Wahoo KICKR MOVE Review

The Wahoo KICKR Move could be the best indoor smart trainer and the detailed review is further below. Let’s crack into why you came here: 10 reasons NOT to buy it, with the first 5 being the more important ones (more nuanced pros and cons are listed below)

Price: $1300, £1150, 1300 EUR

1. $1600 cost
2. Buy the cheaper KICKR V6 – all MOVE adds is Movement
3. No downhill speed simulation (motor)
4. Adapters required: RJ45 (LAN) usage needs a $100 adapter; 12 spd SRAM AXS drive train needs an XD/XDR adapter; KICKR Climb needs a BASE UNIT adapter.
5. ANT+ is prone to dropouts caused by 2.4 GHz WiFi interference (Use WiFi or RJ45)
6. Portability: Weighs 29kg/64lb. Liftable but heavy.
7. Requires external power – you can’t use it as a race warm-up in the car park
8. May damage carbon frames with intense use (like all smart trainers)
9. Flywheel inertia can make high gears feel easier, I don’t think this aspect is a good road feel, others do.
10. No left/right power balance

Other than cost, I don’t think any of those are show-stoppers for huge numbers of people. Perhaps some of the Cons count as things to be aware of or minor inconveniences. Either way, they are outweighed by these 5…

1. Comfortable & Quiet (that’s two really)
2. Persistent auto-calibration
3. 100% Zwift compatible, indeed it’s compatible with any platform or normal piece of sports tech (TrainerRoad, MyWhoosh, TrainingPeaks, Final Surge, Xert…)
4. claimed accuracy, to +/-1% error
5. ERG Easy Ramp makes restarting easy.

Here’s a summary review of the Wahoo KICKR MOVE followed by lots of details and tests.

Price: $1300, £1150, 1300 EUR

Wahoo KICKR MOVE – What’s New?

KICKR MOVE is a notably different piece of hardware than KICKR V6/2022, however, those are all mechanical differences and all that you see and feel as being different is that KICKR MOVE is heavier; takes up more space; and moves forwards, backwards and side-to-side. All the other features and performance characteristics are unchanged. You’ll also be looking at a $300 price bump.

If you’ve been procrastinating over a KICKR for a year or two then it’s also worth noting that KICKR V6/2022 itself only had a small number of improvements of the previous V5 model, notably 2.4GHz always-on WiFi for gameplay and firmware downloads and an odometer showing usage stats.

Wahoo KICKR MOVE – The Practicalities of Setup

First-time setup is intuitive and usually won’t need a manual. With the right cassette and axle adapter you’re almost ready to go. Pull the legs out until they click in position and rotate the KICKR AXIS feet to get the bike level.

Pair KICKR MOVE to the Wahoo app (not the ELEMNT app). You’ll log into your home WiFi here and once done, KICKR will automatically update its firmware when needed. In the app, you should see that KICKR MOVE is the source of Speed, Power, and Cadence plus you’ll see information on Tilt and Trainer Control. Provide a backup sensor pairing here if you have one and you should also find that KICKR HEADWIND and CLIMB automatically pair if nearby and on.

You probably also want to disable  ERG power smoothing.

Another option is to use your regular power meter as the power source and let KICKR MOVE do the resistance control. This can be a good idea as it means your indoor and outdoor power readings will be consistent, however you might find a degree of unresponsiveness (test it with your power meter).

Hopefully, you know how to pair bike sensors. KICKR move can be paired as either a smart trainer or a power meter. If you pair to your bike computer as a power meter you won’t get the control features. So make sure you pair the right things and only pair as a smart trainer once – pairing as FTMS or ANT+ FE-C is the way to get trainer control. Thus you might pair to ZWIFT as a smart trainer and also to your Garmin Edge 1040 and Garmin Forerunner 965 as an ANT+ power meter.

With the bike on the trainer, check that you can use the big and small rings without the chain coming off. Then check that there is no undue chain noise. A noisy chain might indicate that you need to tweak your rear derailleur position, there is no guarantee the gear indexing will be identical to your bike. Fingers crossed, otherwise, it becomes an annoying thing to do before each ride.

Next, you can optionally perform a spindown in the app or sometimes WAHOO ELEMNTs let you perform one as well. You speed up to  20mph/36kmh and stop pedalling. KICKR then calibrates the braking resistance as it slows to about 18kmh. You should never need to repeat this as the process is now persistently automated during workouts.

Finally, it’s time to consider what will happen with your front wheel. Unlike other trainers, KICKR MOVE will cause your front wheel to roll backwards and forwards by 20cm or so. You do not need to use a riser but if you do it will need to have a long groove rather than the usual kind that fixes the wheel in place. Be mindful that repeated rolling could leave marks on a carpet next to the sweat stains!

If you use ANT+ FE-C to control the trainer you may experience dropouts caused by interference. If WiFi pairing is an option with your other kit, it should fix interference. Failing that, a direct cable connection (LAN/RJ45) will fix it.

