Hey folks - hope this helps some. Or at least, helps explain a little bit of the technology side behind the issues seen. From there one can make a determination as to whether or not it'll impact you. Wahoo is saying about 3% of people are impacted, which roughly matches with my guesstimate prior to them telling me that. I suspect the ESD bits helps to explain a bit as to why certain people could have gone through 2-3 KICKR's, since the environment was the same each time, and likely killed each one in a similiar manner. Versus another person (me for example) haven't managed to kill a KICKR18/CORE from an ESD standpoint since having them all the way back in June (as noted, almost everything is concrete for me, and I can't remember the last time - if ever - I shocked myself in the place).

Pretty remarkable to see a CEO appear open kimono and personally disclose what the root cause of the issues were. I work for a global technology company and you would never see my CEO taking on that task. They now have some corrective actions to take in their processes, but this gives me confidence they will test products more thoroughly now. I have a Wahoo Kickr Snap(no issues) and I will now continue to purchase Wahoo products simply due to customer support. Nice job Wahoo.

I think Zwift just needs to make an achievement award for the stickers flying off while sprinting.

Thanks for posting this. It's good Wahoo is being transparent about this. I've been a happy Kickr owner, with three in the family. An original 2016, a Snap, and a 2018. All have worked well with over 20k Zwift miles across them (the 2016 has more than 10k Zwift miles).

This guys eyebrows have a life of their own!

Thanks to Wahoo for the explanation. My experience with their support has been great. Their people have have been helpful and patient with me to solve Bolt and Kickr issues. Nice job, Ray and Chip!

Hats Off to Wahoo. CEO addressing an issue through social media - Great job! PS. My 2017 kicker is still going brilliantly.. no complaints.

Thank you to you DC, and thank you to Wahoo for this kind of old fashioned customer service.

Hey what a great video. Guess what, i'm one of the few that had TWO Wahoo Core's blow their speed sensors in a row. Each unit lasted about two weeks. Happy to talk with Wahoo tech if they want details on my situation. I"m on my third unit. I now have it plugged into a surge protected strip and after seeing this video, i think i will add a ground cable from the frame to ground just to be safe. I really don't want to have to strip it down and pack it up again. I love the unit otherwise. very smooth and responsive. Thanks again, Paul.

Top draw Wahoo. That’s how you respond to customer issues - brilliant.

Thanks Ray! To Wahoo - next time you're recording a video, lock the focus on your camera; the camera's constant changing of focal lengths as it struggled to figure out what to focus on was maddening :). That aside, I'm happy to see Wahoo standing behind their product and being so transparent about the issues people have been having. I've been agonizing about buying a trainer for a few weeks now, but I'm going to head over to CleverTraining and pick up a Core now, with full confidence that in the unlikely event I encounter an issue, Wahoo will make it right. Cheers!

Timely video, thank you Ray. My Kickr Core is presently stored before being returned to the store I bought it from last November. I had noise issues but also power resistance issues with fancy numbers and unresponsive unit during downhill and uphill courses. I tried Ant+ and Bluetooth, reset to factory settings for same random problems. I reinstalled my old reliable Computrainer which is noisy but its working flawlessly for the past 13 years. I'm willing to give another shot but not too confident.

If there's one thing I like about Chip, it's his constant honesty.

Very impressed to see a CEO come publicly in KZfaq and respond responsibly great job now I like wahoo even more as all companies have problem but it is how they solve them that make them great. Thank you rainmaker for making this happen.

Excellent! Great video. Had the noise issue last year; had one of the first Core´s that were around and after 2 weeks it became evident that it had a problem and the symptoms got bigger and bigger. Contacted Wahoo german support; very nice guys that handled the issue in an excellent fashion. They collected my Core and send me a new one. The whole process took about two weeks but this was ok for me since they tested the replacement before sending it out. Generally i have great confidence in Wahoo, especially after this issue and after seeing this video. Such issues just happen on new items and the big thing here is how the company handles such problems, not if there are any problems. To sum it up iam very, very happy with the Core, my first biketrainer and enjoy the hell out of it, in a slightly masochistic way like most of us do :-)

Thanks Ray, very useful and might help a lot of people. It would be really helpful if Wahoo or someone could do a detailed self-repair video. The instructions you receive say nothing about locktight. Also they say use pliers to pop the replacement key in vertically, but mine just slid in horizontally. Another thing they mention in the instructions and showed in that video was the flywheel removed. Mine appears to be stuck in place and does not slide out. Also worth mentioning that when I did the self repair, the bolt and washer that hold the tension screw in place.... the washer was all bent out of shape. Thankfully they are sending me out a replacement, which they say is a gold standard unit, which is supposed to be fully checked and parts replaced that need to be. I'm kinda on the fence with this as I have seen posts about supposed gold standard units being faulty also, but fingers crossed. Its great that everyone is talking about this because it means we can all help each other, but I really do think more detailed repair videos are needed.

