ATLANTA (BRAIN) — Wahoo Fitness is introducing an easier to use and more affordable version of its KICKR connected cycling trainer with the KICKR Snap. The Snap is a wheel-on design, so riders no longer would have to remove the rear wheel to attach the bike. And with a retail price of $849.99, it's about $350 less than its KICKR, a price point that the brand thinks will appeal to a wider range of riders.
Like KICKR, the KICKR Snap connects via ANT+ or Bluetooth 4.0 with smartphones, tablets and computers — Apple, Android and Windows platforms — giving the user control over pedaling resistance and providing power measurement, as well as capturing ride data. It also links with Wahoo's line of sensors and accessories, like the TICKR X tracker, to record heart rate and cadence.
KICKR Snap works with popular interactive indoor training programs like Zwift and TrainerRoad. Riders can choose the Wahoo Fitness app or another app from more than 15 fitness/riding apps that provide a virtual course or a structured, power-based workout.
"KICKR led the category growth in smart trainers," said Mike Stashak, Wahoo's vice president of sales and marketing. "But with [competing brands] all offering wheel-on systems for $800 to $1,000, we wanted to be part of that conversation."
"The smart trainer category has taken off," Stashak added. "But just like bikes, the price points have come down."
The Snap comes in at a lighter overall weight, at 38 pounds, versus the original KICKR at 47 pounds. Like its older sibling, its flywheel was designed to replicate the inertia of riding outdoors.
The Snap doesn't support third-party power meters like the KICKR. It measures speed, distance and power. Cadence can be measured through an external sensor. It works with 24-inch, 650b, 700c, 27.5 and 29-inch wheels and includes a front wheel block.
Wahoo is promoting it as the trainer "for those who don't need as much kick" as it tops out at 1100 watts, compared to the original KICKR's 1550 watts. It has a max incline of 10.3 degrees compared to 15.0 for the KICKR, and the flywheel weighs 10.5 pounds, compared to 12.5 pounds. Still, Wahoo claims both of its trainers feature heavier flywheels than its competitors, something it has purposefully engineered as heavier flywheels store more energy and can take more power, according to Wahoo.
The KICKR Snap will become available in August at IBDs and WahooFitness.com.
