Swapped my KickrV5 against a KickR Bike last month.... Love the Bike so much more. Much smoother and now my bike is ready to go on the short autumn and winter days so there is now excuse at lunchtime to take the bike and go outside (dismounting it needs motivation). What I don't like on the bike are low Cadence units with higher Watts.. Then the Bike gehts Cogging. (hopefully I wrote it right) Greetings from Germany
Had the 2018 kickr. Swapped it for Wattbike atom (not a straight swap obvs) so missus could use it as she doesn’t own a bike. Honest opinion I wish I’d kept the kickr 🤬
have tacx neo and kickr bike, difficult to notice a difference in ride feel. One thing you didn't mention/consider - I killed a bottom bracket sweating over my bike on the tacx, big advantage of smart bike is its adaptability, can use for other household members or to micro-adjust to a more aggressive riding position
@@brody5211 it’s very good but honestly preferred the kickr and my own bike. Find myself spinning out more and getting on the erg spiral of death more frequently on the atom than I did before. Also not overly keen on the tri bars as can’t ride in that position anyway but they were handy for putting the iPad on. Never had the pads on and have now removed them altogether as i like to sit a bit more upright with hands either side of the stem but the attachment of the tri bars made it difficult.
The user customisable gear ratios on the Kickr Bike is such a nice feature - getting an 11-28 for a criterium, them selecting an 11-36 for the Alpe Du Zwift is such a nice touch 😍 .
I started off on a Kickr snap, then upgraded to the Kickr which was brilliant, then the Kickr Climb came out, which I had to have being a total nutter who loves to climb Alpe du Zwift all the time. After 100 climbs up the Alpe the Kickr climb died on me. Wahoo replaced it with a new climb, so back to the Alpe I go and this time the second climb managed just over 100 Alps before that died and it's grave is somewhere just past turn 11. Wahoo replaced it again with a third new climb. Didn't what to risk killing another climb so sold it and took the plunge and bought the Kickr Bike. Best decision I ever made absolutely awesome, only issue so far one of the Shifters failed which Wahoo sorted. Now with nearly 400 Alpe climbs done no issues whatsoever, going to be interesting Mark to see how you get on with the Climb , if a 54kg Old Goat can kill a Kickr Climb twice !
Big fan of training on my bike for a couple reasons 1. I had a bike 2. keeps me use to being positioned on my bike during the off season (stupid snow) 3. $$. This is a smart move in your training for the ironman as it will allow you to practice grabbing your bottles or making sure your bike set up is dialed in for the longer rides. Couple of suggestions. Go ahead and train at 100% realism in Zwift, its not like you have a 50% option when you race. Since you are probably using the cassette that came with the kickr (11sp 11-28), you may want to pick up a climbing cassette (11spd 11-32). I use this in my training because i am constantly working on being a better climber. 1. the 32 cog will allow you to do the harder climbs at 100% realism no problem as you have more that enough strength, 2. You still have plenty of gears for the flats. One of my favorite training routes with hills and flats is Surrey Hills, good long climbs that you could big ring or small ring (the two gears up that your pedals attach too) and they arent super steep for long durations like AdZ or VenTop. Its a really solid 40k training route. Good stuff EDIT I just looked up your P3X and it comes with and 52/36 up front and a 11 spd 11-30 cassette. So instead of an 11-32 cassette, go with an 11-34 (11-13-15-17-19-21-23-25-27-30-34) mainly because it gives you the 30 tooth cog which is the max on your bikes setup and a 34 tooth cog for climbing on zwift. Also i am not sure what your chain ring is set up for on the kicker bike but if its not 52/36 that would also explain why AdZ was harder on your P3X at 100% realism (ruclips.net/video/bFnsx_kB2GY/видео.html)
Don’t sweat the lack of outdoor riding when preparing for triathlons. I trained exclusively indoors for a half Ironman when I was at school and didn’t have access to safe roads. Set a PR on the bike. Zwift doesn’t train tactics for draft legal racing, but it’s great for TT style racing.
I recently started watching your channel. Love it because I've got a year+ worth of your content to catch up on. Is it weird that I sometimes fall asleep on the sofa listening to you chatting away? I too got hooked on zwift over lockdown, can't afford your setup - especially not the bike and trainer, although I recently got an Elite direct drive turbo and it's awesome. You should make a video of you climbing Alp d'Huez next year... It's great. Would love to see you on Ven-top too. I've missed la marmotte due to Covid for 2 years now - 175km bike ride with 5000m climbing (ending up Alp d'Huez) I'm going to be very well prepared for it when it finally comes next year. Thanks for your inspirational "everyman" content with top humour. I'm also trying the 16:8 now, I feel good on it so far. See you in Watopia.
Always preferred the kickr trainer due to being able to use my road set up, I would definitely recommend a sweat guard if your going to be putting more hours on trainer
For storage, just lift the bike while still connected to the kickr, and if kickr is against the wall, the bike will follow. Basically lift the front wheel until bike is 90 degrees and the bike will stay on its “rear wheel” on its own without having to disconnect and store separately. I also do this for cleaning after long rides and lots of sweats. FYI… I also have the p3x and the kickr.
When you really start in Hamburg I will be standing there with an Above Average Sign and I want an Autogramm :D ..... Lucky for me I'm living in Hamburg ;)
You're the perfect Wahoo ambassador!! Like a kid in the candy store. I hope they pay you! 🤑 Sorry about the PB, you'll get it next time. I've also had som BT trouble with my Kickr. Looking forward to see you testing the Kickr Climb!!
Great comparison. (Kickr trainer user) Biggest benefit of the Kickr Bike IMO is that you can shift in the middle of a hard sprint without fear of damaging anything or the chain coming off.
