[caption id="attachment_24205" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Image|Zwift[/caption] Wahoo KICKR RUN - Smart Treadmill Specialist triathlon tech company, Wahoo Fitness has unveiled a new running machine called the KICKR RUN smart treadmill. It aims to change how we run indoors similarly to how the original Wahoo KICKR smart trainer changed indoor cycling over 10 years ago. Full Details: Wahoo Fitness (when available) The KICKR RUN has a revolutionary feature branded as "RunFree Mode". This new feature claims to allow runners to change their pace without touching any controls. A responsive motor reacts as your position changes on the trainer's belt. This lets you run more naturally and confidently, albeit with less pace precision than a manual setting. [gallery ids="87610,87611,87612" size="large"] Here are some highlights from the press release bullet pointed out as individual features: Hands-free changes in pace via "RunFree Mode" which lets your feet control speed by how fast you run Allows natural pace changes without touching controls while running Nudgeable control paddles give easy manual control if needed Full integration with Zwift Run to automatically change gradient during virtual runs RunFree Mode uses a high-speed motor to react within milliseconds to changes in position. Built-in time-of-flight optical sensor keeps users centred on the treadmill. Presumably, this means that your fore/aft position is sensed and is assumed to indicate that you are either speeding up or slowing down and the belt speed is adjusted so that you remain in its centre. Example: your built speed is X. You speed up to Y You move forward as a result KICKR RUN senses your forward position and increases the belt speed to somewhere near Y, eventually settling out at Y over a very short period Stable yet lively running platform that feels like outdoor running Responsive belt propels runners at their normal outdoor pace [PLANNED] Innovative lateral tilting simulates the feel of running on the road. Automatic leveling function to your floor Control and connectivity to Zwift and Wahoo SYSTM, assume Zwift will fully control the incline soon. High pace capability of 4:00/mile Fully integrated with Wahoo accessories and devices (Rival? Headwind? Bolt 2 in triathlon mode?) Integrated shelf and bottle holders for storage and hydration USB-C charging port and WiFi/wired network connectivity Quiet operation Wahoo Kickr Run Specs numbers via: dcrainmaker Incline: +15% to -3% - the max incline is normal but the decline is unusually good. Belt 69” (175cm) x 22” (56cm) - this is larger than many/most competitors Runner weight limit: 113kg but 136kg is normal for higher-end units. Expect this to change at launch Deck height: 30cm from floor USB-C 24w Charging - this sounds low 110v or 220v - depending on country 3.0 HP motor (average is usually about 2.5 HP, high-end units will be 4.5HP ish) Connectivity: Wifi, Ethernet (both Direct Connect) Control: Bluetooth FTMS, Wahoo Treadmill API control (SDK exists) ie Zwift, Wahoo Systm and more Data Broadcast: ANT+ Footpod, Bluetooth Smart Footpod (speed/pace, cadence), also incline/grade, GCT and VO. Interestingly also side-to-side position 4:00/mi (2:28/km) or 15MPH (24KPH) Running Power integrations are not initially planned Wahoo Integration: SYSTM is integrated. RIVAL is not integrated for control. Unclear if BOLT/ROAM are integrated for indoor transitions. Headwind will be integrated with a new wind algorithm Wahoo Kickr Run - Opinion Basically, it's Wahoo's running equivalent to Kickr Move! Undoubtedly this all sounds great. However, it's not going to be great for some time yet as the treadmill is scheduled for launch in the USA in the summer of 2024, with a global rollout in 2025. So, I guess an announcement by the company in January 2024 shows that Wahoo is signalling it is in the game and ready to go with another significant product. It's perhaps also highlighting to some potential customers to hold off buying a competitor model this winter. Having now seen the specs via DCR, I'm still unclear if Wahoo plans to target the commercial gym market as well as the home market. Typically, for example, commercial gyms require significantly more robust devices all around, including a decently powered motor plus an entirely different setup to support such a different sales channel. That said I really like what I see and am impressed on paper. The three key areas of innovation are thus: Full integration with running platforms (Zwift), running electronic tech (like watches), and running experience kit (like a physical place to display your iPad) Realistic surface feel - 'surface response', gradient and tilt Auto pace adjustment I'm sure that more serious runners will also be looking for high-speed support, which they get, and accuracy; +/-3% accuracy isn't that great. Newcomers to treadmills will wonder what the fuss is all about when it comes to accuracy; however, it's a more complex subject than you'd imagine. For example, a generic treadmill's belt speed is NOT constant and tends to slow down and speed up as you load your bodyweight and unload on its surface with each footstrike. That's where the power and responsiveness of the motor become important. That's one reason why the NPE RUNN product has done well as it more accurately determines belt speed while simultaneously transmitting several running metrics including gradient. However, KICKR RUN goes further than what RUNN offers from a tech perspective but does it give the accurate speed we're looking for as well? So, we have a genuinely novel product here and it's novel in more than one respect. I'm not necessarily convinced that it will be a commercial game-changer for Wahoo in its take-up in the market, even though its tech is game-changing in the sense that competitors will emulate it in the years to come. At $5000, you might doubt the number of units Wahoo can sell into a market saturated on the supply side, and hence you might doubt its importance as a product category to Wahoo. Don't doubt it, it's important! In many geographic markets, outdoor running is difficult for large parts of the year and treadmill ownership can be considerably higher in colder, more affluent countries. Also don't forget the pull of the #Wahooligan factor with existing Wahoo triathletes having a high level of brand loyalty. Is it too expensive? If, like me, you are inclined to be a bit of a cheapskate, then you will scoff at the price just because you can get a treadmill for under $/£1000 from several places. However, KICKR RUNN is DEFINITELY a significantly superior product to treadmills in the bottom price bracket. $5000 might even be a relatively good value when set against the real top-end models that are even more expensive. and, as is now the case, which doesn't have the full feature set offered by Wahoo. Do we need automatic speed adjustment and surface feel on a treadmill? and how many of us need a fully controllable smart trainer to work with Zwift? I don't think I've needed ANY of those features in the past. Sure, I would have liked them. That said I'm already excited and want to at least try them out. There's a reasonable chance I'll end up getting one as I just about have the space next to my VASA and KICKR, and have been contemplating a treadmill for a year or so. But $5k...ouch! Fully indoor triathlon training in my pain cave beckons! Full Details: Wahoo Fitness (when available) [sc name="scwahookickrrun"][/sc]
