Wahoo KICKR Power Trainer lets iPhone cyclists feel the simulated burn (video)
Wahoo Fitness' BlueSC cycling sensor is well and good for iPhone owners that always have fair weather and friendly roads to ride. For everyone else, there's the company's just-unveiled KICKR Power Trainer, a bike training system that uses a Bluetooth 4.0 link with Apple's device (or an ANT+ bike computer) to come as close as possible to the real thing. The KICKR can change resistance as soon as third-party iOS apps like Kinomap Trainer and TrainerRoad give the word, either arbitrarily for a routine or to replicate that on-asphalt feel at up to a 15 percent hill grade. Wahoo claims the super flywheel and wheel-off design improve the sensation of the virtual road and keep the measurements for both power and speed accurate over the long haul. If there's anything holding back indoor athletes, it's the launch. The KICKR will only land in US basements and living rooms come November, and while we haven't been quoted a price, we'd wager that it's much more likely to fall in line with the cost of a regular bike trainer than a sensor like the BlueSC.
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World's First iPhone Powered Bike Trainer, the Wahoo Fitness KICKR Power Trainer Uncovered at EUROBIKE 2012
iPhone connected bike trainer modernizes stationary training by allowing full control of resistance and power threshold via your favorite iPhone cycling Apps
Atlanta, Ga. – August 31, 2012 – Wahoo Fitness, the leader in iPhone powered cycling, running and fitness, unveils the Wahoo Fitness KICKR Power Trainer at EUROBIKE 2012. The KICKR Power Trainer is the world's first iPhone powered bike trainer, allowing cyclist and triathletes to set resistance, accurately measure power and complete App based workouts, all from their iPhone. The KICKR Power Trainer is being demoed this week at EUROBIKE 2012 and will be available in the U.S this November.
Using Bluetooth 4.0 and ANT+ technology, the KICKR Power Trainer connects to the iPhone, allowing full resistance control during your training session. While pedaling, users can increase or decrease resistance, structure interval workouts or even simulate real world bike courses all from their smart phone. Resistance adjustments are instant, making it easy to replicate everything from a flat or rolling hill course, to the coast down a hill after a hard climb. With a wheel off design and super flywheel, the iPhone connected bike trainer is engineered to produce an ultra-realistic road feel, equivalent to the inertia of an actual rider on the road. A direct power measurement at the hub provides consistent and lab accurate power readings for every grueling mile.
"Cyclist and triathletes will be blown away by the feel of the KICKR," says Chip Hawkins, CEO of Wahoo Fitness. "We spent a ton of time engineering the feel, fine tuning it for the most realistic ride we've ever experienced on an indoor bike trainer. With the wheel off design there is no need for calibration; the power is consistent and accurate every single time. The electronic resistance is driven by your iPhone or tablet during a ride, you can go from hammering up a 15% grade to coasting downhill, instantaneously."
Wahoo Fitness has fully integrated the iPhone into all aspects of cycling fitness. With Wahoo's Blue SC Speed & Cadence sensor for iPhone, the Blue HR Heart Rate Monitor for iPhone and the KICKR bike trainer, Wahoo users can now track and power their cycling with their iPhone on the road, the trail and the trainer. Wahoo Fitness' iPhone cycling system allows users to monitor all the vitals including power, speed, cadence, heart rate, pace, distance, location, course and more.
Wahoo Fitness KICKR Power Trainer features include:
- Adjust resistance via iPhone for structured rides or simulate real world courses using top cycling Apps including TrainerRoad and Kinomap Trainer.
- Wheel off design allows direct power measurement at the hub, providing the most accurate and consistent power measurement throughout every mile
- In ride adjustments simulate across all intensities from coasting downhill to cranking up a 15% grade (600-2000 watt resistance)
- Ultra realistic road feel specifically engineered to simulate the inertia of an actual rider on the road
- Measure power (wattage), and speed all using your favorite iPhone cycling App or favorite ANT+ bike computer
- ANT+ and Bluetooth 4.0 compatible
- Quiet – tested to be one of the quietest trainers on the market