I'm considering purchasing this set up so very well timed, I've dropped it into conversation with the other half casually so it won't come as a shock to her later :-)
Hi Mark, Thank you for wonderful videos.I've bought wahoo kickr bike v2 and it's a lovely kit. The saddle adjustment doesn't seem to be very stable. The saddle bar is dropping even though If I tighten it sometimes. It's not pretty stable. Could you please advise what you've changed. I watched one of your videos and you seem like you chnaged it. The reason is my whole family is using the bike and everytime we change the saddke height, we're spending more time to fix it properly
Mark, thanks for the great comparison! I get a kick out of you (no pun intended)...you're funny which makes your videos fun to watch! Ha, ha! I just watched you placing the Wahoo hat on the dog and laughed my butt off!
Just hit 10,000km on my Wahoo Kickr Trainer today and still good as new, i use it with an iPad during week days and take off the bike on weekends no drop outs with bluetooth so far and is always ready to ride, im almost always doing specific training and i have to say that it help me a lot with outside races and group rides i dont know what i would without it.
Good to see someone of a similar vintage training like you do. I often think I should be taking it a little easier, when in fact I seem to be training harder than ever!
Funnily, indoor cycling enhanced me outdoors, you tend to put more max efforts in on the trainers because well, your primary focus is fitness and effort, that leaves me fit enough to go outdoors, sustain a decent ave pace but at the same time enjoy the outdoor surroundings without gassing out.
I tried the Wahoo kickr trainer last winter and picked up the Wahoo kickr Bike this year. As you say both are great and it will depend on your situation which will be best. For me the bike wins hand down but that's largely because both the missus and I use it and because we live in an apartment switching not only means switching bikes every time but also dragging them up from the basement room to the spare room. That said, overall the kickr bike feels a bit more solid to me, requires less maintenance and the tilt feels more realistic than using the trainer + climb (I suspect this is due to where the bikes pivot).
I own a Kickr Core and adding to the Bluetooth connection issue you described I once also had a kind of overheating issue on the Kickr Core. I was going up Alpe du Zwift and somewhere in the middle of the climb the trainer wasn't adjusting / registring the power properly. It always maxed out at around 280-300W no matter how hard I pedaled. After it cooled off a little bit with the use of my fan it worked well again.
Great video again! One thing I’m 99% sure you don’t need the riser block on the Kickr setup, the adjustment you make with the rear levels the bike out. I certainly don’t have one on my setup, I think they are only required for wahoo trainers when you leave the rear wheel on..
sorry to say that but there is a difference between indoor and outdoor riding - I usually do 2k km outdoors on my road bike during the warm dry months and about 4k km on my kickr bike when the weather is bad. On my last outdoor ride for the season about 4 weeks ago I missed a pothole on one of those horrible English roads and came down pretty hard. Laying in agony on the side of the road, 999 told me it would take about 6 hours for the ambulance to show up. A couple of days later the brilliant nhs doctors caused me some nerve damage during my surgery that makes my leg only partially usable. I could write a book about what I went through in the hospital. I can only hope to be pain free and able to walk and cycle again one day. Why am I telling you my story? - just watch out when you go back to outdoor riding, especially on those horrible English roads!
We love our KIckr and headwind. My wife has really started cutting her triathlon times training in Zwift vs on her Peloton bike. The peloton got her started, but riding your actual bike really is quite different.
Great video and as always I enjoyed the natural self-effacing humour that you being to all your content 😁 One tip - as well as simply riding the TT bike to get used to the position, you’ll almost certainly want to introduce some stretching or yoga/Pilates if you aren’t already doing it. I know your exercise week is already ridiculously crammed with gym/weights, running and biking (I don’t know how you find the time!) but stretching out the back and flutes in particular will really help you dial in position on the TT bike without massive discomfort!
I noticed you mentioned that your dad is 84...congrats! If my math doesn't fail me he's 86 now. Which also means you were born when he was in his mid 30s. Do you plan on one-upping your dad by having another son (or daughter) in your late 40s with all these exercise and youtuber stuffs going on in your life right now? Maybe you can do a baby ride along on Alp de Zwift one day. Love your content. Please keep doing all these that you're currently doing.
Dentist .. OMG i laughed good on that one ... and speaking to kickr bike or wheel off trainer ... I have killed my front derailleur with my sweat droppings and I wouldn't want to run my pricey bike bits on my Tacx ... for me after zwifting for three years once my work health benefit flips over I am buying a KickR bike so then I don't have to mess with my street setup ... sure it is an investment but wither that is a problem for you financially is a case by case thing.... for me I see it as an investment in myself and since I enjoy zwift so much the expense is worth it to me not to mention not needing to worry about the bits getting destroyed with my sweat .... I am a big guy myself again ... before covid I was nipping at 180 lbs now I back at 230lbs because I just have not managed to keep up my enthusiasm and habits with lockdowns and ate and drank crap I shouldn't have which just added the weight back ... two years of effort I was a middle C racer now I back at the D bottom ... but yeah I only have myself truly to blame
You are going to thank yourself for every minute you spend getting comfortable with and optimizing your position on the bike. I think using the trainer over the winter to do this is a great idea.
I hope so....I feel like I have enough fitness (although more will be good!) but it will be useless if I can't transfer it to the bike because of being uncomfortable.
You should do a video comparing Alpe du Zwift against Alpe d'Huez. You could get a little series out of it. Planning the trip, trip vlogs, garage analysis video, etc.
Like you say in the video, the wahoo desk is very small. I bought one and ended up returning it because it was just too limited in space by the time you set up your screen, drinks, energy snacks, remote controls etc there just wasn’t enough room. It’s a shame because it’s very solidly built, just too small. I ended up buying a much larger height adjustable table off eBay for half the price and I’m much happier with it
Since I didn't have a road bike and the wife also wanted to use the trainer, I bought the (Tacx) smart bike. In my opinion another benefit of having a full smart bike is no wear on chain, cassette and crank.
