Wahoo announces Powrlink Zero pedals and Kickr Rollr smart trainer

Not content with stealing vowels from smart trainers and bike computers, fitness giant Wahoo has released its first power meter, the Powrlink Zero pedals, along with a new take on the classic set of rollers that allows users to use them for indoor cycling for the first time (with some caveats), dubbed the Kickr Rollr.

 Wahoo Powrlink Zero pedals 

Wahoo has considerable experience in the field of power measurement through its suite of smart trainers that allow riders to explore the virtual worlds of Zwift and other platforms from the comfort of their own home. However, its systems have remained resolutely shackled to what are admittedly some of the best turbo trainers on the market and, as such, have been unable to get out into the big wide world. That is, until Wahoo acquired Speedplay in 2019, and with it the perfect platform for developing a power meter that will work for riders both indoors and out.

The new Wahoo Powrlink Zero pedals are available in both a dual- and single-sided version and, like all the best power meters, they are extremely accurate; Wahoo claims +/- 1% margin of error for these, in line with the Kickr V5 smart trainer. Previously, if you wanted a pedal-based power system you were more or less confined to a Look cleat with the Garmin Vector or more recently, Favero Assioma DUO power pedals, so having power measurement in the Speedplay is a boon for those wedded to this system.

The Powrlink Zero pedals weigh in at a claimed 250g for the single sided option, and 276 for the dual, with RRPs of £549.99 / $649.99 and £849.99 / $999.99 respectively. A claimed 75-hour run time between charges should satisfy all but the most sleep-averse ultra racers, too.

Luckily we were fortunate enough to get our grubby paws on these ahead of their release. Here are our first impressions of the Wahoo Powrlink Zero pedals.

 Wahoo Kickr Rollr smart trainer 

For the longest time if you wanted to ride indoors over winter you either faced the clunky tedium of a turbo trainer, or the terrifying balancing act of a set of rollers. Turbo trainer tech has moved on in leaps and bounds lately but, no matter how good they get, they always seem to aspire to emulate the natural ride feel that a set of rollers can bring. 

Now, it seems, Wahoo has merged the two systems together into the new Kickr Rollr. The Rollr features the dual rear rollers so often seen, but couples it with a front support capable of accommodating tyres up to 2.1-inch/53mm. This should open the system up to riders with a variety of bikes, and those wanting to use it as a warm up device before various events. It should also take care of any balance issues and embarrassing warm up incidents that so often come with the classic roller systems.

Integrating accurate power measurement into a roller based system isn’t easy. If you add too much resistance to the rear rollers you’ll compromise the natural ride feel of the system or end up with tyre slip, which will throw the data way off. As such, Wahoo recommends a secondary power meter - such as the Powrlink Zeros - for data harvesting.  

That said,  it does still represent a pretty versatile system, and if it performs well it is also at an attractive price point. The RRP for the Kickr Rollr is £699.99 / $799.99, but if you need some power measurement to get the best out of the system Wahoo is offering a bundle deal for both a Rollr and a single-sided set of the Powrlink Zero pedals for £1199.99  / $1399.99.

To find out if the fitness company has really captured the natural feel of the best rollers read our first impressions of the Wahoo Kickr Rollr smart trainer.