Wahoo Kickr V6 Review - the bad bits - long-term review - and the good bits too, of course This is a long-term review of the Wahoo KICKR V6 indoor trainer (the 2022 model). I've been using a loan unit from Wahoo for over a year, and I've also used all the previous KICKRs, including the original in 2013. It's an excellent trainer, one of the very, very best. Yet you came here for the negativity implied by the title, so I'll do my best to (dis-)please. I have to say that KICKR is my go-to turbo trainer, though! If this review helps, please buy from one of the links here. Negative-focused content like this rarely gets me commission despite its obvious usefulness, but it still takes the same effort to create! And, as you've noticed, there should be no ads, either. Buy Direct from Wahoo: $1,000, £849, €1,000 [wp-review id="81930"] What's new: Wahoo KICKR V6 (2022) - in detail Not much has changed of any significance with the Kickr V6, except these two things. Erg Easy Ramp—This solves the problem of resistance being too high when you resume a workout that you unexpectedly stopped. Erg Easy Ramp progressively applies resistance over 10 seconds as you move from zero watts to whatever the target is. Verdict: Generally Great. 2.4GHZ Wi-Fi Connectivity—This gives you a more robust connection to your home Wi-Fi. Latency is lowered, and data throughput is increased so that Zwift will be more responsive, and there should be no signal interference—the verdict: Meh for some, a life-saver for others. Minor changes include the following. The odometer tracks the total mileage ever ridden on the trainer, assuming a 700x23 wheel size. It may be handy for servicing or determining the resale value. No competitor offers this. Verdict: Meh. White WiFi Connectivity Light - A solid light indicates a fully connected WiF status, with a blinking light indicating discovery and connecting states. Verdict: Necessary. Automatic firmware updates - Almost no one remembers to do manual updates, so Mr Wahoo has intervened to keep us all up to date. Verdict: Good The onboard PCBA upgraded, enabling support for the Zwift protocol. Verdict: Interesting Red ANT+ LED removed - The sad demise of the ANT+ LED light is complete. We shall no longer be able to revel in its red glory. It probably had to go to make space for the new white one ;-) Verdict: Not worth mentioning. But, hey! Earlier changes to the V5 version of Kickr added AXIS feet, which provide some lateral motion, auto-calibration, and 1% accuracy. Detailed Specifications - Wahoo KICKR V6 (2022) KICKR V6 has market-leading specifications in every aspect. These nuanced specs are essential to understand if you or your bike is unusual. For most of us, skip to the next section. Type: Powered Wheel-Off Smart Trainer; use your bike and take the rear wheel off Product Weight: 47 lb / 22 kg Drivetrain: Belt Drive Performance Maximum Power Output: 2200 Watts. More than you need Maximum Simulated Grade: 20% More than you need Minimum Simulated Grade: -10% Power Accuracy: +/-1% Industry best Persistent auto-calibration BIKE/RIDER COMPATIBILITY Cassette: Includes 11-speed with 11-28 ratio (12-speed adapter available) REAR WHEEL SIZE ROAD: 24”, 650C, 700C MTB: 24”, 26”, 650B, 29” Hub Types: 130/135mm QR, 12x142, and 12x148 Thru Axle Adapters: Includes 130/135mm QR adapter & hub spacer, 12x142/148 adapter & hub spacer, 1.8mm cassette spacer Maximum Rider Weight: 250 lb / 113 kg KICKR Ride Feel KICKR AXIS Feet (included) SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY APPLE, ANDROID, WINDOWS Zwift, Wahoo X (RGT and SYSTM) compatible. Others too KICKR CLIMB & Headwind compatible Connectivity: ANT+, ANT+ FE-C, WiFi, 3 Bluetooth Connections, Direct Connect. Almost everything WiFi auto-updates Wahoo App After establishing the WiFi link via the Wahoo app, you shouldn't need to use the app again. Take a quick look at these screen options. [gallery size="medium" columns="4" ids="87859,87862,87860,87861"] That said, there are some interesting personal preferences. Race Mode for KICKR V5 onwards sends information more frequently to your controlling app, making Zwift more responsive. ERG Mode power smoothing is perhaps best disabled; otherwise, it tends to average out the power numbers a bit too much. However, it shouldn't affect everyday use too much. The control w/ANT+ power meter means that KICKR calibrates to another power source, like your ASSIOMA pedals. That sounds awesome, in principle, as it will ensure that all your data is consistent. However, enabling the feature reduces responsiveness. Wahoo KICKR V6 FAQ Here are answers to frequently asked questions Q: Is Wahoo KICKR V6 worth it? A: It's hard to justify this amount of money and the extra cash for the V6 over the V5. You're paying for the Easy ramp and WiFi features, which are super nice but hardly essential for most people. Ultimately, I guess it feels good to get a more premium-end indoor trainer if you can afford it. If I didn't run this site, I'd probably get KICKR CORE. If I often experienced interference, I'd get V6. Q. What's the difference between Wahoo KICKR V6 and KICKR Core? A: The smaller flywheel on the Core gives a less-than-good ride feel and lacks a carry handle. The importance of the Core depends on the type of rides you ride and where you store Kickr. If you leave the KICKR setup out in your pain shed all winter but tend towards monotonous training, then the Core would be fine. It would be fine anyway. Q. When was KICKR V6 released? A: Wahoo Kickr V6 was released in September 2022, costing $1,300 in the US and £1,099 in the UK. Q. What is the difference between KICKR V6 and KICKR MOVE? A: Wahoo KICKR MOVE commands a notable premium (£300/$300) for its novel construction