One recommendation for wahoo bike that get clip on aero bars mounted on wahoo bike and have same fit as your tt bike. This would help you to get used to the same aero position and work out the same muscle twitches as you are on the bike
My setup is still on a dumb trainer, as I can't bring myself to spend 3x the cost of my current road bike on a smart trainer. What I have done is bought a cheap rear rim to have a "Zwift" rim/tire setup for my wheel on trainer that I just swap out with my current road wheel. Works out pretty good, but to the point that you make in the video, I have noticed that unless the bike is already set up, it is easy to make excuses to not workout inside on rainy days - despite the set up being 5 minutes.
Loving the videos Mark! Interesting that you had issues with Bluetooth, I only get issues with Ant+ and Bluetooth seems to work perfect for me... Anyways, was thinking when you next go for your Alpe PB, you should organize a Zwift group ride, see if we can get a few hundred of us all riding up together! I'd love to have another shot at my PB and that would definitely make it more fun...
i wish i had a trainer to do more consistent training :) getting used to the aero position is going to be the item that helps the most.. Miles is miles inside or out.. you cant cheat the power your pulling out.. i would highly recommend doing a reccy out to your ironman destination 1-2 months before hand to do a practice ride .. Great video!! :)
Just got my Kicker yesterday to replace my dumb trainer, looking forward to more realism on this hills. Thought about the bike, but I am getting a new gravel bike to put on it right now and I heard a rumor a new, possibly cheaper version of the Kicker bike may come out next year - I am VERY interested, so will wait for now!
Hi Mark, the Planet X desk is worth a look, quarter the cost of the wahoo and has bottle holders, suspect not built quite as well though. Maybe compare the two ?
Man Mike, I’m wondering how long it would be before Wahoo asks you to check out their new Wahoo SYSTM. That would be an interesting video to watch. Love your videos.
with reference to your indoor training and zwift - have you tried Rouvy? not as well known as zwift, but hundreds of more realistic routes. Try climbing the Angliru and Zwift climb you showed here will seem so much easier. Good video, good content. Think i will subscribe.
Would be great to see you try Xc mtb racing and document your training and any tactics or weak points you had. There is little high quality Xc content on RUclips and would be great to see what you could do.
Really appreciate your videos! I need a minor dog. I started playing on a MacBook Pro and had connectivity and replay issues. AppleTV soooo much better. Zero problems.
If you had the choice to only get one piece of equipment which is the kicker bike vs kicker with all the accessories and money is not an issue. What would you choose?
Used both the Kickr bike is far more easy. No chain and cassette issues. Plus a Kickr bike can be any time of bike you want it to be. Change gearing during a ride even. Use Shimano Campagnolo or SRAM shifting.
Maybe but for the £3000 difference between the 2 you could easily pay someone else to worry about the chain. For the vast majority of functioning human beings the bicycle chain is perhaps the closet we can get to perfection in engineering - simple, unbelievably efficient - if you can't cope with that then putting on trousers is probably a struggle too and it's something all cyclists should really get the tools and learn how to do because it's a fundamental part of pretty much every bicycle and key to its function. Indoors a chain and cassette are going easily do 15000-20000km if you look after it. If you're getting the kickr bike for free, or have people watching youtube paying for your hobby it's probably ok, but it's not really worth the money, it's not well engineered and will eventually fall to bits - at which point they send you another one because you've already given them 3x what it's worth. I think there are more robust options that are actually cheaper (in terms of smart bikes) but, for most cyclists not sharing a trainer you may as well just get a kickr core. I think there are better smart bikes, they are more robust and that have higher quality adjustments, you'd save £1500 (at least) and the only thing you lose are gimmicks that aren't that important and break anyway - in fact one of them is made by wahoo but it's still pricey.
Any update on the difference in feel between the two setups? People generally comment the direct drive trainers are much harsher over long periods. My trainer is rather stiff in comparison.
Another great video Mark, I have the kickr v5 love it. Thinking about getting a kickrbike in the future so my misses and boys can use it aswell hope when I do I don’t miss the kickr?!?
Cornering and edging are 2 very hard skills to master, same with your position in a field. Just saying because you made it sound like it was a piece of cake.
Loved the reference to Sega Rally. Same age as you Mark. I also got a steering wheel as soon as I got my own place and yes it made it all much more realistic. Great anecdote that took me back. Really enjoying your videos after recently discovering your channel. Keep up the good work!
I’ve got the Kickr trainer with a mountain bike on it and it’s been great. Sliding drop outs makes it more fiddly to get on and off. Pros of the Kickr bike... others can easily change the set up to fit them, so no dramas, whereas death will result in changes to my mountain bike set up!!
I got the Kickr Bike after watching you going hard on it 🤔. At first it wasn‘t an easy choice for me witch one to choose. But I got the space and want my outdoor bike always to be ready, so I decided to go all in and buy the Bike. Love your content, keep up the good work!
I had a kickr trainer but changed to the kickr bike for ease of switching sizes between me and the missus. Wouldn't go back, the kickr bike is the complete package, but can see why the trainers are good for those tight for space/budget.
I have a kickr V5 and I'm willing to change to a bike trainer shift so that I can use my bike outdoors during the summer. I live in a flat, so it's not possible to take the bike out of the trainer every time I want to go outside. After trying both, do you recommend the bike trainer?
