This video was vital for me to be able to replace the bearings. Without the bottom bracket tool there was no way i'd have been able to get off the pulley without doing serious damage. My kickr core has gone from a screaming jet engine to a gentle hum. Thank you!
Technically a crank removal tool. Bottom brackets are much larger and require different removal tools. There may potentially be other ways to remove the pulley but this does appear to be the correct and best way.
Nice video. I'm also having issues getting the flywheel off. It seems stuck. I wonder if it would be a good idea to screw back in the bolt that sits at the end of the flywheel axle. Get it all back in - to protect it when you hit it with the hammer (with the wood in between to not damage the bolt). Because it is really tight.
I eventually used a benzene torch to heat the wheel and shaft. I then pounded the shaft from the drive side of the unit and got it off. The shaft had a lot of corrosion where the pulley wheel was. Removing the bearings was also a challenge. There is a short aluminum tube inside the trainer between the two bearings. I found that I could use a screw driver to shift it slightly so it was no longer lined up with the opposite bearing. This allowed me to pound the bearing out from the back side, remove the tube and pound the other bearing out. Then just put it all back together--getting the new bearings pressed in takes time. I adjusted the belt tension wheel so that it had the MINIMUM needed pressure to keep the belt from slipping. I'm hoping this will reduce pressure and wear on the drive side bearing.
Yesterday I did replace both bearings in my kickr core (3 years old ). Reason was the noise. Dismount of belt pulley weel showed corrosion on the axle. That made me to dismount flywheel and both bearings. Axle is only corroded on the wear for the right bearing. My fix was to replace both bearings and apply retaining compound Loctite 341 on the wear of the right bearing to axle. Both bearings had good pressfit contacts to the kickr housing. Did press with greese. If play I would have also apply Loctite 641. To punch out the bearings I did flip the kickr ( on the ground)to the side and had the belt wheel on my lap. So I had a good punch from top to bottom and the good contact of the feets to ground. That the force of the punch was not absorbed by the kickr which was the case if the kickr was not flipped to side.
Are these bearings interference fit and if so how did you remove and replace them and did you use bearing or race cups and what did you use to force them off and on?
Great video, Wahoo have offered me a warranty replacement which I’ll probably take albeit no trainer for 4 or 5 days but next time this goes, I now know exactly what to do, thanks!
How long is the warranty and do they send you a refurb or new unit and how long is the warranty on that? I assume that while it's in warranty any attempt to perform such a fix voids the warranty, right?
@@kovie9162 I believe it's 2 years, although mine was a bit older than that and they didn't quibble. And yeah I assumed any DIY attempts would void the warranty so I contacted them first.
@@choddo I just got my Core yesterday and saw that in the micro-print warranty sheet the customer has to pay shipping each way even for legitimate warranty repairs, which seems kind of crazy given how heavy it is and how expensive shipping is likely to be. I wonder if in practice they often pay for shipping despite this wording. If they don't and I come across an issue I might try to fix it myself. I can certainly replace a belt and can probably replace the bearings and some other parts. Hopefully though there won't be any issues for some time to come, and if there are it'll happen within the Amazon 30 day return window.
@@choddo Good to know in case I need it, but hopefully I won't. Just did my first Core ride today. Very short one as I spent much of the day prepping my bike for it, just over 4 miles, but I was impressed by the variable resistance and smoothness of the transitions. This is going to make indoor riding this winter a lot easier.
For anybody that tries this, I have a Wahoo Kickr Core from 2021. It is now exactly 2 years old with about 3000 miles on it. I removed the set screw on the pulley wheel but the crank extractor tool was still not able to remove it. It eventually pulled the threads out of the pulley and it didn't budge. I suppose it may be corroded onto the shaft. I already bought a Zwift Hub as a replacement so at this point I'm going to try to be more persuasive with the pulley wheel! I will update my comment with how this turns out.
It made a wahwahwah sound that increased in speed as my cadence increased. It also had a vibration i could feel though the bike. I sent Wahoo a video and they said it was a bearing.
