Power tracking issues, spinout on Wahoo Kickr Bike Shift + TR

Equipment
1

I started having spinout issues while using TR on my Wahoo Kickr Bike Shift. What happens is, when I’m in an non-cooldown interval (say with >150W target), and if I try to maintain a cadence of >80RPM I’m forced into a spinout to be able to track the target power.

Let’s use the example of 202W target interval, which is a level I am able to maintain for extended periods. As soon as the interval starts, I hit just above target, say 205-210 range and settle at 80-85RPM expecting the ERG mode control loop to hover things right around 202 as long as I maintain a stable cadence. What happens instead is, the trainer lowers resistance, and power reading starts slipping slightly below target, say 198 and then 195. If I maintain my cadence it settles quite a bit below target (say 5% lower). The only way to hit target power at this point is to increase cadence, which turns into a death spiral. In a 2 minute interval I’m forced to reach 100-110RPM if I really want to remain at or above target. It’s really affecting the quality of my workouts.

This effect isn’t as bad at lower RPMs, say 70-75 range (which isn’t optimal to be stuck at for training). Also this effect seems to have started relatively recently. I was able to track much better a few weeks ago. I did a FW update on the trainer very recently, but I’m not 100% sure whether this problem started with it or not.

setup:

  • latest TR app on iOS.
  • Kickr Bike Shift on v1.21.18 Firmware
  • TR app set to use Kikcr in ERG mode
  • ERG power smoothing enabled through Wahoo app

I will also try on the Wahoo app itself with a manually set target, but I wanted check if the community has any ideas.

2

Welcome to the TR community! Sorry to hear you’re having some trouble with your KICKR Bike.

Making sure your TR app is up-to-date is a good start here.

It would also be worth checking the firmware on your KICKR Bike just in case – though it should automatically update when it is connected to wifi while not being used during a workout, so it may already be fully updated.

If you have any devices other than the one you are using to run TR on nearby, it could be worth trying to disable Bluetooth on them or turning them off altogether (such as laptops, tablets, phones, etc.). Sometimes devices can compete for one signal against each other, causing issues like the ones you’re seeing here.

You should also try unplugging your KICKR Bike from its power source if it’s been a while. Sometimes trainers/indoor bikes can get “stuck” in a funky/bad state if they’ve been plugged in and on “standby” for a long time. Removing the power source and “hard restarting” your KICKR Bike might also help solve the cadence issues.

Finally, definitely check out how the KICKR Bike behaves on the Wahoo app (or other training/cycling apps you may have). If this only happens when using TR, it would be good for us to know so we can dig deeper and figure out what might be happening on our end. If it happens with every app you use, that could be a sign that something is up with the KICKR Bike itself.

Hope this helps as a few starting steps. Let me know how things go and if you end up needing any more assistance!

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