Yes I can certainly tell you that riding in an aero position requires practice as your body isn't use to putting out the watt's in that position. Just 🤔 💭 with the desk there, does it block the fan from hitting your face or upper body? That was always my thinking. After all, if I have anything on my aero bars it effects the airflow to my face. Even my hand in that position impacts it. I do find the Kicr climb is great too ease yourself into getting use to the aero position as you can manually adjust the front end up or down. This function was great helping me back into riding while my fractured collar bone repaired.
Mark overall, do you think you're working harder on the Kickr Bike than on the trainer? I felt like it was when I made the switch and FTP seemed to plummet. Absolutely brilliant channel. Cheers.
Usually not much technical handling skills required for a TT course, just holding an uncomfortable position and riding as smoothly as possible. If you find you're having to bunny hop obstacles you may have accidentally ridden onto the cyclocross course.
Thats great news that the direct link will be working with zwift soon. Might order the dongle thing soon if that's the case. That is as long as the Ant+ still operates for my gamin watch to link to once its plugged in.
Thank you for sharing your experience with wahoo kickr. Wahoo recommend a maximum user height of 6 ft 4 (192 cm) for kickr bike. Do you think people taller this can ride it without any problem in terms of finding the suitable Geometry etc
own both options from wahoo, (paid for with my money) kickr lets me sit on my bike set up just how i like it, kickr bike is good but takes a lot of time to set up just so, and the quick release style bolts dont stay in place, but it means my out door bike is ready to go at all times also feel like i get more power from the kickr than the kickr bike, but the kickr bike is growing on me and if i try the new systm from wahoo then the kickr bike is defo better option.
Mate, love your work. I’ve also got a Kickr bike. Had it since early August and fingers crossed my replacement bottom bracket gets here today. Can I ask, what maintenance have you been doing to keep your Kickr bike in good order?
Found this really helpful, have signed up for a half ironman next year but in truth I don't feel super confident in training my cycling on the roads, I know I need to have some technical sessions but looking for the ideal indoor set up to get the most of my work in. Have been considering the Wahoo Kickr bike, I already use a Concept2 Bikeerg to mess about on Zwift but its not quite close enough to the real thing. Anyway, longwinded thanks, love the videos!
@@MarkLewisfitness Would welcome any advice here, thinking about keeping things indoors to build up the legs and then signing up for a few organised long gravel rides just to get some time outdoor messing about
Another brilliant video as always. Ive got the Kickr but always eyeing up the bike! One thing you might want to consider, the Kickr trainer doesn't move much so when you pedal hard you put a lot of force through the chain stays. I know some bike manufacturers have warned against using their bikes on an indoor trainer. I don't know anyone who has had an issue and I know you said you will keep the crazy stuff for the Kickr bike but that Cervelo doesn't have seat stays and I wonder if that has an effect. Highly recommend a sweat net - I have heard of peoples handlebars clean come off when they are out on the road because the stem bolt has rusted!
hello brother I have a question, I am a medical student and a beginner in cycling and I have only tried competing in a triathlon once and I loved it and I want to do many more but the biking was my weakest part. I want to buy the wahoo kicker bike so that I can practice my biking a lot while staying time efficient but I see it is very expensive. would you recommend I go for it and buy it so I can get better at my biking and save time or would you recommend something else?
Personally I think training inside is harder and more consistent. Especially if you keep up the Power and Cadence. Outdoors you get the benefit of tailwinds, downhills, etc.
Anybody else tried both options from wahoo? Which did you prefer?
Swapped my KickrV5 against a KickR Bike last month.... Love the Bike so much more. Much smoother and now my bike is ready to go on the short autumn and winter days so there is now excuse at lunchtime to take the bike and go outside (dismounting it needs motivation). What I don't like on the bike are low Cadence units with higher Watts.. Then the Bike gehts Cogging. (hopefully I wrote it right) Greetings from Germany
Had the 2018 kickr. Swapped it for Wattbike atom (not a straight swap obvs) so missus could use it as she doesn’t own a bike. Honest opinion I wish I’d kept the kickr 🤬
have tacx neo and kickr bike, difficult to notice a difference in ride feel. One thing you didn't mention/consider - I killed a bottom bracket sweating over my bike on the tacx, big advantage of smart bike is its adaptability, can use for other household members or to micro-adjust to a more aggressive riding position
@@timcoker3785 atom no good ?
@@brody5211 it’s very good but honestly preferred the kickr and my own bike. Find myself spinning out more and getting on the erg spiral of death more frequently on the atom than I did before. Also not overly keen on the tri bars as can’t ride in that position anyway but they were handy for putting the iPad on. Never had the pads on and have now removed them altogether as i like to sit a bit more upright with hands either side of the stem but the attachment of the tri bars made it difficult.
You’re getting more mileage out of that falling-off-the-bike-clip than out of your TT bike 😂
Another month or so and it is 12 months old -I will then officially retire it 😂
@@MarkLewisfitness the clip or the bike? 😏😂
@@MarkLewisfitness Been looking for the video that clip came from with no luck, which one was it?
@@Callum679 Alpe in 60 I think - if you search videos by date it was xmas 2020
@@MarkLewisfitness Found it, thanks!
The user customisable gear ratios on the Kickr Bike is such a nice feature - getting an 11-28 for a criterium, them selecting an 11-36 for the Alpe Du Zwift is such a nice touch 😍 .
I started off on a Kickr snap, then upgraded to the Kickr which was brilliant, then the Kickr Climb came out, which I had to have being a total nutter who loves to climb Alpe du Zwift all the time.
After 100 climbs up the Alpe the Kickr climb died on me. Wahoo replaced it with a new climb, so back to the Alpe I go and this time the second climb managed just over 100 Alps before that died and it's grave is somewhere just past turn 11. Wahoo replaced it again with a third new climb. Didn't what to risk killing another climb so sold it and took the plunge and bought the Kickr Bike. Best decision I ever made absolutely awesome, only issue so far one of the Shifters failed which Wahoo sorted. Now with nearly 400 Alpe climbs done no issues whatsoever, going to be interesting Mark to see how you get on with the Climb , if a 54kg Old Goat can kill a Kickr Climb twice !
