wahoo Kickr - hot flywheel

[clint66]

This may just be a question of physics, or maybe it is the massive wattage I'm putting out...

but how hot is too hot for the flywheel. After a longer sufferfest video 84 mins or so, I can barely touch the flywheel (maybe I have soft hands). How hot do others get?

It is the first generation kickr. My FTP is only 250, so the resistance can't be too high.

Does it make much difference in terms of what gear you are using? I run it on the small chainring about midway down the cassette so I get a straight chainline.

[Machoman121]

yes - my new Kickr3 runs hot too and i've yet to put in any serious mileage - just testing it on bkook and veloreality - isn't heat bad for electronics?

Just how much heat can these things take? Or how reliable are they?

[macca33]

I've done in excess of 13,000Km on my Kickr and it is still fine. Yes it does get hot - you are pushing ensrgy through a machine that measures power using a brake and which has a drive-belt, so friction will inevitably exist. Sometimes you just have to ride....

[Machoman121]

Thanks macca. good to know.

[Machoman121]

Rode Bigring VR and chose Alp De Huez with 14KM of average 9-12% grade all the way - there's hardly any flats or areas to spin....just grind grind grind. The flywheel after the 1.5 hour ride was seriously hot. Even switched off for half an hour it was too hot to touch. I believe for the kickr uses a lot of electricity to create a braking force to simulate the grades. On Zwift i ride harder and more intensely but the flywheel doesn't get as hot as the ride on Huez. So Zwift courses are flatter and seldom go uphills for long so the unit doesn't need to use as much braking effect compared to Huez.

So the flywheel's heat is mainly from the electricity used to create the braking forces to simulate the climbs.