This is the looong story why I don't like corporations and especially why I do not like how Wahoo is behaving in last few years.
(Actual photo of my setup and yes, yes, I use some old books as front wheel stand 🤣)
Wahoo is a company based in Atlanta and in a short time has risen to become one of the world's largest and most famous manufacturers of equipment for cyclists. Their indoor training Kickr products are globally recognized as perhaps the best smart trainers for cyclists in the world.
I don't hide that it is also my opinion. They are great! A few years ago I bought a superb, hardly used Kick for a modest price of 800 euros. I bought used device for two reasons. The first is that a new trainer costs 1300 euros, which was not the most important thing at that time. Reason number two is important - Wahoo products are absolutely impossible to officially buy in Serbia. It almost seems that Serbia is under some kind of economic sanctions by Wahoo.
(Photo src: https://eu.wahoofitness.com/devices/indoor-cycling/bike-trainers/kickr-buy)
Strike One
Buying the smart trainer is only half the story. In order for a smart indoor trainer to make sense, an application that you will use to monitor your performance and manage the trainer is also necessary. The usual choice and almost standard for these applications is Zwift. However, I wouldn't be me if I didn't have specific needs. I wanted an application that is not so much a cartoon-ish as Zwift and that allows me to watch a movie or TV series on the same monitor while driving while providing me some riding stats in overlay.
After trying all the applications on the market, without any hesitation I chose the unusual, witty and extremely interesting Sufferfest. Conceived as a combination of cycling, strength training, yoga and mental exercises, Sufferfest bought me in seconds. I used it the first winter and improved my FTP by an astounding 20%. However, the following winter, Wahoo decided to take Sufferfest under his wing.
(photo src: https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/t/announcing-the-new-sufferlandrian-flag-coat-of-arms/7002?page=6)
Some might say that's not so bad. But Wahoo's didn't liked the twisted Sufferfest humor with the imaginary land of Sufferlandia where laser goats incinerate all those who slack off on their strength training...yes, yes Sufferfest was that wacky, which I considered a huge plus for it. As a result of this takeover, for the next couple of years I used Training Day, the ERG training library, instead of Sufferfest. This was the strike number one for Wahoo.
Strike Two
And then I experienced failure of my Kickr device. Without going too much into the mechanics of the device itself, let's say that it shows significant signs of tinkering with the design and coming up with 'solutions' along the way. Disclaimer: my father had a very good and widely known locksmith and tinsmith shop all his life. I grow up in that shop. I can't say that I understand or know to work with the metal, but I can recognize when something was made with half of a brain.
For example, the Kickr has a plastic shield around the mechanical part. This plastic shell is attached to the metal structure with four screws. All four screws are of different thickness, thread type and use different screw heads. Ridiculous. This is a typical sign of fixing a bad design on the fly without actually fixing it. But more important is that one of the really big and serious problems that Kickr can develop is, in accordance with its name, a sound that resembles loud clicking while using it.
(A rather muddy photo taken one evening when no one believed me to go for a bike ride even though it was dark outside, -15 degrees Celsius with a very strong wind. Also you can see that I have more than one bike ... surprise, surprise 😊)
The problem is in the shaft on which the flywheel is mounted. Again without going too much into the mechanics, slippage of the flywheel around the shaft is prevented by a metal pin that is cut into both parts of the mechanical system. Wahoo made the rookie mistake of installing a smaller pin than necessary. This led to the appearance of a loud clicking sound that is anything but pleasant while driving your 1300 eur trainer.
(screenshot from my 'Wahoo look at this noise' video 🙃)
After a few minutes on Reddit - I knew what is the cause of the problem and how to fix it: a new pin a couple of microns larger than the existing one. I found out that Wahoo can supplies this new pin with a couple of replacing screws for tightening the shaft. Screws, to be honest, was not necessary, but it was probably a stupid way to justify price of 100 dollars for a single 2x2x5mm metal pin. You see, Wahoo has never admitted that the early series of Kickr trainers have a mechanical fault that can lead to problems in operation. Instead, they shipped a new axle pin for a $100 ... plus postage. American dream my friend.
Around the time my Kickr device developed this problem, Wahoo's lawyers were met with a couple of well-formulated questions from a few users. For example, how come I pay for the repair if everything is fine with the design of the device. And of course, get-rich-at-all-costs corporation aka Wahoo stopped supplying the replacement axle pin.