Brilliant video, thanks very much for putting this together. I have a 2018 Kickr and was worried reading the forums etc. However the explanations made sense. Thank you to the Wahoo guys for taking the time to go through this. Every company have issues how they deal with them is a true measure of the company.

Kudos for the transparency Wahoo and double kudos to you Ray. Great video as usual

Great support from wahoo! Have a kickr 18 and so far no issues. But really great to know it's fully supported and really the fix is super simple. Thanks again for the video!

Respect to Wahoo for doing this and speak about the errors and problems!

Kudos to Wahoo, for doing videos like this with you. That makes me feel good about how seriously they take consumer issues, and it also makes me feel good about choosing the Wahoo Bolt over other options. I'm definitely going to weight Wahoo's offering more heavily when it comes time to buy a smart trainer.

Just received my Core TOday. A bit tired from a 84mi ride, but will set it up tomorrow. Really cool to see the CEO giving his honest assessment and pledge of support to issues with these products. I feel a bit better about my purchase.

Expecting my replacement Thursday. Had a great experience with support. Fingers crossed it's working properly. I was told by wahoo that they are personally testing all replacement units before they ship them out.

Thanks a lot Ray for taking the initiative to post this great video. Sadly my Core died after 10 rides (power/speed signal fail) just today. What a coincidence! Just sent in my service request to Wahoo so hope and trust there will be a good outcome either with them or the LBS. Wahoo's disclosures are much appreciated and insightful. Thanks again.

Thanks Ray and Chip! Bought my Core through Clever Training and sent intermittent grinding noise issue to Wahoo. I am right in the middle of communicating with Wahoo customer service today actually on my first unit, hoping it doesn't occur in the 2nd unit. Good to hear they are testing them before they go out but perhaps it's a wear issue testing not long term enough? Power has been dropping out too but thought that was a Zwift issue, it does come back though so maybe it's not the unit.

This is terrific! I've been on the fence about getting a Kickr or a KickrCore, but seeing this video and the Wahoo response has convinced me that this would not be a terrible decision. DC - congrats on another subscription! You're thoroughness and thoughtfulness are super-valuable! Amazing openness and frankness from Wahoo making them the kind of company to which I want to give my money,

I think Wahoo should be extending the warranties on these units for another year!

Just bought a Kickr 2018 last week. According to the serial # it’s a week 32 unit, which I thought would have either been recalled or all sold by now. Either way, no issues so far. In fact, I’ve nothing but great things to say about the indoor zwift experience compared to my old fluid trainer. Fingers crossed it won’t need the repair kit as I’m not pushing monster watts. Time will tell. Great vid DCR, and great to see a CEO have the minerals to go in front of camera admit there is a prob and offer a fix.

Totally awesome the CEO took time to give a technical explanation. I own quite a bit of wahoo products and this gives me confidence they really care about customer service.

DC Rainmaker and Wahoo, as a customer who bought a Core, and loved it, and then just yesterday experienced the click of death, I really appreciate this. I am debating on trying to fix it myself and receiving the coupon or getting a new unit. For those who criticize Wahoo for this, I understand where you are coming from. I would point out the substantial differences in how Wahoo is handling this versus Tacx which has not addressed the issues they have had. Kudos. And for DCRainmaker, a great effort to share information and not become part of the marketing campaign for a company. Thank you.

Just watched your video and all becomes clear. I bought a core late last year and after a few weeks it developed a few strange noises when on Zwift. I sent a video of the noise to Wahoo and they immediately sent a replacement out which has been perfect. I cannot praise the level of after service enough,if all companies dealt with issues like this we’d all be a lot happier. Great video and after seeing what it took to do the fix, I could have done that myself quite easily, but thanks for a very informative video.

Really appreciated this video Dc, the interview was great and really boosted my confidence in Wahoo product integrity. Here bc my KickrCore stopped tracking watts and speed after I installed the most recent updates. Refreshing to see a CEO take time to explain and take complete ownership of the product.

Had the knocking issue with my Kickr18 after 3 months, and gotta say the support was excellent from Wahoo. They sent out a self-repair kit which was easy to install and fixed the problem. However, there was another noise from the flywheel that was quickly diagnosed a bearing issue. They immediately dispatched a new unit and picked up the old one on the same day. Less concerned now if I get a similar issue with that level of support.

