriers as possible, you are more likely to enjoy the ride whenever you head indoors for your training. The more you enjoy it, the more you’ll ride, and the better an athlete you’ll become.
How to create that immersive experience? Well, obviously compatibility with indoor training apps such as Zwift, but on the hardware front the great leap comes in the form of moveable, dynamic riding, rather than simply a static trainer. The latest Wahoo KICKR MOVE allows your bike to move both fore and aft and side to side, creating a more realistic ride feel that is also more comfortable. Riding out of the saddle always feels a little stilted on a static machine, but throw in some dynamism and once the virtual road starts to rise you can dance on the pedals just like you would outside. Generally speaking it’s a subtle movement, just adding a little bit for comfort, but it really comes into its own on harder efforts and sprints when you really start wanting to throw the bike around a little bit.
The virtual road rising was previously only met with an increase in resistance at the rear wheel. Immersive for sure, especially with the KICKR’s dual axis motors providing such a smooth pedal feel, but perhaps lacking in a little realism. Enter the KICKR CLIMB. Swap your front wheel out for this moveable, lockable elevator and once you’ve paired it (in a matter of seconds it must be said) it will raise and lower your front wheel to match the on screen gradients, up to 20% uphill and -10% for descents. Not only does this feel more real, but it puts you in a more natural climbing position. More power, more comfort, better outcomes. The KICKR CLIMB is lockable, if you want to set it to a certain gradient, and controllable via an on bike remote. It even works with the KICKR MOVE smart trainer with a base adapter that allows it to rock, meaning you don’t have to choose between the two, and thanks to a whole suite of axle adapters there are very few bikes it won’t work with.
Sometimes it takes some unusual thinking to break the mould, especially in the world of cycling.
Years ago I bet few of us would have banked on smart, integrated fans to cool us as we ride indoors, but with the KICKR HEADWIND that’s exactly what we’ve got. The days of starting an ugly white desk fan as you begin your warm up, often too chilly to start with and never quite powerful enough for those max efforts either when the chips are down. The KICKR HEADWIND sits on the floor, out of your eyeline and responds either to your virtual world of choice, or to your body. Paired with an indoor training app like Zwift and the HEADWIND will increase in power the faster you ride up to a furious 48km/h; surely the final piece of the realism puzzle. Not only that, but it can also be paired with your heart rate monitor: The harder you work, the harder it works to keep you cool and performing at your best. If you ever do want to control it manually though you can, just like the KICKR CLIMB. Four manual speeds can be chosen from the off for those days where you just want to get on and ride.
Whatever your level, and whatever your reason for heading indoors - be that traffic, time, weather, controllable training, or just that you like it - Wahoo has you covered to keep you immersed, for a fitter, faster, stronger you.
