Immediately we’ve received a round-up of two piles of Wahoo Health information. I might have squished these right into a ‘Week in Evaluation’ put up, however determined they had been in all probability price longer discussions. Thus, let’s get rolling.
Wahoo Provides KICKR Bike SHIFT & V2 Options:
First up, Wahoo has added options to their newer KICKR Bike’s: The KICKR Bike SHIFT and KICKR Bike V2. Within the case of each of these, they’ll now get added Zwift Play-like buttons inside the handlebar buttons. Which means, these buttons can now be used to set off a Trip On, U-Flip, or Energy Up:
Moreover, the entrance left button could possibly be used for ‘Choose’.
I attempted this out for just a few rides, and it labored nicely sufficient, although, I kinda want there was an possibility to truly change which manner it’d go at flip prompts. Proper now you may choose one thing, however you may’t really change one thing. So a flip menu comes up, and the steering choices are after all just for steering inside the roadway, however not really for selecting a route at a flip immediate.
It appears Zwift like being a bit extra intelligent on how these buttons are mapped when that flip immediate comes up would go a good distance into making it simpler to navigate the sport from the handlebars.
In any case, the second replace is only for the KICKR Bike Shift, which positive factors gearing indicators in-game (higher left nook), beforehand, it now confirmed your gears. Solely the KICKR Bike V1/V2 did. Under right here, on a current experience on the KICKR Bike Shift, with the gearing indicator proven (Gear 1-9):
After all, just a few notes right here. First up, this solely works through each DIRCON (WiFi) and Bluetooth, not through ANT+. That’s as a result of that is all a swap to Zwift’s “Zwift Protocol” for connecting to Zwift, and that’s not obtainable on ANT+.
The second (large) be aware is that this isn’t obtainable for the KICKR Bike V1. It feels like there isn’t the reminiscence house obtainable within the KICKR Bike V1 for the Zwift Protocol (and thus, these new options), for which the SHIFT & Bike V2 are shifting to.
And maybe that’s the case, however that doesn’t (in my thoughts) let Zwift off the hook on this for gearing show on the KICKR Bike V1. There’s merely no logical motive that may’t be proven. Wahoo transmits that knowledge already, and different apps like IndieVelo present that knowledge simply nice. Right here it’s in IndieVelo (now TrainingPeaks Digital) from a 12 months in the past displaying it (2-5, mid higher proper):
Additional, Zwift themselves enabled all of it the way in which again in for the Wattbike ATOM 2020 simply nice, nicely earlier than Zwift Protocol was even a twinkle in anybody’s eye, under, displaying “Gear 13” from Nov 2020:
The issue with Zwift and Wahoo simply casually not enabling gearing show for the KICKR Bike V1, is that it solely serves to bolster the buyer impression that the 2 corporations are principally performing as one firm with the goal of upselling you on newer Wahoo/Zwift gear (such because the Zwift Trip bike constructed atop Wahoo {hardware}). It additionally cements additional the notion that the Zwift Protocol is unhealthy for the bigger trade, as corporations have mentioned that in tight reminiscence house conditions, it’d both be retaining trade requirements like ANT+ FE-C, or ditching these to slot in the Zwift Protocol (moderately than working as a single cohesive trade to increase the prevailing Bluetooth & ANT+ protocols).
In a previous Wahoo, this might have been rolled out to all models. However now, the corporate has been pressured but once more to depart older models behind to favor to supporting a single firm’s protocol. We noticed this with the KICKR V4 & V5 not getting digital shifting due to lack of reminiscence house (and the corporate having to decide on between disabling ANT+ FE-C to slot in Zwift Protocol, or doing as they did, and having the V4/V5 not obtain Digital Shifting). I’m positive some at Wahoo or Zwift will view these phrases as harsh, however the info are the info right here – and proprietary options don’t assist shoppers long run, or the trade at massive.
Wahoo Teases New Bike GPS:
Talking of Wahoo, the corporate has e-mailed folks in addition to posted teasers to social media channels, indicating that “One thing Epic” is coming. The e-mail consists of an an x-ray-style picture of a motorbike pc, and hyperlinks to a web page inside the bike pc part, to enroll in additional data when it comes out.
It ends with a date of December third, 2024, because the date after we (The Royal We) will apparently know extra.
Within the meantime, they’ve a 30-second trailer on YouTube & different social channels of a bunch of professional athletes being handed the machine, with the machine pixelized, resembling under:
The athletes then give some temporary optimistic reactions, however there’s no different data included from Wahoo.
Concurrently although, we’ve one way or the other seen a full boxed unit leak out to Reddit the place somebody claims they purchased 3 of them through eBay, after which posted two potato-cam-like field photographs. To me, that smells like an inside/advertising leak. Since when does somebody on Reddit having a full boxed unit not take photographs of what’s contained in the field? After which proceed to put up subsequent feedback however not photos? From there, varied publications have picked it up and run with it as full tales.
I’ll although say, that a minimum of mentioned Redditor took the photographs of the unit on ground outdoors of Wahoo’s HQ. Provided that Wahoo’s HQ doesn’t have wooden floors. Right here’s what it seems like inside from my go to final 12 months:
The date of December third is after all taking part in with hearth. On one hand, they clearly hope folks will skip the inevitable Black Friday/vacation gross sales, in hopes of shopping for One thing Epic from Wahoo every week later. Then again, each retailer has a minimum of a 30-day return interval for unopened merchandise, and it’s typically even longer throughout the vacation time interval to cowl early gross sales and returns after Christmas. And by Wahoo saying this early, it offers corporations (nicely, principally simply Garmin & Hammerhead) time to consider simply how a lot they need to tempt shoppers.
Both manner, extra to come back…both right here, or simply Reddit.
Thanks for studying!
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