Kudos for Wahoo CEO for transparency and for you Ray on puting this video in place 👍. I have a Kickr Core and until now no problem, hopefully nothing will be from now on. By accident the rubber matte which I have it down to protect the floor from sweat it is ESD ... ☺️

Wow - Seeing this support from the CEO makes me way more inclined to buy WAHOO... Good job arranging this!

I saw this video last week & emailed them referencing this video on friday 1/25 of last week and received a new unit today 1/29 .. a great company with great customer service

As someone whose replacement Kickr Core is arriving later this week, this was a fantastic video to see pop up! I lost power/speed on my third session, so it appears that I had the ESD issue. Now I'm honestly a little terrified of doing it again. I have vinyl floors, and always ran the Kickr on its mat. I usually only feel a static discharge when I pull off a sweater. And I didn't immediately run over to the unit and zap it. So, I'm hoping that it was just a fluke, and won't happen again thanks to the precautions they're implementing. As you noted: I've had nothing but sterling experiences with Wahoo Support.

Nice post. I like the "real" story behind the noise problem. I got my from local REI store. First one, noise started after a few rides, since its under exchange period, I gone back to REI to get a replacement unit. The 2nd new one from REI the noise come back with only 30 mins of riding. I contact Wahoo Support and got a replacement unit. It has been many weeks. So far no problem. And I agree with you, their support is excellent.

great great great - we need more of this honesty from manufacturers

Great job Ray and Wahoo. Have many Wahoo products including Kickr Core and an original kickr and believe if the boss can stand up like that and a service department to back it up then this is the company I’ll continue to buy from

Good effort ray and Kudos to Wahoo and Chip for the acknowledgement and response.

My first 2018 Kickr had to be sent back, had problems (grinding noise / humming noise). My replacement unit has been perfect. My Kickr CLIMB actually failed on an 8% climb in Zwift and my bike slammed to the floor when the belt inside of the unit failed. I am just thankful it didn't break my fork or headtube on my bike.

One of the nicest support videos I've come across.

I received my Kickr in early November. On my first ride the loud knocking noise arrived. Customer service was great and I opted for the new key to replace on my own. 750 miles later the knocking came back. This time Wahoo opted to send a “new” unit. Hoping for the best. I love the Kickr itself. Easy to move. Works great. Perfect for my small apartment. Stuff happens.

Comes across very sincere and humble. Its engineering a heavy use product and as long as they look after their customers, fair play.

Purchased a Kickr 4 - knocking sound became a huge issue, practically out of the box. Returned it to the LBS who were really good and gave me a replacement. Exactly the same problem. I told the store owner that 1 is random, 2 from the same batch is a clear manufacturing issue. Lemons. I will never buy them ever again. Oh and the second one has been sent away for ‘repairs’. I’m sticking to Neos.

I am on my third Kickr 18. I have about 400 miles on this unit with no issues. The customer support has been excellent. I am happy with the product and the service. Hopefully it will hold up and last as many miles as my original kickr(which my father is still using)!

I have had two broken Kickr18s. The first one had the clicking/knocking noise after using it an hour or so. I bought it in October. The second one I got as a replacement in December and had a loud humming noise immediately out of the box. A couple of days ago I received a new unit and it seems to work great! Although I was unlucky with the first two units I am very happy with the service from the store I bought it and with Wahoo solving it quickly and being brave for explaining it in this video. Let's hope the new one keeps working :)

Thanks, Ray. My new KIckr Core had a power/speed failure within two weeks. Awaiting replacement now. Hearing all this, I really appreciate Wahoo’s attitude and desire to work with customers. However, if the second unit fails, I’ll be making a full return and heading to another brand. They know the problems, clearly, so if the new unit fails then they’re not actually taking care of customers by only sending out units that are fully resolved.

It seems like Wahoo has a top notch customer service. For a while I was debating between purchasing Tacx Neo 2 and Kickr V5. Now I'll buy Kickr. Thanks for this great video.

Thanks for the informative explanation. Wahoo clearly has a passion for their brand and their customers... This is why I'm a Wahooligan for life.

Awesome video. Chip's the man! Great products and innovation from Wahoo. Glad they have it fixed!

Awesome job Ray. Major Kudos to Wahoo's CEO to appear here and acknowledge the issues. I purchased the Kickr Core the day after ordering opened up for them (Sept 2018). Received it about 4 days later. About 1 month later mine started to make the noise. Their support team did a great job. I did the 'fix yourself' option and all is good now and I haven't had any more issues thus far (Jan 2019). I have had a really good experience with them thus far.

