Wahoo’s Kickr Climb Elevates Indoor Training
It’s hard to make an indoor ride feel like a real-world, outdoor ride. Trainers have improved massively over recent years and virtual riding in apps like Zwift has also helped, but one piece that’s always missing is simulated climbing. In the past I’ve used text books and cinder blocks to simulate climbing, but Wahoo is introducing a better option.
With the introduction of the Kickr Climb, Wahoo takes the indoor riding experience one step closer to an outdoor ride by providing real-time grade changes via a vertical unit that affixes to your fork and raises and lowers the front end of the bike.
The mount rises and falls depending on the grade of the virtual climb being communicated to the unit from programs like Zwift, though you can also control the elevation manually using the included remote control. The remote can be mounted to your handlebars for easy access.
The Kickr Climb’s grade range runs from +20 percent to -10 percent, which means you can virtually descend as well.
It is important to note that the Kickr Climb will not work with current Kickr trainers, or any trainer that doesn’t feature movable axle adapters. Because the Kickr Climb moves the front end of the bike up and down so significantly that it becomes necessary to allow free movement of the bike’s rear end as well. So in order to take advantage of the Kickr Climb, you’ll also need to upgrade to a new Kickr.
The complete training package won’t come cheap. The Kickr Climb unit alone will hit the market for $600, while the new Kickr will cost right around $1,000.
