Wahoo Kickr Headwind smart fan review - smart, cool but expensive

A fan that speeds up as your heart rate increases is an excellent idea - but you do pay for the tech

Wahoo Kickr Headwind fan
(Image credit: Simon Smythe/Cycling Weekly)
Cycling Weekly Verdict

A fan that automatically adjusts its speed according to your heart rate is a great idea, and Wahoo has done a great job of realising it with the Kickr Headwind. But if your chest strap is at all unreliable you need to control it via the Wahoo app to avoid overcooking. The fan itself can direct a powerful jet of air that cools very effectively, but due to the highly targeted blast its legs could do with a bit more adjustability so it can be more precisely positioned. At over £200/$200 it's expensive for a fan, but with a good chest strap the heart rate control function does enhance the indoor training experience.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Heart rate control function

  • +

    Powerful blast

  • +

    Reliable

  • +

    Sleek-looking design

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Expensive

  • -

    Heart rate control depends on reliable chest strap

  • -

    Legs need more adjustability for better airflow positioning

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

You don't normally expect a fan to cost well over £200 or almost $300, but the Wahoo Kickr Headwind isn’t just any old fan - it’s the world’s first smart fan.

What makes it smart is its ability to pair with sensors or the Wahoo app so that you can set the level of airflow to change automatically according to how fast you’re going (in the virtual training world), how many bpm your heart is doing or you can control it remotely using a paired smartphone.  Or if you want to set it off before you get onto the turbo trainer to start your workout, you can do it manually on the front of the unit.

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