Wahoo KICKR MOVE – The Practicalities of Regular Use

At 29kg, KICKR MOVE is about 9kg heavier than the older KICKR models and has a bigger floor footprint. It’s best if you leave it permanently set up. If you lack space, it folds away easily enough but is heavy to move and you’ll be glad of the handle, which the cheaper models lack.

So long as you have the KICKR in roughly the same physical place each time you use it, there’s a good chance it will retain the level you adjusted for on the first use.

Then getting your bike on and off KICKR is easy. You’ll find it easier still if you use the 3rd smallest rear cog and the smallest front ring. That makes getting the derailleur over the cassette a bit easier. Double check the chain is correctly running over both of the derailleur’s pulley wheels otherwise you risk breaking the derailleur (I’ve done it).

Pairing and calibration are not necessary as you’ve already done that on the first time setup.

You also can physically (un)lock the KICKR movement at any time, even during the workout. There is a large switch on the central leg. I prefer it unlocked.

Wahoo KICKR MOVE – Ride Feel

I would consider indoor bike ride feel in two general respects. Firstly how the bike tilts and rolls, and secondly how the power/resistance matches the ease at which I accelerate/decelerate on outdoor road surfaces. Perhaps you could also include environmental factors like air resistance, road noise and incline as elements of a real ‘ride feel’.

In my opinion, allowing the bike to move forwards/backwards and side-to-side is a good thing and better than a wholly stationary trainer. However, the side-to-side movement when going uphill out of the saddle is not realistic in the sense that a bike on the road will have more lateral movement. Small amounts of additional lateral movement come from the play in the KICKR MAT and softness in the AXIS feet.

Acceleration seems realistic enough and that’s probably due to the heavy flywheel that Wahoo uses. But flywheel inertia at high speeds makes the power level feel easier, even if it isn’t (the power is correct).

Enabling RACE MODE gives more frequent transmission of power and thus gameplay feels more realistic even though the performance of the KICKR itself is unchanged.

A recently added feature is ERG Easy Ramp, intended to make restarting easier. If you’ve been cranking out 300w and stop mid-workout, the resistance will still be equivalent to 300w on your first pedal stroke after the rest. As you know, it can be incredibly hard to restart. Restarting is now much easier as the restarting resistance is progressively but quickly added after a stop from a low level to the correct level.

Adding KICKR CLIMB to the mix and raising and lowering the front further improves comfort and engages muscles in a more realistic way when the gradient changes. However going downhill isn’t realistic even with a negative gradient on CLIMB, downhill cycling in the Wahoo ecosystem would benefit from motor-assists like the TACX. Finally, Wahoo does not attempt to simulate different road surfaces.

Overall I like how the KICKR performs in terms of ride feel. For me, COMFORT trumps everything else and KICKR MOVE delivers on that front. Any criticisms of other minor aspects of road feel aren’t that important. At least to me, they’re not.

Wahoo KICKR MOVE – Accuracy Report

TL;DR – Claimed accuracy is +/-1% and I’ve no reason to doubt that from my rides covering about 48 hours of riding.

Here are some selected rides which don’t paint a perfect picture for Wahoo. However, a big part of that is because of some of the issues I had with my Stages cranks that kept dropping cadence (cadence times torque = watts…no cadence…no watts).

Every single ride had the Assiomas properly calibrated and the KICKR never changed its physical position so its autocalibration should be fine. The Stages sometimes didn’t want to calibrate for funsies.

The rides that are on MyWhoosh sometimes need me to combine 3 KICKR data sets on DCR’s Analyzer tool. They are 3 separate KICKR files displayed in the same colour compared to other PMs in different colours. Sometimes the times were out of sync and having multiple files for one PM also meant that the mean-max curve don’t work.

These rides cover 6 weeks. At the start I was getting quite a bit of chain noise so I might have expected 2-3watts of drivetrain loss between Assioma and KICKR, perhaps that’s evidenced on the 5×270 ride. Towards the end of the period, eg on the 3 Mywhoosh levels ride, the two curves were very similar and at this point, I’d cured my drivetrain noise problem.

Sprints, intervals, easy ramp tests, easy deceleration and free rides with acceleration on and off the saddle all seem ok to me. But there is certainly not always a perfect tie-up between the data.

Cadence data on KICKR is derived from mini accelerations during the pedal stroke. There seem to be a few lags or overestimates with KICKR cadence but I’m not worried about that. Unlike many outdoor power meters, KICKR does not need cadence to calculate power. Cadence is far more important to get right for other types of power meter. This chart shows a strange overestimate for an extended period at the start of a ride. It doesn’t affect the power.

AFAIK it’s not possible to get an estimated L/R power balance unless the crank position is known. The crank position is not known on KICKR MOVE.

Tl;DR – Accuracy Take Out: I trust KICKR MOVE to show accurate power data but I haven’t proved it to my satisfaction from the data sets above.