Could that be GCN's Simon Richardson behind you at 12:15 through 13:30? 😂
Big fan of training on my bike for a couple reasons 1. I had a bike 2. keeps me use to being positioned on my bike during the off season (stupid snow) 3. $$. This is a smart move in your training for the ironman as it will allow you to practice grabbing your bottles or making sure your bike set up is dialed in for the longer rides. Couple of suggestions. Go ahead and train at 100% realism in Zwift, its not like you have a 50% option when you race. Since you are probably using the cassette that came with the kickr (11sp 11-28), you may want to pick up a climbing cassette (11spd 11-32). I use this in my training because i am constantly working on being a better climber. 1. the 32 cog will allow you to do the harder climbs at 100% realism no problem as you have more that enough strength, 2. You still have plenty of gears for the flats. One of my favorite training routes with hills and flats is Surrey Hills, good long climbs that you could big ring or small ring (the two gears up that your pedals attach too) and they arent super steep for long durations like AdZ or VenTop. Its a really solid 40k training route. Good stuff
EDIT
I just looked up your P3X and it comes with and 52/36 up front and a 11 spd 11-30 cassette. So instead of an 11-32 cassette, go with an 11-34 (11-13-15-17-19-21-23-25-27-30-34) mainly because it gives you the 30 tooth cog which is the max on your bikes setup and a 34 tooth cog for climbing on zwift. Also i am not sure what your chain ring is set up for on the kicker bike but if its not 52/36 that would also explain why AdZ was harder on your P3X at 100% realism (ruclips.net/video/bFnsx_kB2GY/видео.html)
Don’t sweat the lack of outdoor riding when preparing for triathlons. I trained exclusively indoors for a half Ironman when I was at school and didn’t have access to safe roads. Set a PR on the bike. Zwift doesn’t train tactics for draft legal racing, but it’s great for TT style racing.
I recently started watching your channel. Love it because I've got a year+ worth of your content to catch up on. Is it weird that I sometimes fall asleep on the sofa listening to you chatting away? I too got hooked on zwift over lockdown, can't afford your setup - especially not the bike and trainer, although I recently got an Elite direct drive turbo and it's awesome. You should make a video of you climbing Alp d'Huez next year... It's great. Would love to see you on Ven-top too. I've missed la marmotte due to Covid for 2 years now - 175km bike ride with 5000m climbing (ending up Alp d'Huez) I'm going to be very well prepared for it when it finally comes next year. Thanks for your inspirational "everyman" content with top humour. I'm also trying the 16:8 now, I feel good on it so far. See you in Watopia.
Oh man the dentist burn and the yahoos commenting negative stuff remark lol. You always have me rolling.
Always preferred the kickr trainer due to being able to use my road set up, I would definitely recommend a sweat guard if your going to be putting more hours on trainer
For storage, just lift the bike while still connected to the kickr, and if kickr is against the wall, the bike will follow. Basically lift the front wheel until bike is 90 degrees and the bike will stay on its “rear wheel” on its own without having to disconnect and store separately. I also do this for cleaning after long rides and lots of sweats. FYI… I also have the p3x and the kickr.
Ohhhhh. Have to try that!
When you really start in Hamburg I will be standing there with an Above Average Sign and I want an Autogramm :D ..... Lucky for me I'm living in Hamburg ;)
You're the perfect Wahoo ambassador!! Like a kid in the candy store. I hope they pay you! 🤑 Sorry about the PB, you'll get it next time. I've also had som BT trouble with my Kickr. Looking forward to see you testing the Kickr Climb!!
More Nixon please. xx Thank you
Great comparison. (Kickr trainer user) Biggest benefit of the Kickr Bike IMO is that you can shift in the middle of a hard sprint without fear of damaging anything or the chain coming off.
Yep. That made me real lazy 🤣 was a bit of a shock that you can’t do that in real life !!!
I'm considering purchasing this set up so very well timed, I've dropped it into conversation with the other half casually so it won't come as a shock to her later :-)
Hi Mark, Thank you for wonderful videos.I've bought wahoo kickr bike v2 and it's a lovely kit. The saddle adjustment doesn't seem to be very stable. The saddle bar is dropping even though If I tighten it sometimes. It's not pretty stable. Could you please advise what you've changed. I watched one of your videos and you seem like you chnaged it. The reason is my whole family is using the bike and everytime we change the saddke height, we're spending more time to fix it properly
Mark, thanks for the great comparison! I get a kick out of you (no pun intended)...you're funny which makes your videos fun to watch! Ha, ha! I just watched you placing the Wahoo hat on the dog and laughed my butt off!
The wittyness of this channel is the best
Just hit 10,000km on my Wahoo Kickr Trainer today and still good as new, i use it with an iPad during week days and take off the bike on weekends no drop outs with bluetooth so far and is always ready to ride, im almost always doing specific training and i have to say that it help me a lot with outside races and group rides i dont know what i would without it.
I have the stages SB20 for Zwift, I also have a kickr. Not having to worry about drivetrain is also a massive plus.
Doing the Alpe on a TT bike with a Kickr Climb will be fun to watch.
Good to see someone of a similar vintage training like you do. I often think I should be taking it a little easier, when in fact I seem to be training harder than ever!
The dog shots are so adorabel. My Jack Russell would hate that. xD
@4:13 'Meals on Wheels' ;)
Great stuff Mark, Dog and Wahoo!!
Loving the editing and the commentary in between!
