Wahoo Fitness Kickr Smart Trainer Review 2025
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Table of Contents
Wahoo Fitness Kickr Smart Trainer
Pros
- An excellent and realistic ride feel
- You can automatically calibrate the settings from your phone
- Legs fold inwards to help with storage
- Accurate power levels when choosing the resistance
Cons
- It’s more on the expensive side
- Kickr is too heavy to move around often
With the changing work climate, more and more of us are finding ourselves working from home. This is amazing for so many reasons. You get to spend more time with your family and there’s no more commuting.
Still, it means that we get a lot less exercise. After spending a while at home, you start to notice your muscles fading and your belly growing. Well, a good way to fix that is to cycle. However, cycling outdoors may not always be an option.
So, if outdoor cycling isn’t for you, there’s a great alternative. You can try a stationary indoor cycle. Wahoo has a ton of great indoor workout gear. For cycling, let’s take a look at a Wahoo Fitness Kickr Smart Trainer review.
Wahoo Fitness Kickr Smart Trainer Specs
Overview
The Wahoo Fitness Kickr Smart Trainer is an excellent way to cycle at home. It comes with many special features that make it a great addition to your at-home gym.
Wahoo’s Kickr comes with many benefits. First off, it’s compatible with a variety of bike types. Even if the bike has a front wheel, that shouldn’t be an issue for the Kickr. It also doesn’t need a wheel block to stabilize the bike. Instead, the Kickr uses a leveling technique.
Before we get into all the features of the Fitness Kickr Smart Trainer, let’s look at some of its specifications.
Technical Specifications
- Length: 28 in.
- Width: 20 in.
- Length: 17 in.
- Weight: 47 lb.
- Flywheel weight: 16 lb.
- Max user weight: 250 lb.
- Max power output: 2200 W
- Compatible devices: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, ANT+, ANT+ FEC
Unboxing the Wahoo Fitness KICKR Smart Trainer
Right out of the box, you get a sturdy and durable device. Wahoo’s Fitness Kickr Smart Trainer is one of the most adaptable at-home cycling devices. Moreover, it’s compatible with most bikes.
Wahoo describes its product as the most powerful and realistic indoor training experience. And the Kickr lives up to its reputation.
When you unbox the Smart Trainer, these are the components you’ll find:
Kickr
This is the main part of the device. It looks like a small wheel propped up on a long arm. The arm is adjustable and there are two legs on the outside that can fold inwards to help with storage.
You’ll want to check the Kickr’s compatibility with your bike before you purchase it. Because of the wide variety of bikes out there, there’s no way that the Kickr can fit them all. Still, it does fit a large range of bikes.
To help with stability, the Wahoo Kickr has a solid build with panning arms that are pretty wide. The Wahoo Kickr is quite heavy, so moving it around can be tricky. So, it’s best to find a spot that’s out of the way and keep it there.
AC Power Adapter
The Wahoo Kickr operates using DC power. Unfortunately, most of our outlets at home only provide AC power. That means if you were to plug the Kickr straight into the outlet, your device could short a fuse.
To avoid this, your Kickr comes with an adapter. It turns your outlet’s 240 AC Volts into 12 DC Volts.
A few users have reported issues with the adapter. Some say that the adapter can overheat and stop working. This can become a problem because, without the adapter, you can’t use the Kickr.
Still, it’s simple enough to solve. You can get replacement adapters at your local hardware store. Or, if you’d prefer, Wahoo has replacement AC power adapters on their website.
11 Speed Cassette
We call the rear gears of any bike the cogs. When you put a group of cogs together, we call them cassettes. Most of the time, we organize these cassettes in terms of ascending size. The largest cog is typically closest to the wheel.
In the Wahoo Fitness Kickr Smart Trainer, there are 11 different gears. Each gear is of a different size. Running your bike chain on a larger cog will decrease resistance and torque. This is because your chain is going over more teeth.
As the resistance changes, so will your speed. The smaller the cog, the more resistance you will have but the faster the bike will go. That’s why we call it the 11-speed cassette.
This gear control allows you to control your cadence. Cadence is the number of revolutions that you’re able to do in a minute.
If you’re uncomfortable with an 11-speed cassette, you can switch it out. Wahoo offers 8, 9, and 10-speed cassettes. Lower speeds are better for building stamina.
10 Speed Cassette Spacer
A spacer is self-explanatory. It’s a plastic component that goes between cogs. These spacers are only about 1.8 mm thick. That doesn’t sound like much, but it has a very important function.
Spacers decrease the friction between two adjacent cogs. As we all know, friction is the enemy of exercise. Too much friction can make the Kickr too stiff to use, and it’ll wear out the cogs quickly.
In addition, the spacers also improve the performance of the Kickr. They make sure that the cogs are all aligned to reduce slipping of the chains.
Without spacers, you might find that your cogs can get bent out of shape. This could leave them unusable.
Thru-Axle Adapters
This is the part that you attach your bike to. The thru-axle is a system that can secure your bike’s rear wheel to dropouts on a bicycle frame.
There are holes in the rear fork frame of your bike. A thru-axle attaches directly through the holes to provide stability. So, it simulates how you would connect your bike’s rear wheel. This will also improve your balance.
With your purchase of a Wahoo Kickr, you’ll get a standard adapter. The adapter should be able to fit most regulation bike sizes.
In the box, you should find three adapters:
- Adapter A: For 130-135 mm wheels
- Adapter B: Reversible hub spacer for 130-135 mm wheels
- Adapter C: Reversible hub spacer for 12*142 and 12*148 Thru Axle
Still, if your bike doesn’t fit these adapters, it’s not a big deal. You can purchase thru-axle adapters that suit your bike.
