Wahoo launches new Kickr, it's not what anyone expected

Wahoo has today unveiled the Kickr Run, which it calls a smart treadmill. It is the latest product in the brand's Kickr lineup, but it's not like anything else the that bears the Kickr name. 

Wahoo says it will "transform indoor running in the same way that the Kickr Smart Trainer did for cyclists."

Since its inception in 2009, Wahoo has been a brand that focused almost exclusively on cycling. As a result, it is a brand that resonates strongly with our readers. The Elemnt Rival smartwatch had features that catered to triathletes, and in our guide to the best heart rate monitors, the Tickr X was titled the best for cyclists who run, but pretty much every product the brand launched would, at least in part, cater to its core audience of cyclists. With the Kickr Run, that's set to change. 

Wahoo Kickr Run details

The new Kickr Run features something that Wahoo calls RunFree Mode, which promises hands-free changes of pace. Thanks to sensors that detect where you are on the belt and a motor that reacts "in milliseconds," Wahoo claims you can simply run faster and the belt will adjust its pace automatically to suit. 

It can also connect to Zwift and Wahoo SYSTM, allowing users to follow structured workouts with the speed controlled by the apps, or to freerun through virtual landscapes and automatically feel changes in gradient in the same way cyclists can when using a smart trainer. 

Wahoo also says the belt will tilt laterally to more accurately simulate road running, with the secondary benefit of providing the ability to level the belt, should the Kickr Run be placed on uneven ground. 

It can provide a pace of up to 4:00/mile (2:29/km), and can be connected to the Elemnt Rival watch, Tickr heart rate monitors, and presumably the Kickr Headwind fan. 

There's an integrated laptop shelf up front, as well as USB ports to charge your devices, WiFi connectivity, and the Direct Connect ethernet port as found on the latest Kickr smart trainers. 

The indoor running revolution?

Chip Hawkins, founder of Wahoo and a keen runner himself, explained that the Kickr Run has been in development for seven years. That suggests the project started in 2017, arguably in line with the real uptick of indoor cycling's popularity. The original Wahoo Kickr smart trainer launched in 2012, and Zwift came later in 2015.

It's no surprise that he and Wahoo want to affect the same revolution into running. The brand has dabbled in the past - anyone remember the 'GymConnect' treadmill add-on? - but is it actually possible? 

Of course, only time will tell. There are obvious differences between the two sports. The financial barrier to entry for running is much lower, and with a higher treadmill price, it will be a more difficult sell than a £1000 smart trainer. 

A new focus for Wahoo?

Wahoo's struggles over the past few years have been well documented. The indoor cycling boom of the pandemic was quickly followed by a bust, and like many other companies, Wahoo was forced to undergo repeated rounds of job layoffs. The brand also had its credit rating downgraded multiple times. 

Positively though, last year, Hawkins led a group of four private investors to essentially buy back the brand from the banks, in the process clearing the company's debts and giving the brand a strong footing from which to restart. 

Since then it has doubled down on the indoor cycling market, tackling both the budget and premium end. It settled a longstanding lawsuit with Zwift and formed an unlikely alliance with the indoor cycling software giant that essentially means the Kickr Core is now the go-to entry-level trainer. Meanwhile, it launched the Kickr Move premium trainer and its second smart bike, the Kickr Bike Shift. 

But the development pace of smart trainers has slowed, and each new model is merely a slight iteration of its predecessor. New features such as WiFi and fore-aft movement are nice features to have, but they're often not reasons for someone to spend another thousand pounds/dollars on an upgrade. 

So it appears that running is Wahoo's next frontier. There's no denying it's a big market, but whether the Kickr Run has the clout to pull people away from the big players such as NordicTrack, Peloton and The Great Outdoors, only time will tell. Wahoo has certainly done it before. 

Price and availability

As of today, the Kickr Run is unavailable for purchase. That will come later in the summer in the USA only. The timeline for availability elsewhere is unclear at this stage. 

Also unclear is the price, which remains 'to be confirmed'.