New wahoo kickr core - reading lower than my old kickr core

Equipment
1

Hi everyone,

I changed my 3 year old kick core with a brand new kickr core earlier this fall and right away I notice that the newer one seemed to read lower than the old one. I’ve done all the calibration but the same wattage just feels significantly more difficult on the new one. Is its possible that the old kickr had shot bearing that made a given wattage easier than it should?

Overall it’s not that big of a deal but it appear like I lost 5-10% of my ftp over time which I cannot see only being my usual lost form in the fall after my season is over.

My ftp has fallen and it now appears to be on the rise but any hard effort feels so much harder than the wattage suggest compared to my old kickr.

Any similar experience when changing old smart trainer to a newer one of the same brand?

Thanks all!

2

Have you tried a “factory spindown”? This is different than the normal calibration spindown.

3

Yes I did this and no change to the perceived resistance. My guess is that my old trainer for which I haven’t calibrated in a while had shot bearing making the felt resistance appear easier than it should have at any given resistance.

Its either that or my form took a spectacular nosedive…I highly doubt it but everything’s possible.

4

Can I buy your old Kickr? I need to raise my FTP by 5-10% :rofl:

2 Likes
5

:rofl: Hahah yeah well the person that bough it will definitely have their ego inflated!!!

6

Hey there!

This can certainly happen when switching between trainers and/or power meters. The discrepancies aren’t usually as significant as 5-10% differences, but it could be possible – especially as you mentioned that your old KICKR Core had some physical damage with the shot bearing.

It might be worth reaching out to Wahoo Support to see if they have any advice.

If you have a power meter on your bike, we’d advise using PowerMatch so that you get power data from your power meter instead of your trainer (but your trainer will still adjust resistance for you in ERG mode). Doing so also ensures your power source is the same for your inside and outside riding.

If you don’t have a power meter on your bike, that’s no big deal! If that’s the case, we’d recommend doing a Ramp Test so you can get your FTP dialed in with your new training equipment.

Hope this helps! Feel free to let us know if you have any other questions. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
7

Hi Zackery,
Thanks for these tips.
I have a similar issue as @LPlante, except I switched from a Kinetic wheel-on trainer to a new Kick’r Core. I will follow your suggestions and will report back.

1 Like