@@kovie9162 Yes and yes. I've used a torch before to free nuts on an old flatbed so I figured I'd give that a shot. Unfortunately the penetrating oil didn't help and I stripped the threads with the crank puller, so things got a bit complicated. :-)
@@BrennerKlenzman-i7c I've never used heat myself although a neighbor did once try to use it on an axle that seized into and refused to come out of a hub on an old car I have. It didn't work though, nor penetrating oil and various pullers and pushers, so I ended up removing the assembly and having a local shop remove it with a 20 ton press. Otherwise I've always been able to remove stuck parts with oil, hammering and a removal tool, on my cars and bikes. What oil did you use, how long did you wait, and did you also try to gently hammer on the sides to try to break the corrosive bond? A lot of people use WD-40 which is not a penetrating oil and a poor substitute for something like PB Blaster. I just had some issues removing a crank arm from my bike in order to remove and clean the chainrings, that hadn't been removed in years. I was unable to do it by hand so I used an impact wrench on its lowest setting and it got it off right away. You might have tried to do it this way, blipping the impact briefly with the removal tool inserted, then using the lock bolt to blip it tight, over and over, to break the corrosive bond. But what's done is done and with a new pulley hopefully it won't happen again. Just make sure to lightly grease it or apply anti-seize.
Thank you David. That was very helpful. I had no idea how I was going to get that flywheel loose. Question for you or anyone else. Do you think it's possible that a bad bearing could cause the kickr to stop recording data? Mine just stopped in the middle of a ride. No speed, no power being transmitted. Bluetooth and ant+ connections are fine.
DC Rainmaker had a video with the CEO of Wahoo and this was power supply related issue, mainly ESD. - KICKR CORE No Power/Speed Issues: This is probably the most challenging issue of all. This is the result of electrostatic discharge (ESD) that results in killing the onboard chip responsible for that. Totally dead killing, no half-deaths here. There’s no recovery from this except a unit swap. Wahoo details in the video what they’re doing to address this. The first step is switching to new power supplies (the power brick thing you plug in the wall) with discharge grounding. This should help most people. The second is adding an ESD diode to the CORE itself. They did note that this has actually been the same since the very original KICKR, it’s just that the KICKR sales volumes Wahoo has now are dramatically bigger (read: they’re selling way more units). It’s notable that when Wahoo support sends folks a replacement KICKR, they are very explicit in telling folks not to use the older (non-protected) power supply and instead to use the new power supply. They even have a nifty picture to tell them apart with green and red text.
When i got the flywheel off i noticed that it has a black and white pattern near the shaft on the inside of the flywheel. I'm guessing it has an optical sensor that reads the pattern to tell how fast it's rotating. If that got dirty or the sensor failed (dirty, or otherwise failed) maybe that would make it quit reporting data?
How did the RS bearing hold up? Was the heat generated by the flywheel too much for them? I think I need to replace my bearings as well and was wondering if the rubber seal faces degraded or can handle the temps? Thanks.
I replaced mine and then adjusted the tension pulley so it has the MINIMUM amount of pressure needed to prevent the belt from slipping. I'm wondering if the belts are too tight from the factory and put too much pressure on the bearing.
Having replaced bearings on cars these appear to be smaller versions of those, and given that car bearings experience far more tension, load, abuse and heat than trainer bearings I'm guessing that if they're high quality they will be able to handle all this.
@@kovie9162yeah I guess that makes sense. Crap bearings used in production. That said, it can't hurt to decrease the belt tension and might help? I don't want to take that dumb thing apart every 2 years.
@@BrennerKlenzman-i7c On cars there are often automatic tensioners, generally springs and/or hydraulic ones that make sure that the tension is just right, enough to prevent slipping or skipping but not so much as to wear down bearings and pulleys. But just as often there aren't and it's up to the installer to set the correct tension and check and adjust it periodically. Timing belts are generally tensioned whereas A/C and alternator belts usually aren't. I haven't seen the inside of any trainers to know if they employ any sort of tensioner, but for those that don't it's imperative to set the tension properly per the manufacturer's specs and methods and not just wing it.
I tried using a mallet with a 2x4 to knock the axle out, but it just won’t budge. Aside from me whacking it harder, any tips on how to drive the axle out ?
@@kwaktube I had to hit it very hard but I put a block of aluminium in between hammer and the axle. U need something softer than steel so your hammer doesn’t damage the axle.
I eventually used a benzene torch to heat the wheel and shaft. I then pounded the shaft from the drive side of the unit and got it off. The shaft had a lot of corrosion where the pulley wheel was. Removing the bearings was also a challenge. There is a short aluminum tube inside the trainer between the two bearings. I found that I could use a screw driver to shift it slightly so it was no longer lined up with the opposite bearing. This allowed me to pound the bearing out from the back side, remove the tube and pound the other bearing out. Then just put it all back together--getting the new bearings pressed in takes time. I adjusted the belt tension wheel so that it had the MINIMUM needed pressure to keep the belt from slipping. I'm hoping this will reduce pressure and wear on the drive side bearing.
