Wahoo and Zwift IDT disappointment

[Henley 1]

I bought a Wahoo Kickr snap “smart indoor trainer” and had been using Zwift software at US$ 10 per month for the past year. Lots of positive things to say, yes, but very disappointed in the power readings:

·        Power readings much lower that the machines in the gyms of several brands. I can live with this because all I really need is consistency

·        Power readings fluctuate as if no dampening exists. Set on 3 seconds smoothing out means nothing! It simply gives you the readings (retarded) 3 seconds later. Will change reading up to 3 times per second. Typically 178, 215, 162, 79,145 …. meaningless

·        Complete power drops are frequent. I would be cycling along at the same effort when it will drop from 200 to 0 watts and back to 200 within a few seconds. The biker animation actually stops and gets puts his foot out

Yes I depleted the help line system.

Is that only me????

[Madone69]

Ant+ or bluetooth trainer.

I had a similar issue and had a faulty ant dongle and too far a distance from the trainer issue

New dongle and ext cable sorted my issue

[Jakkals.]

what you can also do is....turn off bluetooth. let zwift talk via ant+FE-C.

do a spindown after 10min of every ride to get accurate power to compensate for any temperature drift.

my 2c: I would not have waited a year to sort these issues out.

 

Edit: had some wifi issues tonight so my ride was faultless either.

[madbradd]

You need to do some debugging.

 

Step 1: update firmware on trainer.

Step 2: do a spin down.

Step 3: Record the same session on zwift and your garmin. See if you have the same issues on both recording devices and at the same time. That will let you know if its a trainer issue, or communication error.

 

Usually the problem is that your ant stick is faulty. Or too far from your trainer. Or both.

 

Another option is to connect to zwift using Bluetooth (you normally need your phone running the zwift mobile app for this). See if its still an issue.

[Mongoose!]

get a proper indoor trainer tyre - makes a huge difference

also make sure your tyre pressure is correct

[rudi-h]

i have a kickr and although I don't use zwift the power readings are spot on.  Never drops and is very consistent.

 

I also have a stages crank on my road bike and the power values on the kickr are much smoother and more consistent than on the actual bike.

 

Accuracy is very consistent with both the kickr and the stages.  never had calibration issues.  IMO the calibration of Wattbikes are a LOT more inconsistent than either Kickr or Stages, so I'd go with kickr being way above the accuracy of the wattbikes in the gym every day.

[arendoog]

I have  used Kickr with Zwift on an iPad .Readings look very similar than watt bikes at Virgin active

[Mongoose!]

I have  used Kickr with Zwift on an iPad .Readings look very similar than watt bikes at Virgin active

 

 ja but Kickr is a direct drive trainer. The OP has the Snap that works with the bikes rear wheel and tyre.

[arendoog]

 ja but Kickr is a direct drive trainer. The OP has the Snap that works with the bikes rear wheel and tyre.

That would probably be less accurate .Sounds more like a software problem or binding problem .My kickr,s main board packed up completely and had to be replaced 

[J Wakefield]

I bought a Wahoo Kickr snap “smart indoor trainer” and had been using Zwift software at US$ 10 per month for the past year. Lots of positive things to say, yes, but very disappointed in the power readings:

·        Power readings much lower that the machines in the gyms of several brands. I can live with this because all I really need is consistency

·        Power readings fluctuate as if no dampening exists. Set on 3 seconds smoothing out means nothing! It simply gives you the readings (retarded) 3 seconds later. Will change reading up to 3 times per second. Typically 178, 215, 162, 79,145 …. meaningless

·        Complete power drops are frequent. I would be cycling along at the same effort when it will drop from 200 to 0 watts and back to 200 within a few seconds. The biker animation actually stops and gets puts his foot out

Yes I depleted the help line system.

Is that only me????

 

In regards to your comment on the lower readings compared to the gym machines is that I would not trust the values in the gym machines for a few reasons. They are abused by 100's of people daily and their upkeep is often not the best in terms of calibration etc. I would rather take the wahoo kickr as a more honest reading. 

 

However, do you manually calibrate before each session? If not, I would suggest doing so. Any power meter unit should be done prior to training. This alone if it is not right will give some inconsistent readings from session to session. 

 

The power drop could be from the kickr to head unit or PC and not the actual Kickr. If the USB is faulty by any chance or possible outdated software on the head unit this will occur. We had inserted a USB in the lab half way by mistake this week and the signal keep dropping. If there is play it will also possibly happen. 

 

The last thing to check is that the plugs etc or electric connections are on at all times, again, we had this issue with a plug and it kept connecting and disconnecting. 

 

I have no affiliation to Kickr to at all but the units are really good and their power data is very accurate. I think there is a small glitch somewhere in your system that needs to me fixed. 

[Grey Hubs]

First, sorry to hear you are struggling with this equipment! Nothing more frustrating than having to fault-find technology to enjoy the fitness benefits. Hope the suggestions above will help!