Quick Release Skewer
The quick-release skewer is an incredibly handy tool to have. It looks like a long skewer with a handle on the end.
As for function, yes, you guessed it; it allows for the quick release of your bike. If you’ve used home cycling gear before, you know how tricky it can be to unmount your bike. Especially if you don’t want to take apart the whole device.
With the skewer, this is no longer an issue. All you have to do is place the skewer in the allocated position and turn. The mechanism will do the rest of the work for you.
Disc Brake Caliper Spacer
A caliper brake is one of the ways you can stop an object in motion. With a caliper system, the brake attaches to a single point above the wheel. This allows the arms of the brake to center on the rim of the wheel.
Caliper brakes are excellent for bikes. Because of the narrow wheels, the caliper system is extremely effective.
The spacer is a u-shaped metal piece. It fits in between the brakes and the wheel. This gives you control with deceleration. Because we all know, one of the worst things about a stationary cycle is how long it takes to stop spinning.
Features of Wahoo Fitness Kickr Smart Trainer
General Features
Quality
The Wahoo Kickr has an all-steel frame. This makes the Kickr one of the most durable smart bike trainers. You can use it on a daily basis for years on end. It also needs very little maintenance, mostly tightening a few screws every couple of weeks.
Price
When it comes to price, the Wahoo Kickr stands on the higher end of the scale. It’s not the most expensive bike trainer, but it’s also not that affordable. Still, you get what you pay for. The Kickr has one of the highest performance scores of any trainer in its price range.
Competition
There are many other indoor bike trainers. However, only a few trainers match the Wahoo Kickr’s performance.
The Kickr can perform just as well as the Tacx Neo 2T, and it’s a lot more affordable. It also has more special features than most bike trainers.
Special Features
The latest Wahoo Fitness Kickr Smart Trainer comes with many amazing features.
Kickr Axis Feet
The axis feet is a fancy way to say adjustable legs. As we mentioned, the Kickr has foldable legs, but they don’t just fold in and out.
Wahoo’s Kickr stands like a tripod. It focuses most of its weight on the middle leg, while the outer legs are there for support. You can adjust each one of the legs individually.
The legs on the outside have a rotation axis of about 90°. This means that the left and right legs can make a right angle with the middle leg. This gives you a total of 180°, which is unique to the Kickr.
Because of the wide-angle of support, the Kickr is extra sturdy. In addition, since each leg is independent, the Kickr can adapt to many settings. If you don’t have much space to work out, you can set the angles of the legs to fit your space.
Another special feature of the legs is that they have height-adjustable feet. If your workout space has an uneven surface, this can come in handy. The legs of the Kickr have rubber feet that grip the ground. So, no matter what type of finish your floor is, the Kickr should be able to perform well.
If you’ve been cycling at home for a while, you know that it doesn’t quite feel the same as cycling on an open road. Well, the Wahoo Kickr has come up with a way to bridge that gap.
The feet of the Kickr all have a side-to-side movement of about 5°. This isn’t enough to make you move around, but it mimics the slight sway of actual bike riding. Moreover, it allows for a more natural response to changes in your tempo and body position.
Adjustable Wheel Size
This is where the middle leg comes into play. The middle leg has an adjustable foot. You can change the height of the Kickr to match your wheel size.
With this feature, you don’t need a front wheel block. Because you can adjust the height, you can level the bike and keep it from moving.
The Wahoo Fitness Kickr Smart Trainer can match a variety of wheel sizes:
- 24 in.
- 26 in.
- 27.5 in.
- 29 in.
- 650c
- 700c
Silent Operation
This is one of the features that you probably need as an indoor cyclist. Many of us stop using at-home cycling gear just because of how much noise it makes. With the Wahoo Fitness Kickr Smart Trainer, you shouldn’t have this issue.
The Wahoo Kickr’s latest version is quieter than its predecessor, which is a feat on its own.
To cut down on noise, Wahoo used a belt motor drivetrain. The motor allows for a virtually silent operation. You can work out as intensely as you want and make almost no sound at all. This can be a lifesaver if you live with many people.
Connectivity
Wahoo has also set up the Fitness Kickr Smart Trainer to make many types of connections. The Kickr has ANT+ and Bluetooth capabilities. So, you can connect to smartphones, cycling computers, and cadence sensors all at the same time.
These connections allow you to control the settings of the Kickr remotely. You can set the resistance, speed, and mode all from your phone.
This gives you so much more control over your workout. It’s even possible to set timers and find out how much you cycled using the companion app.
Moreover, you can connect to more than one Bluetooth device. That will allow you to monitor and control your Kickr from any of your devices.
However, the more connections you make, the spottier they become. Connecting many devices can weaken the connection. Some users complain that connecting more than one device can mess with your settings.
Wrapping Up
When picking out any workout gear, you need to consider a ton of factors. However, we’ve compiled all the information you’ll need to make a decision whether the Wahoo Fitness Kickr Smart Trainer is right for you.
The Wahoo Kickr has many outstanding features that make it a perfect workout partner. It has an 11-speed cassette, so you can have maximum control over your speed and resistance.
Another excellent feature is the silent operation. If you have an at-home gym, you know how loud they can get. So, the silent operation means you can work out any time of day without disturbing anyone.
You can also adjust the axis feet and wheel size to make sure you have a stable base.
One big thing to note before buying your Wahoo Kickr is if you already have a bike, make sure you check its compatibility before you purchase the Wahoo Kickr. You don’t want to spend money on the Kickr just to find out your bike doesn’t fit.
I hope our Wahoo Fitness Kickr Smart Trainer review has helped you make an informed decision! Happy Riding!