The only logical solution would be to replace the devices in question or provide free of charge repair. Well, not really. Their offer was to upgrade (they never say repair) devices that are out of warranty. You guessed it, my Kickr was out of warranty, so they offered me to upgrade the device for 400 euros. That upgrade sounded suspiciously like a repair. If this isn't crazy enough, wait until you hear the rest of the deal.
Since Wahoo has no representation, no office, and probably no idea where Serbia is, the matter went to complete hell.
For those who don't know, Serbia is not in Siberia, it does not border Russia, it is not even close to China. We are here in the middle of Europe, only the government and the President have been complete idiots and fools for many years, otherwise we are here. I provide map for the reference. If you are easily offended, do not look at it 🤣
(photo source: http://www.atlasofprejudice.com)
Back to the story, Wahoo offered me to take the device 800 kilometers away to Slovenia at my own expense. The Wahoo Kickr weighs 42 kilograms by the way. There I will submit the device for repair, which would last no longer than 3 months (so exactly 3 months) and which I would pay in advance for the mentioned 400 euros. If I want to train for those three months, I could take over a replacement device with a small deposit of 800 euros. When Wahoo informs me that they repaired, ups sorry - upgraded my device, I would have to bring the replacement device back to Slovenia within a week and collect my upgraded (aka repaired) device. If there are signs of use on the replacement device, they would evaluate that and reduce the refund of the deposited 800 euros by some amount. Let me mention that everything is happening during the biggest Corona outrage and complete madness everywhere in the world when it is absolutely impossible to travel. I don't think the Wahoo representative was expecting me to ask him 'are you fucking retarded?' Anyway - Strike number two.
(Summer setup, my kickr next to some spare parts and tools, bucket and vacuum cleaner ... obviously a storage room)
I owe you instructions on how to fix the clicking sound problem on Wahoo Kickr devices for less than $10. Let me know if you are interested in me publishing a text about it.
And... Strike Three
As I mentioned, after Sufferfest was taken over by Wahoo, I started using Trainer Day for structured training. According to those plans, once a week I was supposed to drive a free ride outdoors or indoors, without a precisely defined ERG profile. The equivalent of this is a free roam Zwift ride.
(Photo src: https://eu.wahoofitness.com/)
After a while, I found the excellent RGT Ride application, which offers driving on tracks that are an exact copy of world-famous roads. With RGT you could ride Stelvio in Italy, Paterberg in Belgium, Cap de Formentor on Mallorca, rolling Tuscan countryside around Pienza in Italy and much more.
(Actual screenshot from the app RGT Ride)
A total of twelve real tracks was offered at any time, and if that wasn't enough, you could load any GPX file and ride it on simulator. Practically unlimited possibilities. The graphics were ok, the physics were great and the entertainment factor was quite high. Races and training sessions were organized, and the forum was one of the best. In addition, apart from the paid version, you could ride at least two of the offered roads for free. Perfect for my needs.
(Actual screenshot from app. I'm finally riding Cap de Formentor on Mallorca... ok virtually but LOOK PEOPLE I'M DRIVING Cap de Formentor on Mallorca)
Well... Wahoo took over RGT Ride two years ago.
Today I received an email that from the end of October, RGT Ride will be canceled and will no longer be offered. Strike three Wahoo, definitely strike three.
(Should I say - mail they just sent me)
Let me end this long text with a completely honest statement (and excuse my French):
Bizarre! I didn't hear that bad things about wahoo before.
What you are sharing does concern me. When you buy such a device you are completely in the hands of the company that made it.
That is why I tend to read and watch a lot of reviews before buying ezpensive equipment.
But Wagoo should do more to support the people that biy their products.
Good luck with your kickr 😬
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To be completely honest, the Wahoo Kickr is a great piece of equipment. I am very satisfied with the training on it and for me it is slightly better than the Tacx trainer and much better than the Elite trainer. The problem I experienced only appeared with series 18 and that for a while until they discovered it and fixed it. However, the fact remains that their support handled the situation very poorly. As far as I'm concerned, they definitely played it safe so they don't end up getting a lot of claims. The fact that the defect is minor and can be easily removed with basic knowledge of applied mechanics does not help them at all.