Funnily, indoor cycling enhanced me outdoors, you tend to put more max efforts in on the trainers because well, your primary focus is fitness and effort, that leaves me fit enough to go outdoors, sustain a decent ave pace but at the same time enjoy the outdoor surroundings without gassing out.
Interesting video on exactly this coming before the weekend!!!!
I tried the Wahoo kickr trainer last winter and picked up the Wahoo kickr Bike this year. As you say both are great and it will depend on your situation which will be best. For me the bike wins hand down but that's largely because both the missus and I use it and because we live in an apartment switching not only means switching bikes every time but also dragging them up from the basement room to the spare room.
That said, overall the kickr bike feels a bit more solid to me, requires less maintenance and the tilt feels more realistic than using the trainer + climb (I suspect this is due to where the bikes pivot).
Very helpful video! I’ve just flogged my Peleton (Boooo), to buy a smart trainer and get into Zwift. Thanks mate, keep the banter flowing 👍🏼👍🏼
I own a Kickr Core and adding to the Bluetooth connection issue you described I once also had a kind of overheating issue on the Kickr Core.
I was going up Alpe du Zwift and somewhere in the middle of the climb the trainer wasn't adjusting / registring the power properly. It always maxed out at around 280-300W no matter how hard I pedaled.
After it cooled off a little bit with the use of my fan it worked well again.
You‘re like a mentor to me man!
Great video again! One thing I’m 99% sure you don’t need the riser block on the Kickr setup, the adjustment you make with the rear levels the bike out. I certainly don’t have one on my setup, I think they are only required for wahoo trainers when you leave the rear wheel on..
sorry to say that but there is a difference between indoor and outdoor riding - I usually do 2k km outdoors on my road bike during the warm dry months and about 4k km on my kickr bike when the weather is bad. On my last outdoor ride for the season about 4 weeks ago I missed a pothole on one of those horrible English roads and came down pretty hard. Laying in agony on the side of the road, 999 told me it would take about 6 hours for the ambulance to show up. A couple of days later the brilliant nhs doctors caused me some nerve damage during my surgery that makes my leg only partially usable. I could write a book about what I went through in the hospital. I can only hope to be pain free and able to walk and cycle again one day.
Why am I telling you my story? - just watch out when you go back to outdoor riding, especially on those horrible English roads!
I love this guy 🚴♂️
We love our KIckr and headwind. My wife has really started cutting her triathlon times training in Zwift vs on her Peloton bike. The peloton got her started, but riding your actual bike really is quite different.
„Sega-Rally“ ask your parents……lovin‘ it…
After watching this I decided on the kicker snap as an entry in to zwift riding ! Keep making the videos amusing and informative good work 👍
Don't forget to put the spacer in your brakes Mark!
Well spotted! I only noticed that today when I was doing the thumbnail pictures 😂
Great video and as always I enjoyed the natural self-effacing humour that you being to all your content 😁 One tip - as well as simply riding the TT bike to get used to the position, you’ll almost certainly want to introduce some stretching or yoga/Pilates if you aren’t already doing it. I know your exercise week is already ridiculously crammed with gym/weights, running and biking (I don’t know how you find the time!) but stretching out the back and flutes in particular will really help you dial in position on the TT bike without massive discomfort!
I noticed you mentioned that your dad is 84...congrats! If my math doesn't fail me he's 86 now.
Which also means you were born when he was in his mid 30s.
Do you plan on one-upping your dad by having another son (or daughter) in your late 40s with all these exercise and youtuber stuffs going on in your life right now?
Maybe you can do a baby ride along on Alp de Zwift one day.
Love your content. Please keep doing all these that you're currently doing.
Dentist .. OMG i laughed good on that one ... and speaking to kickr bike or wheel off trainer ... I have killed my front derailleur with my sweat droppings and I wouldn't want to run my pricey bike bits on my Tacx ... for me after zwifting for three years once my work health benefit flips over I am buying a KickR bike so then I don't have to mess with my street setup ... sure it is an investment but wither that is a problem for you financially is a case by case thing.... for me I see it as an investment in myself and since I enjoy zwift so much the expense is worth it to me not to mention not needing to worry about the bits getting destroyed with my sweat ....
I am a big guy myself again ... before covid I was nipping at 180 lbs now I back at 230lbs because I just have not managed to keep up my enthusiasm and habits with lockdowns and ate and drank crap I shouldn't have which just added the weight back ... two years of effort I was a middle C racer now I back at the D bottom ... but yeah I only have myself truly to blame
You are going to thank yourself for every minute you spend getting comfortable with and optimizing your position on the bike. I think using the trainer over the winter to do this is a great idea.
I hope so....I feel like I have enough fitness (although more will be good!) but it will be useless if I can't transfer it to the bike because of being uncomfortable.
@@MarkLewisfitness Really looking forward to your tri prep!! Great stuff you do!
You should do a video comparing Alpe du Zwift against Alpe d'Huez. You could get a little series out of it. Planning the trip, trip vlogs, garage analysis video, etc.
Like you say in the video, the wahoo desk is very small. I bought one and ended up returning it because it was just too limited in space by the time you set up your screen, drinks, energy snacks, remote controls etc there just wasn’t enough room. It’s a shame because it’s very solidly built, just too small. I ended up buying a much larger height adjustable table off eBay for half the price and I’m much happier with it
Since I didn't have a road bike and the wife also wanted to use the trainer, I bought the (Tacx) smart bike. In my opinion another benefit of having a full smart bike is no wear on chain, cassette and crank.