 

This is where I find support from Bicycle Power/Cycleops is worth the $$$ spent...Always a tough call when you spend your hard earned cash.

[L46]

Seems like the issue is with the dongle/Snap connection which results in the power dips and fluctuating power adjustments. I don't think the readings are being picked up correctly which then results in the smart trainer trying to adjust on the faulty readings being received.  Best would be to have it checked out by Wahoo, warranty perhaps?

 

I don't think it's software as the software only uses info being received from the trainer itself.  The software packages (i.e. Zwift, Trainerroad, Virtual Training etc.) are 3rd party packages and does not necessarily care about what smart trainer you're using.

 

My friend uses a Snap with Zwift and it works perfectly.  I'm on a Powerbeam Pro (also wheel based) and have used Zwift and Virtualtraining with no issues as long as there is no slippage on the back tire, so make sure you wash your tire especially after riding outside.

 

As for comparing watts with the gyms wattbikes, I'm not a fan of the most overrated and overpriced piece of equipment in the modern day gym environment so I have a biased opinion.  I sometimes use it to warm up so would really appreciate it if they can install Nokia's 3310 snake game on there to keep my mind away from turning knobs, they already have the same background graphics so shouldn't be difficult.

[Furbz]

READ HERE FOR THE SOLUTION.

 

i had the same issue.

any new Wahoo should have an advanced spindown performed.

 

this should solve your under reading power issues.

 

For issues releated to power accuracy, please complete an advanced spindown:

- iOS: Open the Wahoo Fitness app > select saved sensors > KICKR > perform spin down > tap on spin down instructions 5 times > select perform advanced spin down > follow steps to complete advanced spin down (take a screenshot).

- Android: Open the Wahoo Utility app > allow KICKR to connect > tap on KICKR icon 10 times quickly > select perform advanced spin down > follow steps to complete advanced spin down (take a screen shot).

Going forward, you will only need to complete the basic spin down ( every 2 weeks).

[WahooliganZA]

I bought a Wahoo Kickr snap “smart indoor trainer” and had been using Zwift software at US$ 10 per month for the past year. Lots of positive things to say, yes, but very disappointed in the power readings:

·        Power readings much lower that the machines in the gyms of several brands. I can live with this because all I really need is consistency

·        Power readings fluctuate as if no dampening exists. Set on 3 seconds smoothing out means nothing! It simply gives you the readings (retarded) 3 seconds later. Will change reading up to 3 times per second. Typically 178, 215, 162, 79,145 …. meaningless

·        Complete power drops are frequent. I would be cycling along at the same effort when it will drop from 200 to 0 watts and back to 200 within a few seconds. The biker animation actually stops and gets puts his foot out

Yes I depleted the help line system.

Is that only me????

 

 

First, sorry to hear you are struggling with this equipment! Nothing more frustrating than having to fault-find technology to enjoy the fitness benefits. Hope the suggestions above will help!

 

This is where I find support from Bicycle Power/Cycleops is worth the $$$ spent...Always a tough call when you spend your hard earned cash.

Hi There!

 

I am the local Wahooligan support guy, happy to help with anything Wahoo-related, nation-wide and our dedicated KICKR studios Pain.Cave.

 

We love to come to the party and sort out any issues you may experience with Wahoo trainers and Fitness accessories, so that you can get on with what matters - your training.

 

Please reach out to me on the below details, and I will assist until we have you sweating again:

 

email: sean@ikhambi.co.za

tel: 087 654 1940

 

Looking forward to hearing from any fellow ASS-KICKR's 

[sirmoun10goat]

First, sorry to hear you are struggling with this equipment! Nothing more frustrating than having to fault-find technology to enjoy the fitness benefits. Hope the suggestions above will help!

 

This is where I find support from Bicycle Power/Cycleops is worth the $$$ spent...Always a tough call when you spend your hard earned cash.

 

I agree - great support from Bicycle,Cycleops, but...Christian to the rescue.

 

Buycycle also offers great support, and Christian is very active on the hub

 

I bought a Wahoo Kickr snap “smart indoor trainer” and had been using Zwift software at US$ 10 per month for the past year. Lots of positive things to say, yes, but very disappointed in the power readings:

·        Power readings much lower that the machines in the gyms of several brands. I can live with this because all I really need is consistency

·        Power readings fluctuate as if no dampening exists. Set on 3 seconds smoothing out means nothing! It simply gives you the readings (retarded) 3 seconds later. Will change reading up to 3 times per second. Typically 178, 215, 162, 79,145 …. meaningless

·        Complete power drops are frequent. I would be cycling along at the same effort when it will drop from 200 to 0 watts and back to 200 within a few seconds. The biker animation actually stops and gets puts his foot out

Yes I depleted the help line system.

Is that only me????

 

Contact Buycycle or drop Christian a PM

[Mongoose!]

 

 

This is where I find support from Bicycle Power/Cycleops is worth the $$$ spent...Always a tough call when you spend your hard earned cash.

 

for sure!!! Dave and his team are always very helpful