As a general rule of thumb, I avoid running on treadmills as much as humanely possible. I save the dreadmill for only the most miserable of sideways almost-freezing rain windy of winter nights. Usually, I make a point of going out on the road when at all possible.
But it’s quite possible the new Wahoo KICKR RUN might change that.
I got the chance to do some test runs on it, getting an initial look at things from a hardware and software standpoint, as well as testing out all the new smarts inside of it.And it’s clear, this is unlike any treadmill we’ve seen before. Sure, it’s got a belt, and goes round-de-round, but it’s not time of flight sensors to detect your exact position on the treadmill, allowing you to control the pace merely by moving your body within the belt. It can tilt left and right, to simulate curves in the virtual terrain (or, simply to deal with uneven floors).
And it’s got integration across virtually every type of connectivity possible: WiFi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, ANT+, including both control and passive recording. It’s effectively the holy grail of tech treadmills.At least, if Wahoo can pull it off. Which, as always, may take a bit longer than they expect.Still, for this post (and honestly, you should just watch the video above), I dive into the hardware and how everything works. With that, let’s get started.
#KICKRUN #WahooKICKRRUN #WahooTreadmill
Hey folks! I've posted a follow-up video with answers to every unanswered question I could find, and tons of new details: kzhead.info/sun/hdqtfqytZ314aX0/bejne.html&lc
As a winter indoor runner for 6 months of the year, I’ve been waiting for a game changer in the treadmill space. And holy cow this looks like it. I’m excited.
Looking forward for Wahoo KICKR SWIM.
It’s actually out already,
🤣🤣🤣🤣
lol. Good.
I’m a cyclist who doesn’t like running much at all - and even I think this is killer. Nice reviewish Ray.
Totally agree...im driving my wife crazy already. I want one. 😅
Same 😳
As a cyclist who runs and uses Zwift I would say temper that excitement. One of the things that makes Zwift so great to cycle is the bike community. There are always people to ride with. Not so much with Zwift running. It’s barren out there. Even events are lightly attended. Running solo on Zwift isn’t very fun if not boring. When I see someone Zwift running I get so exited to catch up but often short lived due to pace. I should make a review video…
@@reactionsokLol stop it. It’s just fine the way it is…free.
@@reactionsok I have a very different experience. I am predominately a runner who cycles sometimes, and in the events I run there are at least 20-25 other runners! Always an event on by PACK or someone. Might not be the 100+ you can get in cycling events, but fine for me. Also running is more of a solo activity anyway for a lot of us, head down, music on, not there to chat or draft off others 🙂
This is very cool, I’m very impressed. I’m equally impressed with having a casual chat at 4:30/mile or running 5:00s up a 10% grade.
“It’s monitoring my package to see where I am” 😂😂
Thought I was the only to catch that. 😂
I wondered if DCR was intimating it must have a really wide light beam.......
“Looks good but might be destabilised by my package” 😂😂
I'm in awe of how well you could explain everything while your heart rate is 175+. Great job and cool product!
Thanks!
Agreed. That's so gangsta
I was just on my old rickety treadmill last night and thought about how cool it would be for Wahoo to introduce a smart treadmill. I think it was meant to be. It'll look dope next to my kickr bike.
that looks like fun
Indeed! It was honestly the most fun I've had on a treadmill (albeit, that's an incredibly low bar...). Good to see you around here Kofuzi!
Ray, YT needs to incorporate a secondary "like" button for anyone who can narrate a video with a 180 BPM heart rate. Anyone who does that definitely deserves their own button!
Haha...thanks!
Hopefully zwift can bring these features of incline for other treadmills as well! This would make the zwift running experience a lot more enjoyable and interactive. Right now its just running and watching low quality graphics.
Exactly what I’ve been waiting for! Finally!! Great review. Thanks!
Thank you for another amazing review. I've been anticipating a treadmill like this for a while. The concept of how the free-run mode works is truly marvelous!
What a great reveal! I love the 'auto pace adjust' and the decline seems to work brilliantly. Just as I was thinking that Zwift Run was going nowhere, their biggest tech partner unleashes a true immersive treadmill. Definitely a wish list item 'cause it's not going to be cheap!
