Use a KICKR ROLLR with onboard power
Use a KICKR ROLLR with onboard powerI recently had a bike fit and was surprised that the fitter used Wahoo Kickr Rollr. It made sense. Customers can bring in their bikes and be up and running on Rollr within seconds. Similarly, in a multi-person household, each member can use their bike within seconds – far faster than swapping over to a smart trainer, with the added benefit that Rollr stores away reasonably well when not in use.
Buy Kickr Rollr: $599.99 USD, £549.99 GBP, €599.99 Euro
There’s only one problem, though. It’s not a power meter in the same sense that a regular smart trainer is. Instead, it leverages the existing power meter on your bike if you have one (ideal to make your power levels match for all your rides – indoors and out), or acts as a speed source when using with Zwift.
What this meant
Effectively, Zwift was performing the decade-old method of converting speed to power using known resistance factors. So its native power was there, calculable in some form, but no one could see and use it directly. Fair enough, lots of factors conspire to make its power very inaccurate. You can see why Wahoo wouldn’t want to advertise the capability.
But what’s been happening with consumers is that they have progressively realised over the last few years what a convenient solution Kickr Rollr is. It’s become popular with newbies to indoor riding. Who would have predicted that? Rollers were once the domain of the Pro rider and, in different forms, quite challenging to ride. (Kickr rollr is easy and safe to ride)
To cut a long story short, people wanted power, and Wahoo has obliged.
Wahoo’s Free Upgrade
Just update Rollr’s firmware in the Wahoo app to version 1.1.31 or later to enable onboard power broadcast.
You’re good to go. Kinda.
The Problem
The main problem is that it’s not accurate. By a long way. But there are a few things you can do.
You need to use the same bike from one session to the next. Your mate can use a different bike, but you must use the same one each time. You should pump the tyre pressure to the same level each time before every ride, and to help matters further, stay seated as best you can.
Any other ‘errant’ cycling behaviour will reduce the consistency of the power readings. So long as you are OK with that, you are good to go.
Phase 2
Happy Rollr owners should consider eventually buying their power meter. This will give you consistent power when riding outdoors and when linked to Zwift via your Rollr indoors. The best power meter pedals are the Favero Assioma (links), which are suitable for every level of rider. A cheaper solution would be a single-sided crank replacement from 4iiii, which should cost $250 (follow the links here).
Buy Kickr Rollr: $599.99 USD, £549.99 GBP, €599.99 Euro
Sources & Resources
- Wahoo Rollr Review
- Wahoo Rollr software release notes
- Press release, via Gear Sphere
- Buy Favero Assioma
- Buy a 4iiii power meter
- Buy Wahoo Kickr Rollr
- For those who prefer video info, try Gplama’s take based on the same info
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