rsbob 

My KICKR is wearing out and am wondering if going to a far less expensive Core is much of a step down? Any BTDT or thoughts on the two? Am I giving away much?

spelger

what does "wearing out" mean exactly?

biggest diff between the two IIRC is max grade is 20% on the kicker while somethign less that that on the core. in Zwift there was only one route that had a 22% grade...yorkshire i think. unless that has changed. i'd want to be able to go up the radio tower hill at least. i think that maxed out at 17%.

then there is the power difference too, kicker i think maxes out a 2000 watts. core probably less. for me even if it were "only" 1000 watts i'd not miss anything, i've never see that before. 700 is my max according to zwitf.

rsbob 

It is making all sorts of horrible noises, like metal on metal with a kind of grinding feel through the pedals - then it will mysteriously disappear for 10 minutes to then reappear. If there are repair services, I would prefer to have it repaired. Any Indy’s out there or is it only return to manufacturer?

rsbob 

Think my max was 650 Watts, so no worries about getting remotely close to 1000. Have been up radio tower numerous times so there’s no magic there unless its bone breaking on the Core.

PeteHski

Those max power figures are achieved at a relatively high speed and cadence. 2000W might sound like overkill, but it translates to a much lower max power at low speed. That’s why the max slope grades can be somewhat limited on lower power trainers, even though the max Watttage still seems higher than necessary.

Kontact 

Contact Kickr. They might just warranty replace it.

This is not an uncommon problem, and they seem to be aware of that.

rsbob 

Unfortunately I am but am not the original owner. The original owner had issues with his first one and got a refurbishment which he sold to me for $600. So not being the original owner and not being in their records is no doubt no bueno.

Kontact 

Records? What records? KICKR doesn't know where every one of their trainers was sold. So I would ask them without volunteering how you got it.

I'm not generally in favor of bilking manufacturers with false warranty claims, but I have witnessed several brands that seem very aware that their products have problems and the CS rep simply doesn't ask for proof of purchase. That's on them. You got this new - see what they say.

rsbob 

Definitely worth a shot. Appreciate your council. Happy T-day

spelger

it is not too hard to remove the cover (from the kicker). i needed to do that when the pully wheel began to squeek like a, well, you know. three times i had to hit it with aerosol silicon lube. it was quite until she broke about a month ago. ended up getting a direto trainer. i'm finding that it has its own troubles too, like the inability to maintain a set power at low power levels. at least one time the trainer refused to lower target power during an erg session. getting help from elite now.

anyway, what do yo uhave to lose? just open it up and find out what you can see. just a few screws is all it takes to have a look. could be something obvious.