More Testing With The About To Be Released Wahoo Kickr Indoor Power Trainer
I have been doing a few sessions over the last couple of weeks using the Wahoo Kickr and as promised I am going to give you all the scoop on why I think the Kickr is a must for every triathlete’s Christmas wish list this year. I have been experimenting with some of the functionality which is mainly provided through different App’s and I have explained these below. I still have a few to work through and will bring you those over the coming weeks.
Kinomap
What is Kinomap? Kinomap is an online sharing site of geolocated videos. Choose a video of your favourite Tour stage or race course and Kinomap will control the KICKR as you watch the video, matching the resistance to the elevation of your virtual ride. The Pumper had a crack and took on the Prologue Stage of the Tour of Romandie from 2012 held in Lausanne. This was a very short stage of 3.3km but highlights the functionality of the Kickr. Basically, you pick the course you want to ride and then the video of the course rolls while the Kickr changes the resistance according to the undulations of the course. The Pumper gave it a nudge but held plenty back only averaging 41.1km/h his eyes were on GC over the coming days and not the glory of the prologue victory.
This is a great way to train with a variety of courses and videos on offer. It is a lifelike representation of riding the course and adds a whole lot of interest to what otherwise can be endless hours of boredom in the garage. At this stage, there are limited courses available and they are mainly European but I am sure that will change quickly. For the Australian audience, there are very few courses available but there must be some budding tri geeks out there just itching to record all the Ironman courses and make them live to provide a perfect training base right in the comfort of your own garage.
Wahoo Kickr
Most of my training has been done simply using the Wahoo Kickr app itself and the various options it provides. The one I find of most use is the Erg’ mode. With the KICKR, you can set a target wattage and the KICKR will remain at that wattage as you ride independent of speed and cadence. This is the ultimate way to train with Power. I find this most useful, especially for Ironman training, to simulate long periods of constant power that can often be hard to achieve on the road. Setting the target wattage is very easy and the Kickr will adjust accordingly allowing you to train at a constant power output for long periods of time. I have attached some training logs below to show what the Pumper has been up to….I am sure plenty of you out there would blow my efforts out of the park but is useful in highlighting just what can be done using the Kickr
http://app.strava.com/activities/54122992
How to Order? (Australia)
Wahoo Fitness is now taking KIKCR reservations for Australia for late May shipment! Just sign up on one of the lists below to have your name added to our list! The price will be $1299.99 AU with $39.99 AU shipping including GST.
Reservation Details:
We are only taking reservations, and not credit card information at this time. We don’t believe in collecting payment in advance for a product that isn’t on the way to your front door. While we are confident in our date, a boat can sink, a train can derail and burn (it’s happened to us), or your credit card can expire.
When the KICKRs arrive in our warehouse, we will ask for your payment information and send you a confirmed ship date. We will fulfil reservations in the order in which they are placed.
Once you place a reservation, we will keep you up to date on progress and timing of delivery. After we understand demand based on reservations and our wholesale pre-orders, people will be assigned an order batch.
Stay tuned for more updates on the Kickr over the coming weeks.
