Kickr v5 (used) vs. new Kickr Core

Equipment
1

I’ve been thinking of upgrading my V2 since it’s kind of loud and reads twenty watts low no matter what the calibration.

I found a v5 (like new, hardly used) for $500 or I could buy a brand new Core for $500.

I don’t care about the Climb or other accessories. Mostly I use my bike’s power meter anyway. It would be nice though to have a trainer that was more accurate. Supposedly the Kickr is more accurate than the Core and has a slightly larger flywheel.

Any thoughts?

2

I upgraded my kickr core to a v5 but honestly I didn’'t notice a huge difference except for slightly more mobility in the v5 and no need to calibrate. I’d still go for the v5 though

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3

As much as I would be tempted to get the Kickr, the 1 year warranty does not transfer, so I would be reluctant to be the 2nd owner, no matter how good the condition.

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4

I believe the latest Kickr Core firmware update now has auto calibration. Not to highjack, I myself am undecided on the Core vs V6.

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5

Yes it does.

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6

$500 is a bargain for a v5. In the Bay Area, they still sell for at least $700.

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7

I am a happy owner of the v5… but the addition of auto calibration to the Core does make spending more for the kickr a harder sell.

Think i’d go for the Core with a warranty rather than a v5 without - unless you think you will enjoy the rocker feet (which is minimal) or need to fold it up when not in use to save space…or if you can put out the mega watts?

As for which is more accuarate… they might claim better on the kickr but I highly doubt they can back that up with any certainty… i bet there is a fair bit of overlap unit to unit. i.e. i bet there are some Cores out there that out-perform some v5s with regards to accuracy.

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8

Thank you @ChrisTuffer. I didn’t know about the Core’s firmware update for auto-calibration. And thank you Wahoo. Their practice of providing key updates to older products is one of the reasons I am pretty loyal to Wahoo.

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9

I own a v5, rode it since september 2020. Never failed me. But i can’t imaging the Core being far of. And with warranty, even though the v5 is bulletproof. With 97 kg , ftp of 333 and max 5 sec power of 1500W. A lot of workouts and zwift races have been done on it. I bought the v5 because it,s build sturdier. But if your nit as big as i am. I would get the core.

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