One recommendation for wahoo bike that get clip on aero bars mounted on wahoo bike and have same fit as your tt bike. This would help you to get used to the same aero position and work out the same muscle twitches as you are on the bike
My setup is still on a dumb trainer, as I can't bring myself to spend 3x the cost of my current road bike on a smart trainer. What I have done is bought a cheap rear rim to have a "Zwift" rim/tire setup for my wheel on trainer that I just swap out with my current road wheel. Works out pretty good, but to the point that you make in the video, I have noticed that unless the bike is already set up, it is easy to make excuses to not workout inside on rainy days - despite the set up being 5 minutes.
Loving the videos Mark! Interesting that you had issues with Bluetooth, I only get issues with Ant+ and Bluetooth seems to work perfect for me...
Anyways, was thinking when you next go for your Alpe PB, you should organize a Zwift group ride, see if we can get a few hundred of us all riding up together! I'd love to have another shot at my PB and that would definitely make it more fun...
I’m rubbish at group stuff as I’m so last minute with this stuff 😂
@@MarkLewisfitness 🤣
Make it happen Mark and ill subscribe 🤣
Same here Jon, loads of issues with ant+, blutooth has been flawless
i wish i had a trainer to do more consistent training :) getting used to the aero position is going to be the item that helps the most.. Miles is miles inside or out.. you cant cheat the power your pulling out.. i would highly recommend doing a reccy out to your ironman destination 1-2 months before hand to do a practice ride ..
Great video!! :)
I would .... but its in Germany and I'm in the Uk 😂
@@MarkLewisfitness Hamburg is worth a visit even without an Ironman …😜
@@christiangrosspietsch6278 I hope so, planning to spend a few days there after the race.
Thanks for sharing your splits buddy! Excited to see you prepare for your IM.
0:35 so cute!
Dude you are so funny. Subscribed. Thanks for good content and laughs.
Just got my Kicker yesterday to replace my dumb trainer, looking forward to more realism on this hills. Thought about the bike, but I am getting a new gravel bike to put on it right now and I heard a rumor a new, possibly cheaper version of the Kicker bike may come out next year - I am VERY interested, so will wait for now!
Hi Mark, the Planet X desk is worth a look, quarter the cost of the wahoo and has bottle holders, suspect not built quite as well though. Maybe compare the two ?
ANT+ for the win!
Man Mike, I’m wondering how long it would be before Wahoo asks you to check out their new Wahoo SYSTM. That would be an interesting video to watch. Love your videos.
with reference to your indoor training and zwift - have you tried Rouvy? not as well known as zwift, but hundreds of more realistic routes. Try climbing the Angliru and Zwift climb you showed here will seem so much easier.
Good video, good content. Think i will subscribe.
Would be great to see you try Xc mtb racing and document your training and any tactics or weak points you had. There is little high quality Xc content on RUclips and would be great to see what you could do.
Really appreciate your videos! I need a minor dog. I started playing on a MacBook Pro and had connectivity and replay issues. AppleTV soooo much better. Zero problems.
More Nixon!
How do you turn around in game? This has baffled me😂
Sorry, I'm NEW NEW to Zwift.
Very impressed with the Kickr trainer nice and quiet and so easy to setup. Kudos on the Alp time as well 👍
I use your videos to guilt trip my dad into exercising with me, cheers and thank you. Great video as per!
Bought a kickr thanks to u Mark 👍👊
More Nixon! And Nixon merch?
13:08 - is that Simon Richardson from GCN behind you? Lol.
If you had the choice to only get one piece of equipment which is the kicker bike vs kicker with all the accessories and money is not an issue. What would you choose?
The bike! So simple to use and operate.
@@MarkLewisfitness I just placed an order! So excited!
you're on a roll with the great content. Thanks to you, my legs hurt and I'm £500 out of pocket because i bought a bloody fenix
Nothing takes the pain away greater than a nice new watch 😂
Ditto on the watch!!
I think we need to unsubscribe. I’ve spent over £500 on products he recommends 😂
Used both the Kickr bike is far more easy. No chain and cassette issues.
Plus a Kickr bike can be any time of bike you want it to be. Change gearing during a ride even. Use Shimano Campagnolo or SRAM shifting.
Maybe but for the £3000 difference between the 2 you could easily pay someone else to worry about the chain. For the vast majority of functioning human beings the bicycle chain is perhaps the closet we can get to perfection in engineering - simple, unbelievably efficient - if you can't cope with that then putting on trousers is probably a struggle too and it's something all cyclists should really get the tools and learn how to do because it's a fundamental part of pretty much every bicycle and key to its function.
Indoors a chain and cassette are going easily do 15000-20000km if you look after it. If you're getting the kickr bike for free, or have people watching youtube paying for your hobby it's probably ok, but it's not really worth the money, it's not well engineered and will eventually fall to bits - at which point they send you another one because you've already given them 3x what it's worth. I think there are more robust options that are actually cheaper (in terms of smart bikes) but, for most cyclists not sharing a trainer you may as well just get a kickr core.
I think there are better smart bikes, they are more robust and that have higher quality adjustments, you'd save £1500 (at least) and the only thing you lose are gimmicks that aren't that important and break anyway - in fact one of them is made by wahoo but it's still pricey.
Any update on the difference in feel between the two setups? People generally comment the direct drive trainers are much harsher over long periods. My trainer is rather stiff in comparison.
Another great video Mark, I have the kickr v5 love it. Thinking about getting a kickrbike in the future so my misses and boys can use it aswell hope when I do I don’t miss the kickr?!?
Cornering and edging are 2 very hard skills to master, same with your position in a field. Just saying because you made it sound like it was a piece of cake.
Loved the reference to Sega Rally. Same age as you Mark. I also got a steering wheel as soon as I got my own place and yes it made it all much more realistic. Great anecdote that took me back. Really enjoying your videos after recently discovering your channel. Keep up the good work!
