icklefatone

Hey all, I purchased a second hand KickR v5 last week and with this being my first direct drive trainer I am unsure if what I am feeling when riding it is right or wrong. When the unit is unplugged the flywheel is free and I could happily spin for hours on it but the second I plug it in I feel instant resistance, nothing too high but enough to feel my thighs burning in minutes.

I have no apps connected, all Bluetooth connections to my PC/Phone are off, I have tried the factory spin down using the app but still I feel the resistance there the second it is powered up.

So is this normal? Surly at 0% I shouldn’t have any resistance right?

The problems start getting worse when I take the trainer into zwift. One connection via Bluetooth, no other apps on and my wattage fluctuates all over the place and it feels like I am dragging a dead animal behind me even on 0% incline and the trainer power at zero through Zwift options.

I used a basic trainer before this one nothing special so not sure if this is just how it should be or not.

thanks in advance
DB

spelger

i have an older version and when not turned on the resistance is easy. when plugged in but not running any SW the unit will default to resistance level 2 if i recall so this is normal behavior.

i would not recommend using it when not on because the kicker is being turned into a generator and i have no idea how the kicker handles that energy.

-scott

icklefatone

Hey Scott, thanks for the reply. I was hoping this was the case, good to know. I think I had it easy with my old trainer as I could cycle for a good hour at 200 watts but struggle keep 150 for 20 minutes with the new trainer 😄 I need to man up!!

unterhausen

Interesting subject. I wondered why it was so hard to adjust the derailleurs. I figured if I used the wahoo app I could fix it, but haven't done it yet.

spelger

Do you mean adjust while on the trainer? I put my wheel back on and then adjust. then back on the trainer. I have mine dialed in so there is no diff between the two. makes it easy to swap out when weather permits.

unterhausen

I'm not sure I can do that, but I haven't tried. Anyway, when I need to put a wheel on the trainer bike, I have to go scavenge a wheel.

surak

What gear are you in, at what cadence, when you're on a 0% grade in Zwift at a reported 200W? Is Zwift set for 1-sec or 3-sec power? Do you mean trainer difficulty is at 0% in Zwift (meaning everything is treated as a flat road)? Did you have a powermeter with your old dumb trainer, or were you basing power output off of Zwift estimation?

It's possible you were not putting out as much power as you thought with your dumb trainer setup. It's normal for 1-sec power to jump around with a smart trainer or powermeter, especially compared to an estimated power reading based off of wheel speed.

unterhausen

Does zwift have headwinds? I swear sometimes I'll be riding at 0% grade and I'll be slogging along at 14mph and it feels like going much faster is going to take 300 watts when I try. Just happened tonight.

surak

There's different road surfaces, the dirt roads add quite a bit of rolling resistance on regular road tires.

unterhausen

Thanks, I thought I noticed that on dirt. I think they consider the road I was on tonight to be paved though.

msu2001la

Zwift doesn't factor in wind, but it does factor in drafting from other riders. The biggest factor Zwift uses to determine speed is rider weight.
What you are describing, needing 300 watts to sustain a speed over 14mph on a flat road, does not sound right to me. I'm 165lbs and while I've never measured this specifically, I'm fairly confident I could hold 14mph on a flat road in Zwift with less than 150 watts.

While googling this topic, I found this article that may be of interest to you:

Zwift Insider rider weight speed

EFFECT OF RIDER WEIGHT ON FLAT ROADS

Flat tests were completed over two laps of the Tempus Fugit route.

TEST RESULTS

• 82kg (180lbs)@ 300 watts: 52 minutes, 17 seconds (39.7kph) (24.6mph)
• 75kg (165lbs)@ 300 watts: 51 minutes, 26 seconds (40.4kph) (25.1mph) – 51 seconds faster

unterhausen

Thanks, your unit conversions are backwards.

I didn't know weight slowed you down on flat roads, that's not very realistic. And they have bikes that are 7kg different, very interesting. I might do some more weight doping.

It's possible I was just tired.

on edit: I was out riding in that area of watopia tonight and my rear derailleur fell apart. And it got dark, so it was really hard to fix my bike by the side of the road. But anyway, when it got dark I realized I had been riding on a dirt road. It hadn't seemed like a dirt road when it was light out. Also, some of those wood bridges are really long.

ozbruce

my Kickr 4 is doing the same thing. it is really hard to turn over the pedal when it is powered up but it lets you do a calibration test like there is no problem. when it is hooked up to Fullgaz it is too hard to pedal , even on the flat,.