Upgrading from Tacx Vortex Smart to Wahoo Kickr
markgoldstein
Posts: 146
After logging 20 hrs Zwift riding time on a Tacx Vortex Smart, I'm wondering what benefits there would be in upgrading to the Wahoo Kickr.
My principal reason for asking is that I struggle to generate a high w/kg on the hills with the Vortex - I either end up using a big gear at a very low RPM or a lower gear at, say, 40RPM, neither of which is sufficient to generate a w/kg typically higher than 4-5. I therefore get dropped in group rides or when trying to follow other riders, and also riding at such low RPMs is unrealistic and uncomfortable.
Has anyone made this jump? And if so, does the Kickr provide a quantifiably better "experience" than the Vortex, particularly going up-hill?
My principal reason for asking is that I struggle to generate a high w/kg on the hills with the Vortex - I either end up using a big gear at a very low RPM or a lower gear at, say, 40RPM, neither of which is sufficient to generate a w/kg typically higher than 4-5. I therefore get dropped in group rides or when trying to follow other riders, and also riding at such low RPMs is unrealistic and uncomfortable.
Has anyone made this jump? And if so, does the Kickr provide a quantifiably better "experience" than the Vortex, particularly going up-hill?
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Comments
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Have you got it calibrated correctly ? On the road, 5w/Kg is more than half tidy.0
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Something is wrong, perhaps need to calibrate?... I have a vortex and find it pretty realistic in terms of feel, I don't know how fast the wheel is actually going round but in terms of cadence/gradient/pain it feels about right. All you will do with a trainer that can provide more resistance is use a wider range of gears. Try playing with the trainer resistance setting on zwift, as standard its at 50% but I find around 80% feels more realistic (harder uphill, easier downhill).0
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I calibrate it before every ride using the Android app.0
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Doesn't sound right. You shouldn't be riding at 40rpm no matter what the circumstance. What is your raw wattage output? As that's much more important than your watt per kio.
Also make sure that your tyre is fully inflated to >100psi, it makes a massive difference to the way that Tacx trainers work.
Plus if you're going to upgrade get the Tacx Neo, the Kickr doesn't make much sense when the Neo is available.0 -
I just use a basic turbo but with power on Zwift and it works great. A Stages G2 is from £450 AND you can use it when you get back to cycling outside.
it may be a more cost effective option to consider.0 -
markhewitt1978 wrote:What is your raw wattage output? As that's much more important than your watt per kio.
Not if you're going up hills...
The Kickr is one of the best investments I've ever made for my bike. Accurate PM [early one - not the reported issues with newer versions]. Locks the wattage in precisely, rather than the drift built into the Neo and should be a little bit cheaper. Plus I've had mine for a couple of years now and has worked without fault.VO2 Max - 79 ml/kg/min
W/kg - 4.90 -
Dodger747 wrote:markhewitt1978 wrote:What is your raw wattage output? As that's much more important than your watt per kio.
Not if you're going up hills...
But we're not talking about hills we're talking about the resistance on a turbo trainer - very different. It may be that he's exceeding what the brake unit can deal with. It might be the brake unit is faulty.0 -
From the Tacx site:
"Max brake power (10 sec.) 950 Watt
Sprint power (1 min.) 750 Watt"
I'm guessing it's more likely to be a faulty unit rather than exceeding the max powerVO2 Max - 79 ml/kg/min
W/kg - 4.90 -
Dodger747 wrote:From the Tacx site:
"Max brake power (10 sec.) 950 Watt
Sprint power (1 min.) 750 Watt"
I'm guessing it's more likely to be a faulty unit rather than exceeding the max power
That what I would think, yes. But since OP was talking about 5w/kg which is high wattage output for anyone, you never know.0 -
Is the Vortex paired correctly in ERG mode?0