that allows fore/aft and side-to-side movement. These movements give comfort and a superior ride feel. Maybe you want to be as comfortable as possible for all those hours you'll spend on the turbo. Wahoo KICKR Review - A History The indoor training market evolved from dumb trainers and manually controlled spin bikes into a standards-based, high-tech environment that brings precision and fun to our pain caves. The first KICKR was released ten years ago and is perhaps the most pivotal product to positively impact Wahoo's phenomenal growth. Wahoo went from a maker of heart rate monitors to a leading cycling brand with smart trainers ranging from about $400 to $4,000. Early features included compatibility with ANT+ bike computers and speed and cadence sensors. This has expanded to include multiple Bluetooth connections to TVs, gamified training platforms, and supporting devices that can raise your bike to simulate gradients or increase fan speeds to simulate road speed and the need to evaporate sweat. Bike technology has also changed, giving us 12-speed cassettes, disk brakes, and thru axles. Wahoo and other trainer companies have risen to the challenge of supporting every change in the world of bikes with a catch-all smart trainer. Dumb trainers with manually controlled resistance have gone the way of the dodo, and now we are left with High-end - smart indoor bikes that do everything [KICKR Bike] High-end smart trainers - take off your back wheel and put your road bike on. All the features [Wahoo KICKR V6, 2022, this review. Kickr Move, 2023] Mid-market smart trainers - take off your back wheel and put your road bike on. Fewer features but still able to give a complete experience [KICKR CORE, review] Mid-market smart rollers - put your bike on as-is and ride, but you need a power meter on the bike [KICKR ROLLR, review] Budget smart trainer - clamp your back wheel onto the trainer [KICKR SNAP] Wahoo KICKR - The Future KICKR 2022 has it all. Well, almost. In 2023, KICKR MOVE was introduced, an identical trainer to the one in this review but with built-in fore-aft movement that adds ride comfort and a slightly more realistic road feel, albeit at a significant price premium. https://the5krunner.com/2023/09/13/wahoo-kickr-move-opinion-first-look-review/ Wahoo KICKR V6 - The Competition KICKR's main competitor is the Garmin-owned TACX Neo 2T. I think KICKR V6 is slightly better than the NEO 2 T and has a similar overall price. The newer Neo 3M is comparable to Kickr MOVE, and both occupy a higher price tier. Tacx Neo 2T has the same level of accuracy as Wahoo but lacks the new features that Wahoo added with the V6 KICKR. Set against that, Neo does support cobble simulations but doesn't support Wahoo KICKR CLIMB, and it can be used without a power cord. The Garmin/Tacx vs. Wahoo toss-up depends on which brand you prefer. If you want to save a bit of money and get similar features, consider Saris and Elite. [caption id="attachment_75596" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Source: Wahoo[/caption] The Elite Justo slightly undercuts the price of the KICKR V6 and pretty much matches it feature-by-feature for 10% less. It also supports a slightly higher maximum rider power of 2400w. The Saris H4 represents the best bang for your buck in this part of the market, coming in for 20-30% less. It addresses key shortcomings of its predecessor and now supports 12-speed, has 1% stated accuracy, supports gradients up to 25% and can handle 2300w of rider power. Saris doesn't have multiple BLE channels and keeps a quirky calibration process. [caption id="attachment_39806" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Shop Wahoo Now[/caption] Summary One of the very best smart trainers just got a tiny bit better. If you buy the even more expensive KICKR MOVE or the TACX NEO 3M, you won't regret it. You will not regret it if you buy Wahoo's KICKR V6, earlier KICKR V5, or Garmin's Tacx NEO 2T. Sales of smart trainers peaked over the Covid years. With the ever-present threat of inflation and recession, you have to think that sales in the smart trainer market have peaked...at least for a year or so. More positively, this should mean we will see further price competition at the $/£500 end of the market and good deals on KICKR V6 at sale times, i.e., spring/summer! Wahoo can be adept at offering indoor training bundles simply because it has the products to bundle together when no one else does to the same degree...not even Garmin/Tacx. Price & Availability Buy Direct from Wahoo: $1,000, £849, €1,000 Wahoo's product prices are tightly controlled, and you rarely get discounts that Wahoo does not sanction. Your favourite retailer probably already offers the best price, which should be the same as the Whoo-direct price. Also, consider Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt V2 or ROAM 2 (review here) - great bike computers, my favourites Wahoo RIVAL - An excellently featured triathlon watch often on sale at Wahoo's website for $/€/£99. It is ideal if you are interested in the Wahoo ecosystem. Wahoo PowerLink Zero Pedals - Excellent power meter pedals and non-power Speedplay pro-grade pedals Wahoo TICKR Range - A good heart rate monitor (chest strap) - not my favourites Wahoo RGT and Wahoo SYSTM - A comprehensive and wide-ranging digital training platform - I like it. Wahoo TICKR Fit - A pretty good arm heart rate monitor Wahoo Mat - A good but expensive floor mat - I like it, but it's only a mat Wahoo Headwind - An ingeniously clever smart fan - Wahoo CLIMB - A grade simulator - Better than you expect! Wahoo Desk - a trainer-orientated desk [caption id="attachment_39806" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Shop Wahoo Now[/caption]
