I’ve been using the newer Kickr that doesn’t allow spindown in ERG mode for a year.
In Nov I did a 20 minute DTO test and I think it was 230ish. I did another one two weeks ago and I could barely hold 216 watts.
I train regularly and all that, but I have noticed over the past few weeks that the pedals just feel heavy. Like, I have problems at 205 watts, where I didn’t for several months.
Yesterday, I did Tunnaboro -5 and also used a single side Garmin Rally PM. Each 200-209 watt segment, my Rally read 235 watts. I then extended the cool down 15 minutes at 145 watts. The Rally read the power at 167 watts.
Do you think my Kickr is actually producing more watts than what it says? I only ask because it feels harder now.
When I bought my Kickr ( 2017 model, new in 2018), I was very pleased that my FTP was over 300 watts. Turns out that for most accurate power readings from the Kickr, its best to use the Wahoo app and do a “factory spin down”, now it tracks very closely with my Assioma pedals. I wonder if I will ever have an FTP of 200 watts, it was a rude awakening.
I’ve learned the hard way that if you have more than 1 power meter you will have this problem. I have a stages gen1, gen2 and a Vector that read similar. Powertap P1 reads a bit lower and my Tacx Neo 2t reads lower than all of them. Every now and then, when I do a ramp test, I connect the Neo to my iPad and the Vector to my Garmin and later compare the results using DC Rainmaker’s tool. On lower power readings (250W and less) the difference is around 10%. Above this value the delta starts to get lower but by then I end the test (260ish FTP). All this to say that “a person with two watches can’t tell the right time”. Just pick one metering device and use that one, be mindful of the differences when changing.
I’m not a specialist on industrial metering but some designs use 2 out of 3 voting (more applicable to shutting something down), very specific calibration processes and averaging between instruments. All this shows you can expect some deviations, just learn how to deal with them.
