With the sudden temperature drop, it's likely that many cyclists are now turning their attention to indoor training and getting prepared for the winter. If you need to build your own 'pain cave' and have deep pockets, this complete setup from Wahoo could be the perfect setup to launch you into the world of virtual riding.
In this video unboxing, we've got the brand new Wahoo Kickr smart trainer (£1,000), Headwind fan (£200) and Climb (£499) completing what Wahoo refers to as an ecosystem. It's a symphony of connected devices that make indoor riding as realistic as it's possible to get. Not cheap mind, and there are much cheaper alternatives - here's a roundup of other indoor trainers. But if you want the ultimate pain cave setup, this could be it.
The Kickr has been upgraded with a bigger flywheel and a near silent operation, ideal for cyclists who live in flats and don’t want to upset the neighbours. Max power has been increased to 2,200 watts for your Chris Hoy sprints and a bigger flywheel is said to provide an even more realistic pedalling feel.
The new fan, called the Headwind (see what they’ve done there?), can be controlled manually, via buttons on the front unit, by the Wahoo smartphone app, or it can automatically increase the fan level to match your power output. Pedal harder and the headwind increases. Simple.
And finally, the Climb. This thing makes riding indoors more realistic by simulating actual climbs by lifting the front of the bike up and down. It'll connect to your favourite training software to simulate climbs as steep as 20%. Yikes!
Now we've unboxed these new products and run through the installation process, we're going to set about spending the new couple of weeks really testing them as thoroughly as possible, so stay tuned for those in-depth reviews soon.
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I have the Kickr and Climb. The forks rise up and down depending on the gradient on Zwift routes. So for example ride up the Alpe du Zwift which is a replica of the D'Huez, the forks would elevate the bike to give the same tilt of 7.5% ave and varying up or down for the early steep sections to lower for the flatter switchback hairpins, trainer resistance increases the steeper the gradient and vice versa.
So it positions your bike and body which uses muscles that you may not use in a static flat position. I also find I can now do 2,3 hours rides on my indoor trainer because the contact points vary with bike moving position. That and its fitted to a full length rocker board, so I have side to side motion too
You can't tell us all that and then not include a picture....
https://road.cc/content/tech-news/248993-sbr-rockr-pro-launched-elevate-...
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Ecosystem.
The video states at 4:50 that you can link the Climb with your favourite software like Zwift, so the forks raise and lower under program control - See a hill, ride a hill. Plus more resistance on the main unit.
"And finally, the Climb. This thing makes riding indoors more realistic by simulating actual climbs by lifting the front of the bike up and down. It'll connect to your favourite training software to simulate climbs as steep as 20%. Yikes!"
I'll admit it, I need someone to explain how lifting the forks simulates a climb.