Nice when references get picked up - I'm sure 90% go over most people's heads 🤣
I’ve got the Kickr trainer with a mountain bike on it and it’s been great. Sliding drop outs makes it more fiddly to get on and off. Pros of the Kickr bike... others can easily change the set up to fit them, so no dramas, whereas death will result in changes to my mountain bike set up!!
Love your videos, Mark. You might have touched on it before, but what kind of rockerplate are you using?
Just got the desk, I love it!! 😻
I won’t show you my set up, yet. Got to paint, got to paint, got to paint
I got the Kickr Bike after watching you going hard on it 🤔. At first it wasn‘t an easy choice for me witch one to choose. But I got the space and want my outdoor bike always to be ready, so I decided to go all in and buy the Bike. Love your content, keep up the good work!
I had a kickr trainer but changed to the kickr bike for ease of switching sizes between me and the missus. Wouldn't go back, the kickr bike is the complete package, but can see why the trainers are good for those tight for space/budget.
I have a kickr V5 and I'm willing to change to a bike trainer shift so that I can use my bike outdoors during the summer. I live in a flat, so it's not possible to take the bike out of the trainer every time I want to go outside. After trying both, do you recommend the bike trainer?
Yes I can certainly tell you that riding in an aero position requires practice as your body isn't use to putting out the watt's in that position. Just 🤔 💭 with the desk there, does it block the fan from hitting your face or upper body? That was always my thinking. After all, if I have anything on my aero bars it effects the airflow to my face. Even my hand in that position impacts it. I do find the Kicr climb is great too ease yourself into getting use to the aero position as you can manually adjust the front end up or down. This function was great helping me back into riding while my fractured collar bone repaired.
Fan is good. Although I also have a small wall can up high as well.
Mark overall, do you think you're working harder on the Kickr Bike than on the trainer? I felt like it was when I made the switch and FTP seemed to plummet. Absolutely brilliant channel. Cheers.
I would definitely use their qr mate. It’ll be heavier and stiffer than your (most likely titanium qr)
Usually not much technical handling skills required for a TT course, just holding an uncomfortable position and riding as smoothly as possible. If you find you're having to bunny hop obstacles you may have accidentally ridden onto the cyclocross course.
Thats great news that the direct link will be working with zwift soon. Might order the dongle thing soon if that's the case. That is as long as the Ant+ still operates for my gamin watch to link to once its plugged in.
Are you pulling away from GCN Simon Richardson at beginning of Alpe? I find that funny.
Thank you for sharing your experience with wahoo kickr. Wahoo recommend a maximum user height of 6 ft 4 (192 cm) for kickr bike. Do you think people taller this can ride it without any problem in terms of finding the suitable Geometry etc
own both options from wahoo, (paid for with my money) kickr lets me sit on my bike set up just how i like it, kickr bike is good but takes a lot of time to set up just so, and the quick release style bolts dont stay in place, but it means my out door bike is ready to go at all times also feel like i get more power from the kickr than the kickr bike, but the kickr bike is growing on me and if i try the new systm from wahoo then the kickr bike is defo better option.
Mark lewis have you got the everest challage selected . Hope your working towards your tron bike ?
Mate, love your work. I’ve also got a Kickr bike. Had it since early August and fingers crossed my replacement bottom bracket gets here today. Can I ask, what maintenance have you been doing to keep your Kickr bike in good order?
Very little. Just a good wipe down once a week and wd40 on any moving bits. And I use a sweat guard
love your reviews! thanks a lot!
Found this really helpful, have signed up for a half ironman next year but in truth I don't feel super confident in training my cycling on the roads, I know I need to have some technical sessions but looking for the ideal indoor set up to get the most of my work in. Have been considering the Wahoo Kickr bike, I already use a Concept2 Bikeerg to mess about on Zwift but its not quite close enough to the real thing. Anyway, longwinded thanks, love the videos!
I really dislike riding on the roads, especially in the winter.
@@MarkLewisfitness Would welcome any advice here, thinking about keeping things indoors to build up the legs and then signing up for a few organised long gravel rides just to get some time outdoor messing about
Really liking your content and your efforts.
I hope you can compare these to the new (2024) Zwift Ride bike.
Only if they give me one 😂
😂😂 great start to the video. People commenting can just 🖕🖕🖕 I look forward to your uploads. Keep em coming 👏👏👍👍
What do you need to connect to your TV?
Cheers
Mark
Another brilliant video as always. Ive got the Kickr but always eyeing up the bike! One thing you might want to consider, the Kickr trainer doesn't move much so when you pedal hard you put a lot of force through the chain stays. I know some bike manufacturers have warned against using their bikes on an indoor trainer. I don't know anyone who has had an issue and I know you said you will keep the crazy stuff for the Kickr bike but that Cervelo doesn't have seat stays and I wonder if that has an effect. Highly recommend a sweat net - I have heard of peoples handlebars clean come off when they are out on the road because the stem bolt has rusted!
Good points. Sweat guard on the way.
hello brother I have a question, I am a medical student and a beginner in cycling and I have only tried competing in a triathlon once and I loved it and I want to do many more but the biking was my weakest part. I want to buy the wahoo kicker bike so that I can practice my biking a lot while staying time efficient but I see it is very expensive. would you recommend I go for it and buy it so I can get better at my biking and save time or would you recommend something else?
It is a very expensive option-it is probably cheaper to get a regular trainer and attach your triathlon bike to that.
More dog in goggles 👊🏻👊🏻👍🏻👍🏻😂😂
I wonder if your dropout is the firmware. Look on the zwift forums on how to roll it back.
Zwift riding and racing will absolutely make you a strong rider irl. I’m almost 55 now and am racing stronger than I did when I was in my 20’s
Personally I think training inside is harder and more consistent. Especially if you keep up the Power and Cadence. Outdoors you get the benefit of tailwinds, downhills, etc.