Kickr Move puts turbo trainer on wheels, while Kickr Bike Shift offers lower pricepoint smart bike
(Image credit: Wahoo)
The ever-popular indoor cycling tech brand Wahoo has today unveiled a duo of new products.
They come in the form of the Kickr Move turbo trainer and the Kickr Bike Shift smart bike, each with an opposing approach.
The Kickr Move will slot in right at the top of Wahoo's Kickr smart turbo trainer range, above the Kickr V6, and comes complete with new motion capability that aims to create a more natural ride feel and improve user comfort. It will be priced at $1,599.99 USD / £1,399.99 / €1,599.99.
The Kickr Bike Shift is positioned beneath the Wahoo Kickr Bike V2 which launched last year. It simplifies some of the functionality, removes the tilt function that mimics the Kickr Climb entirely, and will be priced at $2,999.99 USD / £2,699.99 / €2,999.99.
Both will be available to buy immediately at Wahoo Fitness.
(Image credit: Wahoo)
Wahoo Kickr Move
The biggest talking point about the Kickr Move is the eight-inch 'gravity track' onto which the main turbo trainer hardware is mounted. This is essentially a curved track that is a very shallow U shape, and inside is a set of wheels that hold the upper portion of the trainer, letting it slide back and forth.
The shape of the track also enables a small amount of side to side movement, which complements the five degrees of movement already provided by the Kickr Axis feet that first showed up on the Kickr V5. Wahoo says this allows your bike to travel freely when working out, reduces fatigue and improves overall efficiency.
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The sliding track is also lockable via a large rocker switch situated on the middle of the trainer's three legs. This is said to make it easier to transport and when mounting your bike in the first place.
The Kickr Move can rock back and forth by around eight inches (Image credit: Wahoo)
To pair the new trainer with a Kickr Climb, you'll need an additional hardware adaptor that will allow the Climb to mimic the same forward and backward motion. This will be priced at $49.99 USD. It won't be provided with either the Move nor the Climb, but a Wahoo spokesperson tells Cyclingnews that bundle deals will be made available to offset the additional cost for anyone who has previously bought a Climb.
Beyond the rolling track, the remaining specs are largely unchanged from the Kickr V6 launched in 2022. This means it will benefit from the same Bluetooth, ANT+ and WiFi connectivity, as well as the direct wired connection available from the Kickr Direct Connect accessory.
It boasts power accuracy to within 1%, a maximum resistance of 2,200 watts, and a simulated gradient range of -10% to 20%.
It also maintains the ERG Easy Ramp feature, which makes it easier to ramp back up to hard intervals if you happen to stop in the middle of one. Race Mode, which was introduced with the Kickr V6 and uses the WiFi connectivity to measure power up to 10x more frequently than before, maximising the responsiveness of your in-game avatar.
It will be shipped with an 11-speed SunRace 11-28T cassette. Despite all of the major groupset manufacturers now offering a 12-speed groupset option, Wahoo says 11-speed is still the preferred option among its user base following research it has undertaken.
Naturally, given the additional hardware, the weight of the new model has grown. At 64lbs / 29kg, it's 17lbs / 7kg heavier than its predecessor. It's also bigger, it is longer front-to-back to account for the sliding track, and its legs fold out to around 5cm wider to improve the stability of the extra weight.
(Image credit: Wahoo)
Wahoo Kickr Bike Shift
The Kickr Bike Shift is a more affordable smart bike offering that sits beneath the Kickr Bike V2. It is built around a similar three-leg triangular base and single-tube frame design, albeit in steel rather than the aluminium found on the more expensive model. The frame's main horizontal tube, which acts like a top tube on a standard bike, has been made thinner due to complaints from Kickr Bike owners.
Overall, it weighs in at 2kg less, at a total of 40kg. It is belt-driven, offers 2200 watts of resistance courtesy of an electromagnetic brake, and power measurement accuracy is claimed to be within 1%.
It gets WiFi connection alongside the more common Bluetooth and ANT+, as well as the ethernet port for the Direct Connect cable, but despite this, there's no Race Mode option.
(Image credit: Wahoo)
It gets the same five-point fit adjustment as its stablemate, complete with five crank lengths and the app-based setup system. This allows you to put in your data from a professional bike fit and it will spit out the correct measurements at each point (handlebar reach, saddle setback, saddle height, and so on). It can also work out the same measurements simply using a photo of your bike.
It differs from the Kickr Bike V2 in a few ways. Chief among which is its lack of tilt function. The more expensive bike will tilt to recreate gradients of -15% to 20%, whereas the Kickr Bike Shift model is fixed in its position.
It also misses out on the motor-driven inertia and downhill feature that drives the flywheel when your in-game avatar is descending to mimic reality when you then restart pedalling. The LED display on the handlebar that showed current gear choice is also removed, as is the haptic feedback in shifting, which created a clunk in the bike's resistance to simulate a gear change whenever you shifted gears.
The shifters themselves remain, as do the brake levers, and the buttons are completely configurable to mimic Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo functionality.
Like the Kickr Move above, the ERG Easy Ramp also shows up here, making it easier to restart high-powered intervals if you stop in the middle.
(Image credit: Wahoo)
Price and availability
Both the Kickr Move and the Kickr Bike Shift are available for purchase immediately at launch.
The Kickr Move is priced at $1,599.99 USD / £1,399.99 / €1,599.99.
The Kickr Bike Shift will cost $2,999.99 USD / £2,699.99 / €2,999.99, and will begin shipping in late September.
For those needing a Base Adaptor for the Kickr Climb to pair with the Kickr Move, this will be set at $49.99 USD / £44.99 / €49.99. We have been told bundle deals will be available, and these will also begin shipping in late September.
Cyclingnews has received both units for testing and will be publishing reviews in the coming days.
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