Yup, Zwift seems pretty committed to this, they had people there when I was doing the demo/test, and it sounds like a big list of changes they plan to make to support this more deeply.
@@Dcrainmaker Lol I’m sure they were there. They’re trying to figure out how to charge Zwift runners to use their platform. They should keep things just as they are…free.
@@tyresejackson9665 It’s still free…
@@Dcrainmaker Exactly. And it needs to stay that way even if they find a way to integrate these new treadmills with their game. Btw, what’s up with Rolla One/World? Seemed like such a cool running app but they’ve been dragging their feet in regards to development.
@@tyresejackson9665 They actually reached out just yesterday again. On my to-do list for this morning to catch-up.
Great review Ray, and especially since you are running the pace you demonstrated and managed to talk. Next level! Especially the hill climb just before you are standing off on the sides. Excellent job.
The dynamic pace adjust is revolutionary. Races and runs should now be more like the cycling experience.
It is great that you are able to do a "hands on" test of the prototype unit. I have read about this treadmill but your review was the first to see it in action. I really like how you explained how the interval mode worked. So many treadmills don't have a programable interval option for runners and this is very frustrating. I would really like to see how the 1st gen stands up to use as you mentioned as future generations will fix any issues as you mentioned Wahoo has had. Thanks for a great review and look forward to your more extended version later in the spring/summer.
Yes, I would like to see more reviews like this (treadmills for home use). Thanks
This is an awesome piece of equipment. I love it. Hope that connectivity is smooth. Love the Review.
These tech treadmills are getting so cool. I would love to hear your thoughts on testing more treadmills in the future....More or less the higher performance ones like this. Great video!
Yeah, I've tested a couple that I've bought or had on loan (Peloton Tread & TechnoGym MyRun). Peloton Tread review is up here on YT/site, whereas TechnoGym one was just site-only.
That run free mode is really cool! Great product from Wahoo. Would love to see the price come down eventually when they mature the product a bit more.
Half the time you were talking I was looking at your HR 😂 kudos for doing a review this outside of zone 2.
Hahah...thanks!
That is seriously impressive! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like these features on a treadmill.
Great review and impressive to have a casual conversation @ 180bpm 😀
Thanks!!!
He got that 180bpm zone 2 LMFAO Wow
this has been a long time coming - sort of surprised it has taken this long...glad to see it.
This is the coolest treadmill ever. The free run feature looks amazing! $5000 though is way above my budget :(
never use this phrase, but genuinely game changing for indoor running and Zwift!
The free run feature made me want to buy this. thanks for the review.
Well done for making this video whilst so sweaty!
Well, I guess I need to get rid of my sofa to make room for this in my tiny NYC apartment
That's the spirit! 😂
After I broke my leg I'm unable to run but I'd so much enjoy one of these. Great review !
I've always hated doing sprint intervals on a treadmill, a few occasions almost falling in fulls sprint as I try to press buttons to slow the treadmill down. This looks like it is so much more natural. Great video!
great point....I was just glad to see it had a interval mode....so many treadmills don't even have a programable interval mode.
Looks amazing!! An talking in 2:30/k pace that is some next level!! 😮💪
Congrats Wahoo. this thing looks amazing! I don’t run at all. But enjoy rucking uphill on treadmills as my gym warm ups. this treadmill really does look like the future of home treadmills.
you are a legend ! thanks for that video
this looks so amazing!!
Looks like a beautiful machine! I need one!
... But then I got the price point of the video :p
Awesome review!
Great review Ray and like many others who can barely breathe at those speeds I'm very impressed with the narration! This Wahoo looks really good but I don't know if it will do more than hit the market where people can spend what they like on home fitness equipment. There are so many good offerings at that price point that are solid long term tested units. My own treadmill is a more modest offering. Horizon 7.0AT. However it also integrates with Zwift. If I use Kinomap it even adds incline control along with the real world video. Going to the 7.8AT would give a person a larger motor and more features for only $2k. It's a mighty leap to the $5k for the Wahoo but for some the juice may be worth the squeeze.
The only thing I didn’t like about this review is that as someone from Europe I have to wait at least 1.5 years to get this. Amazing review and great product.
this is awesome, innovative!