Props to the CEO for coming on and explaining this. Also Wahoo’s customer service is fantastic. That being said one of my biggest pet peeves is when a company says it’s a small percentage of users affected but never gives a %. Like what is small to them, 1%? 10%? 30%? As a ceo knowing your going to talk about said problems, how do you not know the percentage. Apple is notorious for this and it’s just a bad habit of companies. If it truly is a small %, be transparent with your customers. Otherwise it looks like your hiding a bigger problem.

Confidence is restored after some of the horror stories posted on various forums. Thank you 🙂

Bought mine in December and has been good so far

Good to see the CEO explaining everything but it looks to me that sadly they did not test their product properly and the users were the beta tester of such an expensive device. Hope you guys fix all the issues and kudos to the CEO for explaining everything.

Had a similar problem with my kicker snap. Sent them a video and they gave me instructions to repair it myself or offered to give me a new one. At least they are standing behind their products.

Great work gents - amazed to see a CEO stand up and speak openly about the issues / challenges. Goes a long way towards engendering a user's trust in the brand. I was a bit surprised to hear that the power etc is all taken from speed within the unit. I'd assumed a £1000 unit had an actual strain guage power meter inside it, or have I got that wrong ?

Thanks for the video! Im deciding between the kickr and H3. 14:00 blew my mind, first time i see telepathic communication 😱

On my third KICKR . One lasted two weeks the second on lasted a week to the day . Due to health issues i was not able to ride for a period of time but based on my strava record the third unit lasted nine rides . The bike shop has been great and thank god i did not order this by mail because returning it would be a nightmare . They exchanges no questions asked . After the second unit i upgraded from the core to the KICKR . $360.00 more same result . The company sent me a new power unit a mat and a cadence sensor for my troubles but right now they are just taking up space .

I live in an older house that doesn't have grounded outlets (wiring is only 2-wire with no ground). Is there something I can/should do to reduce the chance of an ESD problem?

I had the speed sensor fault. Replacement was reasonably quick and has been pretty reliable so far.

I'm glad that he is ecstatic about the products coming out of the new factory...I've been riding my CORE for 1000 km and its making a odd noise from the belt (I think), associated with a vibration. I wish I had seen this before making my purchase.

Very informative, thanks Ray. It would be great if you could get the same service from Tacx considering the issues they’ve had with the Flux and I believe even the Neo 2 has some issues. Hearing direct from the company at least gives purchasers some faith that the problems are being acknowledged and addressed.

I had the original key problem with a 2017 Kickr. Wahoo swapped the complete unit for a 2018 model. Very impressed with their customer service - I'd have no concerns buying future Wahoo products.

Thanks man. Legit of the ceo to “own it.”

Yep, I had a kicker 2018 soon after launch and that lasted 2 weeks before it was making rumbling noises and vibrating really badly. Has a replacement and that lasted a week before it did exactly the same. Have to say, their support was excellent but this should have been fixed. It's a very nice machine when it works. Speaking as a mechanical design engineer I have to say that keyways have been well understood for decades so if you need to use loctite to secure them then you are fixing a manufacturing tolerance problem with adhesive - that's not the quality I would expect from a trainer in that price bracket. I couldn't risk a third faulty trainer at that price so I have changed it with a Tacx Neo 2 which so far is excellent, and I would say even quieter.

In case anyone is wondering, here is a step-through video of how to fix/service kickr core kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mNZpo8if1dC9nJs.html

Thanks Ray. Very helpful video. Best regards Martin

I have recently got my Kicker Core. What noise should I be looking out for to ensure my Core is ok?

Soooo happy I went with a Neo - missing out on weeks of training over the winter waiting for a replacement unit(s) was not something that I was interested.

A separate issue that many have experience is the strong vibration that travels through the bike when freewheeling. It doesn't seem to be addressed in the video and I was wondering what is the statement from Wahoo on that? I had to test multiple units from my local distributor before I found a unit that was acceptable. To be fair to Wahoo, the support have been great and the distributor was stellar in his service, bringing multiple units from the warehouse for me to test before I brought it back, to ensure that I am happy with the unit.

Thanks for this DC Just got my second kickr which is just clicking and clunking thought it had been sorted, I did look at the first one and could see that it had undersized key problem Bad engineering had this problems on engines etc Wahoo support was OK Which they should be with a product at £1000 " and so many." If the manufacture of a good product is bad it cost money and customers, lesson one This might of just kept my custom but only just . I loved the Kickr when I first had it but it has lost me nearly 2 months of fitness and I still have to sort this one.

Refreshing honesty.

