Wahoo’s New KICKR Desk V2

KICKR DESK V2

Let’s speak in general terms for a moment. If you are riding indoors on a trainer (like a lot of us do), any sort of “desk or stand” is needed, or at least preferred. So, with that said, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that some kind of “stand” is going to be third on my list of things that are most important for indoor training. You probably have a thousand different options of things you can use, so buying something that is made for this specific purpose is not truly needed. But, if you do want something specific to make your life a bit easier than the old music stand or stool you’re using, you probably have 15 to 20 pretty decent options.

The KICKR Desk is one of those products that you don’t really think you need until you have one. And, If have one, you will NEVER go back, or at least you won’t want too. The first version was pretty good. Easy to install, nice push buttons that made it super adjustable during a ride, along with a nice, big, wide slip-resistant platform for all your devices, snacks and drinks. It was made out of steel so, unless you left it outside in the rain all the time, chances were it was going to last a really long time. It even had wheels made it easy to move around but, like a true endurance athlete, just moved forward and not side to side. And it was also a single flat platform. It was priced at a somewhat reasonable $299 so, all in all, it was better than most options on the market place.

KICKR DESK V1

Fast forward to version 2 of the Kickr Desk. It turns out that Wahoo seems to think they got most of the first version right with the first version, but have made the latest desk even better. Here’s how:

Roller Wheels

My favorite is the new wheels they have added. To start they have added a fourth wheel for improved adjustments and stability. The front two wheels now rotate 360 degrees, making it easier to move your stand into that corner spot in your garage, basement or stationary bike spot. While it’s still not as easy as the good old IKEA cart, it’s also not as annoying trying to control four wheels that want to move in four different directions. (You know what I mean.)

Bottle Inserts

Two dedicated water bottle holders keep things secure. It would be a really fun statistic to know how many laptops and iPads have had a bottle tip over when someone got a little too aggressive during a trainer sprint, adjusting the position of the desk while riding, or when a child, pet or loved one decided to come say “Hi” and knocked into the trainer desk.

Wheel / Towel Hooks

This is my second-favorite add on. The ability to add a wheel or wheels to the side of the cart is pretty clutch. Wahoo does say that these can be used for towels, but all know that towels goes around the handle bars or the head.

Cable Routing

This isn’t super special, but they do ship six dedicated stickies that can be applied to the side rails for power cables. It really cleans things up and basically saves a trip to go get them.

Price

The second version of the desk drops just over 33% of the MSRP, bringing the prices from $299 to $199. This adds to a lot of price cuts that Wahoo has been able to bring to the marketplace as of late as they have figured out how to manufacture produces more efficiently. Which is a good thing for consumers and, besides, if they don’t, someone else will.

Take Aways

What don’t like I like about the new desk? While it’s still very easy to assemble, the new desk requires some extra steps. It also would have been cool to get locks on the front two wheels. The side thumb buttons you use to adjust platform height are slightly smaller, too. Finally, I have no idea what some of the holes in the platform are for, and there’s no information about them (yet).

I’m guessing that eventually Wahoo will offer an add-on for some sort of iPhone/ iPad holder.

But, so far, the desk has been a huge improvement over the already clutch first version. Takes about 10-15 mins to install

More information can found about wahoo @ www.WahooFitness.com

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