Makes my Technogym MyRun look absolutely archaic at this point
Have to say i like the way they've just included a small info display & left a table - we've got an older treadmill that still goes well but the screen is so dated. Wahoo look to be getting this one right & the Zwift integration looks impressive. ✌️
I don't run, or have any interest in buying a treadmill, but this was awesome. Stopping by to juice the algo with some engagement. Great work!
Thanks! And...so close to 100K! Pre-congrats!
@@Dcrainmaker thanks so much, Ray!
From a tech point of view, awesome tech - massively improving the indoor running experience. Sadly I don't have the space (and money) for such a monster.
Nice work Wahoo
Wow! This is innovation!
I love Wahoo. I love Ray. I love this product. Kinda gutted i've recently bought a new treadmill
Now that is a Gamechanger! Only gripe I have is that in contrast to yourself, I love slat belt treadmills and find they work so much better for me as a heavy dude. So I have my fingers crossed that this is gonna be the Wahoo Runner „Core“ to later Wahoo Runner that has a slat belt
How dare you test this treadmill with less than 18 watches and 12 heart sensors? 🤣 Great video DCR!
Nice to see that something is finally happening when it comes to treadmills aka dreadmills.
Very cool!
Figures, less than a year after finally adding a treadmill in the pain cave and the exact features I wanted come via this product. Props to Wahoo for building the right things in and getting rid of the bulky head units.
This looks very impressive. In the market soon for a new treadmill, this will be on the short list. I love doing intervals on the treadmill, and this seems very well suited. I also love how you can plug in a laptop or tablet, and don't rely on a built in screen that will be the first thing to fail. Pricey, for sure, but all good treadmills these days are quite expensive. Thanks for the preview!
Wow. One of these days the Zwift running pace partners might not actually be alone all the time.
With snow on the road about 4-5 month out of the year where I live, now that is worth upgrading the Woodway!
Awesome! Is it as sturdy as a Woodway? Great to see the app being able to control speed and incline!
I would love this so much, esp. fed up of getting so cold and wet running outside at the moment
Wow this is exciting! I want this
That thing is cool!
As someone who has essentially completely transitioned to non- motorized treadmills because of the lack of an upper speed limit and the simplicity of doing short intervals without any acceleration lag, this is awesome. To hear the free run seems to work so well is so attractive and especially for the price point, makes it competitive with the high quality non- motorized treadmills.
Amazing!!
I love to run and ride, I’ve been running with Zwift and adjust my treadmill to match the screen. This looks cool.
This could be a big thing for the running side of zwift, automatic hills would be great fun and much more emmersive! Zwift could really work with Wahoo to make the game even more fun. I would love to see more running only routes. Half marathon routes, Full marathon routes with segments. Pace partners for the bigger routes so you can train for them. How about a London marathon route 👍or other iconic running routes. The treadmill looks awesome and a step in the right direction. Kudus to wahoo. Ive got a standard treadmill and it does the job with the Runn device but this is on another level, Smooth running quality like a woodway treadmill but with smart features, Amazing!
Great video as always. How is the cushion? For me running outside feels easier on my joints than most treadmills.
At 180bpm, that “like” was well deserved… cool tech; great video
Seems pretty cool, and I'm a sucker for toys.... my initial concern was the lack of quick access speed presets, but the "run free" mode seems to solve that for intervals!
Great Video. You did a great job to get met excited for it until we got the price part which is obviously not your fault. Insane price and unrealistic for most mere mortals. Its more than my Wahoo Kickr 5 with my bike attached.
Been thinking about leaps in treadmill technology and how it’s been so evolutionary. This seems revolutionary though
This is so cool. I'd love if TrainerRoad had a running app where you could do intervals with this treadmill.
BIG Love this.
Not a runner and doesn't have space for such a huge unit. So definitely not something I am in the market for. Still pretty impressed. Always nice to see innovation in this space. If nothing else, I hope runners enjoys this unit and that it can help re-vitalize Wahoo.
It'll only cost $5000 so you might as well get a couple just so you have them.
i subscribed, and used the bell option, and the like button, not sure why people dont like treadmills, but my gym has plenty of them, of course nothing like this wahoo, the one's at the gym are really heavy duty industrial treadmills, but occasionally they break down for repair, but there are so many of them, the law of average comes into play and there is always one or ten available..