Kudos to the CEO for being so candid. Personally I think the key design is fundamentally flawed and the locktite fix sounds more like a hack than a long term fix but he seems confident that it works. I've had great experiences with support thus far, thank you! I had the key issue with two kickrs, the first was purchased at an LBS and the second was replaced by the same LBS. I fixed the replacement myself and thought I did a decent job of it but now the kickr has developed a vibration that makes it sound like a motorboat. I love the unit when it works. Is it worth another attempt at a replacement? I'm afraid that the replacement will have the key issue again.

I love their attitude to the client.

Great video. And great play by Wahoo. That's how you handle adversity.

What a great company, well done Wahoo. Thanks for making stuff that just works.

So what happens if the core is making noise and you don't perform the fix? Does it eventually ruin the unit, or is it fine and just a bit noisy.

Mine was defected from the box. My kicker core was made in 2020.... the bearing caused vibrations and all sorts of sounds. The company has no quality control procedure in place. There employees are very rude and product price does not reflect the value we get. And moreover, experts like the host are causing more harm by defending a merchant. I can’t believe it, a machine broke while you were reviewing it

Bought a new Core today 9-23-2019 from REI, worked AMAZING, for one hour, then stopped registering speed, cadence, power. Mine was grounded. Needless to say, its going back to REI tomorrow and I'm getting a different brand. Yes, I have a carpeted living room! Yes, I live in a dry climate here in Colorado.

tried working with Wahoo... 4 kickrs later I threw in the towel. All of them had issues with noise... But the customer service was STELLAR!

Thanks DC Rainmaker

I recently had the knocking problem with my kickr18. I have to say the service offered by Wahoo was nothing short of stellar. They sent me a new unit with the “update” as well as organized free return shipping. Plus they told me to just keep using the first unit until the new unit arrives so I didn’t miss out on training. All I had to do was pick up a brand new unit from the post office and send the old one back

I wonder if it is still a problem. I want to buy one in a few months but im not sure because people getting new ones also complain about the new one breaking after a few weeks. Can you tell me if yours is still ok ?

So what is the date it was fixed ? What kind of serial number should we be looking for that the Kickr's are working correctly? Would not want to order a kickr and the date is the one that has problems. Can you post the link for the directions on fixing this problem ?????

I’ve never dealt with a more responsive, engaging customer support team than the one at Wahoo. Every niche manufacturing company will have some issues, how you deal with those issue determines who grows. Wahoo will be very big.

Just bought a new Wahoo Kickr after seeing this! 💪🏻

How do you know if you are buying a newer unit with the new key, screw, locktight and speed sensor placement as opposed to an older unit? My bike shop has the kickr and kickr core in stock and I want one

So, which mid high range trainer should I buy? Really like the core but seems no one is able to use it for an entire year without a problem...

Just had my Core die after a bit over a year of use. 10mins into a Zwift ride no Power and Cadence transmitting. Tried all of the troubleshooting steps and nothing! Any suggestions?

FANTASTIC Love my Kickr......Love WAHOOs handling of issues

Would be great if the vibration issues that I experience myself and others report as well could adressed...

Just got my replacement Kickr today after the first developed the knocking noise. Unfortunately can’t test it out yet as they included the old power brick. In their correspondence with me they specifically said to only use the “new” power brick that would be included, even providing pictures to show the difference. Well, they instead sent me the old brick that they say not to use. Waiting for a response as to how to proceed. I really want to stick with Wahoo but I am growing ever more frustrated with them.

Courageous but casual approach to what should be a product recall. BTW my Kickr 2018 developed a new noise in the flywheel, and when I opened it it turned out that the shrink tape around the copper windings of the stator had fallen off and were circulating inside the flywheel. Wahoo offered to replace the unit but seems like another generic quality issue coming their way.

Fair play to Wahoo and it is not just all talk either. I had a problem with my nearly 5 years old Kickr Core and they replaced it. It wasn’t in warranty or anything, and they were like “we’re sorry and we’ll replace it for you”. Absolutely amazing customer service 👌

This is why I will continue to purchase Wahoo products! Transparency is amazing, this leaves me with 100% faith in Wahoo! Giant kudos to Chip.

I bought my first Kickr 2018 early October, it had the known bolt error. I got a new Kickr, similar noise and vibration, but not the bolt topic leaded to a replace right before Christmas. As most people here say, customer support is great, but now I recognize noise and vibrations on my third Kickr version. I don’t actually know what to do anymore. I can’t continue replacing the equipment. I use it approx 10 hours a week, but should manage that? Any tip anyone?

How long will they continue to support these older Kickr? If I buy a Kickr 2018 and it has problems 2 years from now, will Wahoo charge me to repair it?