Wahoo KICKR HEADWIND Heartrate/Speed Controlled Cycling Fan for Indoor Bike Trainers, Stationary/Spin Bikes, Cross Training,Black

Let’s face it, indoor training will never be as fun as outside but I’ve done everything I can think of to make indoor training as enjoyable as possible. Having lots of airflow is absolutely required for comfortable indoor training. For me the perfect combination is this Headwind fan set on HR control and a Lasko 4900 controlled with a wireless remote on/off switch. Throw in a couple Headsweats helmet liners and sweat is no longer an issue for me - at least in a reasonable climate controlled environment. Fall - Spring I rarely need to turn on the Lasko because the Headwind with HR control gives me all the air I need. In the Summer though with the thermostat on 76F I need the Lasko as well set on speed 2-3 to keep me comfortable. The headwind covered my chest - head and the Lasko mostly my mid to lower body but some extra flow comes up to my face. The only (minor) gripe I have about this fan is the wheels are kind of cheesy and make a rattling noise on the hardwood floor from vibration. My simple solution was to tape foam across the wheels and the front legs. On a rug / carpet that would not be an issue. Could I save money and run 2 Lasko’s? Absolutely! But having that HR control and not having to worry about having too much or too little airflow to me is worth the $ because I’m spending 3-8 hrs / week sitting in front of this thing. So over the lifespan of this unit having that extra convenience is absolutely worth it. So much so, that I just bought another Headwind for another trainer I’m setting up at a “work house” I stay at about 1 wk out of every month. As an added bonus this fan also works great with my kayak ergometer and treadmill.

I was very skeptical at spending this kind of money on a fan. In my setup before this, I would run a ceiling fan as well as an oscillating fan locked and pointed at me about 6 feet away. I thought this was adequate and didn't realize how inadequate it was until I started using the Headwind.The Headwind can be controlled 3 ways. You can use the Wahoo Fitness app on your phone/tablet to control it manually, you can use a heart rate monitor paired to the fan to control it based on heart rate, or you can pair it with a compatible Wahoo Kickr trainer and have the trainer control the fan speed based on bike speed.Controlling it from the app is quite easy. The app was able to see the Headwind immediately and controlling it is done with slider.My Wahoo Kickr trainer is an older one so is not able to control the Headwind. But I don't think this would be useful since I'm not concerned about realistic wind as I'm riding my trainer. I'm concerned about keeping cool. For example, if I'm only riding 5mph but up a 12% grade, I'm putting out a lot of power to keep moving ahead so a 5mph breeze won't do much to keep me cool.I found that controlling the fan speed with my heart rate was the most desirable solution. Pairing is pretty easy and in the manual on how to do it so I won't go into that here. Once paired, I can go into the Wahoo Fitness app and set the range that it will operate within. I have mine set to come on at 95 BPM and be at max speed at 155 BPM. My max HR is 178 BPM so this is a bit below that.I've been using the headwind for about a week now. I have it about 5 feet in front of my bike so that I feel the air on my chest and face. At full speed, this puts out a lot of air! Much more than my ceiling or other fan could provide. And with it being paired to my HRM, I just put on the strap and the fan will automatically turn on when it sees the heart rate. Can't get any easier than that! So as I start the ride, the fan will blow very little but as I exert a lot more energy and my heart rate climbs, the fan speed climbs with it. I've seen reports that people with desks (which I don't have) in front of their bikes will have the air blocked and may need to locate the Kickr off to the side rather than in front of them.Overall I'm very happy with this purchase. It's a lot of money and I hope it holds up over time. Assuming it will, this is a great purchase and great addition to my Pain Cave.

Ok, so I tried another fan option that didn’t work for me. So I gave the Wahoo tech support a call to see if the TICKR could connect to both the Headwind and the Peloton at the same time. Within 5 minutes of unboxing it, I had everything setup successfully, I first setup the app on my phone, then I paired the Headwind to my TICKR. Then I connected the TICKR to my Peloton and I successfully had the heart rate function on the Peloton working AND the Headwind was responding to the heart rate on the TICKR. Super easy setup and perfect functionality. I just log in to the Peloton, power up the Headwind, then power up the TICKR and it connects to both. You can also adjust the heart beat range in the app to initially start the fan at a specific heart rate, and then assign the specific heart rate where you want the fan to hit full speed. I also sat the fan about 18 inches away from the front wheel of the Peloton with the legs folded under the unit, and it blows the air perfectly at the rider. It’s positioned so the air flow goes right under the screen, and hits the rider from their shins to their head. The unit is totally quiet enough at the low setting, has a bit of noise at the mid setting, and does get noticeable at the full setting, however, I can easily hear my Peloton bike+ at 90% volume over the full speed fan, so that totally works for me.

Excellent choice, I don’t have to plug in or turn on the headwind, just setting once with my HR monitor and starts working, also increasing force with the HR increase. Not as heavy as it looks.

As I headlined, it is quiet and provides lots of air where you need it. Easy to set up. I don't use heart rate monitor so the fan connects by BT to my TACX Neo 2t smart trainer. The faster you ride, the faster the fan goes. The fan is expensive relatively, but I think worth it. It is nice that it is relatively smaller than a box fan, has a heavy duty cord, and is easy to move and store. Great product.

You work hard to get your workout in using your trainer...this will keep you cool and when paired with your heart rate monitor...it adjusts speed to blow just enough to keep you cool no matter how hard you work. Likely the best accessory purchase next to my speedplay pedals for my trainer. Once you've used it for a couple of rides, you will forget how much you spent and will be happy that you made the investment in yourself.