Not sure what's more impressive - the tech or your ability to speak coherently while running at a 4:30 pace.
I'm sure other treadmills with high power motors could chage pace as fast as this does, its just the controls systems people chose for slower ramps. :( Even my Horizon 7.8 AT, which is pretty quick on transitions (it's claim to fame), is glacial compared to the Kickr Run prototype. I hope it launches like this and the lawyers don't ruin it. 😢
Great review, Ray! What did you think about the running surface? Sounded and looked pretty firm? Was there much bounce? How did it stack up against other decks in your opinion?
Wow, what a machine the free run, camber tilt, and downhill look absolutely amazing., I'd love that in my garage rather than going to the gym. But $5k is way out of my budget 😢 maybe in a few years the tech will drop down to more affordable units...
Great initial review. Thank you! PS. Metric conversion correction: 4:30/m is 2:48/km, not 2:28/km as captioned. 14:16
That is badass!!!!
Love the 4:30/mi flex, awesome
Yeah, I was excited because he was running at the paces that I run at. Then he multiplied his speed.
As someone who is an almost outdoor purist when it comes to running, even during winter months, there are times where the bad weather is just too much and I end up missing out. I generally don't like treadmills because of the unnatural feeling of running on a platform that flexes and makes a lot of noise, as well as struggling to reach the proper buttons to make changes during sprints. This really had me intrigued until you mentioned the $5k price tag. $2.5k and I might be pondering it.
This is very cool!!! Out of curiousity, do you get the same training benefits from running on an incline that you do running up a hill? My brain can't compute it... are you working against gravity more or no? Also as I understand it running hills makes you less likely to injure yourself at the same effort level as the flat. Is that also the case here?
They should be the same I think? The band is dragging you downwards (and backwards) and to not fall off you have to move in the exact opposite direction. I think it is just the frame of reference that is making it confusing (fixed earth vs fixed runner).
Arf just USA in the beginning :-/ The kickr run looks and sounds amazing!
Thanks for the awesome review. Very cool machine, will this TM be made available in the Netherlands?
Not till 2025.
Good, I can save some money in the meanwhile :-)
Nice review! Motor size/warranty? Maintenance requirements? Thanks, DC.
amazing
Definitely interesting tech. Price makes sense, lots of other high end exercise systems in the same ballpark. Maybe the price will be more incentive for people to run outside
Pretty cool. Hopefully it works better than their hr monitor which usually thought I was dead
I suddenly want to run on a treadmill! That looks so cool! I usually hate treadmills, I try to avoid running on one, 😂😂
Awesome 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽
Is the detection/auto speed unique to Wahoo? I’m not knowledgeable of high end treadmills but it seems pretty cool.
Wow , finally a treadmill for Zwift Kudos for Wahoo
This auto pace adjust and incline decline following terrain is going to revolutionize the treadmill industry. I want this so bad! My Star Trac Pro is getting sooooooo tired.
Nice. I like...
Will be interesting to see how it does. It's unique; a treadmill that provides meaning and ergonomics and realism for what otherwise is about as appealing as a trip to the dentist. So the price seems reasonable for what it is -- assuming it's sturdy and they don't have the reliability problems they've had with the Kickr Climb and one or two other things -- but with the catch that it's well into premium sport bike territory (or several to many years of gym membership -- heck, in the UK and EU you can still find some very solid used cars for that price) and that will put a lot of people off. And lots of people will balk at having a fitness item in their home that weighs as much as a couch....in practice this isn't an easy get for someone in a condo or a smaller house, or with any kind of nomadic lifestyle. That said I sense that not just runners but also triathletes (of which I am NOT one) will find this is going to make the "n+1" equation work a lot better than another bike.
so cool
Love to see what the noise is like
Too bulky and expensive for me at home but if any gym has that kind of treadmill experience, i'm subscribing right away 😅
Wow this is just a game changer... how great to see a company innovate features like this but that price is just too much for normal people
Very interesting @Dcrainmaker ! Is it a special version of Zwift you were using? With my BH Fitness RS900 which is FTMS 3.0, Zwift does not control the incline (Kinomap does) nor the speed. I thought they were saying "for safety" reasons they were letting the user manually set the speed which makes structured workouts very difficult to do.
Correct, a beta build.