Detailed Specifications – Wahoo KICKR MOVE (2023)

KICKR MOVE 2023 has market-leading specifications in every aspect. If you or your bike are unusual, then these nuanced specs are important. For most of us…skip to the next section, all is good.

• Type: Mains 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), also compatible with 8, 9 and 10-speed.
    
  • REAR WHEEL SIZE ROAD: 24”, 650C, 700C MTB: 24”, 26”, 650B, 29”
  • Hub Types: 130/135mm QR, 12×142, and 12×148 Thru Axle
  • Adapters: Includes 130/135mm QR adapter & hub spacer, 12×142/148 adapter & hub spacer, 1.8mm cassette spacer
  • Maximum Rider Weight: 250 lb / 113 kg
  • KICKR Ride Feel (backwards/forwards and side-to-side)
    
  • KICKR AXIS Feet (included, give further side-to-side movement)
• SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY
  • APPLE, ANDROID, WINDOWS
  • Zwift, Wahoo X (RGT and SYSTM) compatible. Others too
  • KICKR CLIMB & Headwind compatible
  • Connectivity: ANT+, ANT+ FE-C, WiFi (2.4GHz not 5GHz), 3 Bluetooth Connections, LAN (requires Direct Connect Adapter). Almost everything
  • WiFi auto-updates

Wahoo KICKR V6 FAQ

Here are answers to frequently asked questions

Q: Is Wahoo KICKR MOVE worth it?

A: KICKR MOVE is by far the most comfortable trainer I’ve ridden. What price comfort for those who need it? Otherwise, it’s hard to justify this amount of money and the extra money over either the V6 or V5. You’re paying for the comfort, Easy ramp and WiFi features which are super nice but hardly essential for most people. If I didn’t run this site, I’d probably get KICKR CORE. If I often experienced interference I’d get V6. I don’t use indoor trainers every week in the winter, if I did I’d get KICKR MOVE for the comfort factor.

Q. What’s the difference between Wahoo KICKR MOVE and the much cheaper KICKR Core?

A: The smaller flywheel on the Core gives a less good ride feel, Core lacks a carry handle and is a tad less accurate to boot. The importance of those comes down to your types of rides and where your store Kickr. If you leave the KICKR setup out in your pain shed all winter but tend towards monotonous training then Core would be fine. It would be fine anyway.

Q. When was KICKR MOVE released?

A: Wahoo Kickr Move was released in September 2023 and costs $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), essentially for a novel construction that allows fore/aft and side-to-side movement. Those give comfort and a superior ride feel.

Q: Should I also get the KICKR Mat, CLIMB, Headwind, etc?

A: I’d recommend KICKR CLIMB. You’ll need a mat and other things depending on your needs and circumstances but you can get those from any other brand pretty much. CLIMB is uniquely good for Wahoo KICKR, get one!

Wahoo KICKR Review – A History

The indoor training market evolved from dumb trainers and manually controlled spin bikes into standards-based, high-tech machines and ecosystems that bring precision and ‘fun’ to our pain caves.

The first KICKR was released 10 years ago and is perhaps the single product that kickstarted Wahoo’s phenomenal growth. Wahoo went from a lowly maker of heart rate monitors to a leading cycling brand with smart indoor trainers ranging from about $400 to $4,000.

Early features simply involved compatibility with ANT+ bike computers and different kinds of bike wheels and frames. That has expanded to cover multiple Bluetooth connections to TVs and gamified training platforms as well as 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 to give us 12-speed cassettes, disk brakes and thru axles. Wahoo and other trainer companies have risen to the challenge to support 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 full 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 – just clamp your back wheel onto the trainer and link up to your Wahoo ELEMNT [KICKR SNAP]
• Dumb trainer – clamp on your back wheel, manually control the resistance and hope that there is a display for speed as that’s the most data you’ll get.

Wahoo KICKR Move – The Future

KICKR MOVE  has it all. Well, almost.

Expect to see Wahoo add a new steerer and the ability to emulate road surface noise.

New tech components on the inside could give us better downhill simulation with a motor of some sort, and weight scales to reduce the impact of cheating in online racing. Expect to see further developments to prevent cheating including verification with secondary power meters and the transmission of check signals

At some point, the MOVEment mechanism in KICKR MOVE will trickle down to mid-range KICKRs as it is such a good feature.

Take Out – Wahoo KICKR Move Review

It’s a piece of excellent quality kit offering the most comfortable indoor ride I’ve ever had. I have completed 4- and 5-hour rides on KICKR MOVE, previously I’ve never been able to do anywhere near that duration due to discomfort.

The dynamic movement when used with CLIMB is great as are the responsive power characteristics.

The price is hard to justify but the comfort factor might convince you to spend more than you otherwise might.

Wahoo KICKR Move Price

Price: $1300, £1150, 1300 EUR