Last year, I had the pleasure of testing out the Wahoo Kickr smart turbo trainer, as part of a piece where I tried out indoor riding for the first time. Now, thanks to the Black Friday weekend sales, it's available for under a thousand pounds or dollars at various retailers.
Now, I might not be the biggest fan of indoor riding, as I have written about mutltiple times, including in a CW Asks feature, but as the weather gets pretty cold and wet outside in the northern hemisphere, it might be the answer for winter riding. Indoors, it will never get too cold or wet - even if you will get sweaty.
The updated version of smart trainer - the newest is the Wahoo Kickr V6 - is on offer across the internet, but here are the best deals.
The deal on REI in the US sees almost a quarter off the asking price, coming in at $999.99, instead of $1,300.00, which means 23%.
Meanwhile, in the UK, there are lots of different offers available, but the best one is at Sigma Sports. It doesn't have the same level of discount as is available across the pond - just 11% I'm afraid - but it does mean that the latest version of the smart trainer is available for under £1,000 for the first time.
If you're not overly fussed about having the latest model, you can get the Wahoo Kickr V5 from Evans Cycles for £799.00, reduced from its original price of £999.99.
Why we love the Wahoo Kickr
I am far from the only person at Cycling Weekly to swear by the Wahoo Kickr V6 for all my turbo training needs. It was awarded 'Best for Premium Performance' in our guide to the best smart trainers. When we reviewed it last year, we gave it four and a half stars, such was the piece of tech's performance.
As Rachel Sokal wrote then: "The Wahoo Kickr direct drive smart trainer is an amazing piece of kit. Its improved connectivity and development of the ERG mode have improved performance and reliability that much further."
I might not love turbo training, but if you're going to do it, you might as well do it in the best way you can.
The ride fels impressive and lifelike. It is smooth and responsive with a well-tuned ERG function that does such a good job at matching your torque and cadence to your power targets you wouldn't know it was happening if it wasn't for the numbers in front of you.
As well as automatic firmware updates, the integrated WiFi allows for easier and more stable connection to your devices which will help you and your system keep up with the capabilities of the training apps and the ever-more immersive virtual riding experience.
If you don't fancy paying almost £1,000/$1,000 for a top of the range smart trainer, and a Zwift subscription on top of that, you can now get the Wahoo Kickr Core for £549.99/$599.99 from Zwift itself. That comes with a year's subscription to the virtual riding platform as well, an extra bonus.
Black Friday is running from November 24th - 27th this year. We've rounded up all the best Black Friday cycling deals we’ve found on our main hub page. With deals spanning components, tech, bikes and riding kit, you will definitely find the offer for you.
