It's a sad fact that many cyclists in the Northern Hemisphere will soon be banished to indoor cycling for another winter. Wahoo Fitness is determined to make that sort of pedalling as much like "the real thing" as possible, however, with its new tilting, fully-customizable Kickr Bike stationary bicycle.
To start, the user swaps their existing bike's handlebars, saddle and pedals onto the Kickr Bike. Next, utilizing an app, they're advised on how to tweak the Kickr's six adjustment points, in order to match its geometry to that of their usual bike. Adjustable parameters include saddle height, handlebar reach and crank length.
The rider then utilizes the app to electronically match the Kickr's virtual gear ratios to that of their real bike, if that bike incorporates a compatible drivetrain from Shimano, SRAM or Campagnolo. Once the user starts pedalling, they use their existing handlebars' shifters to … well, to shift gears, with the Kickr Bike's flywheel responding by increasing or decreasing resistance in order to emulate the gear selected.
Additionally, if an interactive cycling system such as Zwift is being used – in which the rider views a computer-animated road on their computer or tablet – the Kickr will tilt up by as much as 20 degrees, or down by a maximum of -15 degrees, in order to match the ascents or descents in the onscreen ride. When going downhill, the flywheel maintains its spinning speed, just like a real bike would.
The Kickr Bike was unveiled today in Germany, at the Eurobike trade show. It's priced at US$3,500, and should ship to US buyers starting in October. A roll-out to Europe and other markets will follow early next year.
You can see a demo of the bike, in the following video.
Source: Wahoo Fitness