In my pain cave/shed, I currently utilise a sheet music stand as my iPad holder and a large conventional floor fan as my cooling mechanism - total combined purchase price ≈ £70.
Is anybody able to convince me, now that the sales are upon us, that I should spend a total of £370 on a Kickr Desk and Headwind?
All the money you spend on these accessories, you cannot spend on junk food anymore, thus making you healthier and your training goals more achievable @RichieS .
I used a music stand for years with my trainer but last year got a trainer desk on Amazon. Very similar to the Wahoo product and it is convenient for holding more stuff. Obviously, you can use a bigger laptop or monitor on the desk than on music stand. I have a couple of small fans I use and have them hooked up with inexpensive remote control sockets so I can turn them on/off while riding. Maybe not as snazzy or automated as the Wahoo fan but they do the job for me. I’m all for anything that removes impediments to riding and makes riding a trainer less tedious.
I am very happy with the overbed table I got from Argos for £40 which is very stable for a laptop - it goes end on over the front wheel:
It’s fine but if I was starting again I would probably buy one of the Amazon or similar (cheap) trainer desks.
Fan wise I am VERY happy with my Cardio 54. Currently £100 but I got mine for about £80 in a black friday deal last year:
I have it stood on a speaker stand, the air flow clears the top of the laptop really well. It’s a bit of a fiddle to position correctly but once it’s in the right place it is brilliant. Personally I would always go for a fan with a manual remote control for speed rather than HRM based.
I’ve got the fan (great deal at the time) but think there are better (that is, more powerful) ones for less money.
I get super sweaty and run a small table fan directed at my face, the Headwind in front and a larger adjustable floor fan to my right.
If you wanna spend money, I can’t say enough good things about the Climb.
If you have space a, lightning-HDMI dongle to connect my iPad to a flat screen TV, sound bar and wall mount improved my experience far more than a designer desk could.
+1. Having a bigger screen to look at that is more at eye height reduces extra strain on your neck. I have the Wahoo desk as I need a handy place to place all those Gummi bears! Having one, regardless of the brand, is a great help. We also have a regular shop fan which works great - there is a topic solely on fans, which was a good resource.
~5 years or so ago at a different home I had my trainer set up in front of a big screen TV. It was fine, but I transitioned to using a laptop on a stand and prefer that. Last year, for the heck of it I tried using a big monitor for a while, but again went back to just using the laptop. Of course I adjust the height and the angle for optimum viewing while riding the trainer. Since the laptop is a lot closer than the big screen, it subtends the same angle…and of course I can use the touch screen. Nowadays, big screen LCD tvs have gotten really cheap, plenty cheap enough to have one dedicated to the trainer if that’s your bag.
True, although it’s beer rather than junk food that is my weakness. It’s just so tasty!
Thanks for all the replies and advice! I think I might be sold on the idea of a dedicated table/desk and have seen that a recently troubled online retailer have their own brand one with power sockets for quite a lot less than the Wahoo one.
But yeah, a desk would be good if it allows you to reach the laptop.
I use the Wahoo desk/table and have zero regrets about paying full price for it and the Wahoo mat when I got my Kickr Bike. Both have exceeded expectations. The table is so easy to adjust height to exactly where you want it, easy to roll forward beyond the handlebars that might rise and hit it when it’s too close, but great to roll it in close to me as I sit upright if I want to type something on the laptop, etc. I actually transported my KICKR Bike when I traveled 900 miles by car (Subaru Outback) to New Hampshire late November, gone for a week and knew I HAD to have some exercise there. The tabletop comes off with minimal trouble, and the side leg supports would have also if I’d needed, making it pretty easy to pack in a car. I was SO GLAD I took the KICKR!
The mat is superb as well. I have the bike in air conditioned space, so it certainly helps control sweat, but I’m amazed at how easy the mat stays clean and looking great.
I use 2 small fans from Walmart, very basic, connected to power strip along with the KICKR Bike, so I turn the strip on when time to ride, and fans are aimed up from both sides and do very well covering my whole body. It’s always a bit chilly at first but I warm up quickly and it’s all fine after that. I use top speed on them for most rides, but if I know the whole ride will be lower intensity, zone2 or less, I can drop the speed to medium on the fans and be fine also. I do like the both sides angles of airflow.
I am impressed! That is serious dedication.
Late to the party, but +1 to many of these. Wholeheartedly endorse the Climb (though I’m on my second one due to failure) and a larger screen. I have a used 42" LCD that is mounted on a low table in front of my bars at about wheel height, angled up. Connected to my laptop via HDMI. Most immersive.
Have had the Kickr fan for over a year now. I like it very much and it’s fine, but…not worth it. I run it with a large metal fan on the floor next to me angled up. Combined they’re 
, but the big floor fan was at most 1/3 the price of the Kickr and delivers more bang for the buck.
(Did I mention I can’t get the Kickr fan’s HR to sync w the Polar HRM I just switched to? Have to run it manually or in speed mode - it’s fine I guess).
@CPT_A Have you gone through the steps to pair it to the Polar HRM? I’ve also found during pairing physically holding my hand or finger on the HEADWIND can get it to pair quicker.
@CPT_A It should work. I have the H10 paired to the Headwind.
I have the headwind and climb, but got a different cheaper desk to use. I like the headwind but the climb is awesome and the one most worth the purchase (even though I think it’s probably more useful on something like Zwift, Fulgaz or Rouvy.
Just got the H10 myself and it works fine. The Headwind will only remember the last HRM it paired to so…
Have the Kickr Desk. Got it a few months ago when I started a new job that I could do while spinning. I recommend it if it isn’t too much of a stretch to buy, especially if you’re serious enough about riding. Good height, adjustability, and surface area. It’s just a desk at the end of the day, but it’s a good one. A little more than I wanted to pay, but still within reason.
Do not have the Headwind but am tempted to buy one.
I’m using the headwind and like it. But I should have taken something cheaper and should have bought the Climb instead. I’m using an ironing board to put my Ipad, food and extra towel onto 