Bonjour ! Je souhaiterais savoir quel type ou bien le modèle d'extracteur de roulements que vous avez utilisé pour extraire les deux roulements à billes 6003 Z? Merci
@@davidcaso Thank you for the video - Drive side bearing on mine was definitely leaking. Replaced both of them (with the 2RS) and my quiet Core is back - much appreciated !
Previous bearings caused an erosion on the axle. I found a way to replicate the axle (boring machine +steel but I need to remove the axle from the weight. Do you know how to do it?
What was your strategy for getting that second bearing off the shaft? I can't get gear puller arms underneath with little clearance, and don't want to bend the shaft...
There is a tube inside the trainer between the two bearings. I found that i could shift it slightly with a screw driver so that it wasn't inline with the bearing on the opposite side, then i could get a screw driver against it and pound it out.
@@brennerklenzman Same worked for me, offset the tube then I had a suitably sized steel rod to batter the bearing out, second bearing easier to extract
I used a standard size crank puller. It looked to small when I got it home, until I lined it up and screwed it in place. I can measure it if that helps.
I eventually used a benzene torch to heat the wheel and shaft. I then pounded the shaft from the drive side of the unit and got it off. The shaft had a lot of corrosion where the pulley wheel was. Removing the bearings was also a challenge. There is a short aluminum tube inside the trainer between the two bearings. I found that I could use a screw driver to shift it slightly so it was no longer lined up with the opposite bearing. This allowed me to pound the bearing out from the back side, remove the tube and pound the other bearing out. Then just put it all back together--getting the new bearings pressed in takes time. I adjusted the belt tension wheel so that it had the MINIMUM needed pressure to keep the belt from slipping. I'm hoping this will reduce pressure and wear on the drive side bearing.
This video was vital for me to be able to replace the bearings. Without the bottom bracket tool there was no way i'd have been able to get off the pulley without doing serious damage. My kickr core has gone from a screaming jet engine to a gentle hum. Thank you!
How many bearings are in there?
one
@@ingolfstern9873
@@ingolfstern9873 one on each side
Technically a crank removal tool. Bottom brackets are much larger and require different removal tools. There may potentially be other ways to remove the pulley but this does appear to be the correct and best way.
Since this was done three years ago, how are the rubber-sealed bearings holding up? No issue with heat impacting the rubber?
How did you get the bearings back in? Thanks
Thank you. I couldn't work out how to remove the pulley until I watched your video. It certainly doesn't just clip off as others have suggested.
Right?! That’s why I made this. I could not figure it out. I am glad it was helpful.
Do you have a part number on the puller? My bikes use BB30 cranks so I use a different puller.
Thank you. Followed this and fixed my kickr core.. No more knocking sound while riding 😊
Nice video. I'm also having issues getting the flywheel off. It seems stuck. I wonder if it would be a good idea to screw back in the bolt that sits at the end of the flywheel axle. Get it all back in - to protect it when you hit it with the hammer (with the wood in between to not damage the bolt). Because it is really tight.
I eventually used a benzene torch to heat the wheel and shaft. I then pounded the shaft from the drive side of the unit and got it off. The shaft had a lot of corrosion where the pulley wheel was. Removing the bearings was also a challenge. There is a short aluminum tube inside the trainer between the two bearings. I found that I could use a screw driver to shift it slightly so it was no longer lined up with the opposite bearing. This allowed me to pound the bearing out from the back side, remove the tube and pound the other bearing out. Then just put it all back together--getting the new bearings pressed in takes time. I adjusted the belt tension wheel so that it had the MINIMUM needed pressure to keep the belt from slipping. I'm hoping this will reduce pressure and wear on the drive side bearing.
Thanks ! Only video mentioning the crank removal tool, I definitely needed that tip!
Thanks for the video, just done mine. Now I realise why afterwards you didn't 'reshoot' it as a step by step guide!
Hi thanks for the tips! But I can’t get out the bearings. Using a hammer too? From which side ?
I got it. Used a hammer and some wood (stick) that fits the hole / shaft .
Yesterday I did replace both bearings in my kickr core (3 years old ). Reason was the noise. Dismount of belt pulley weel showed corrosion on the axle. That made me to dismount flywheel and both bearings. Axle is only corroded on the wear for the right bearing. My fix was to replace both bearings and apply retaining compound Loctite 341 on the wear of the right bearing to axle. Both bearings had good pressfit contacts to the kickr housing. Did press with greese. If play I would have also apply Loctite 641. To punch out the bearings I did flip the kickr ( on the ground)to the side and had the belt wheel on my lap. So I had a good punch from top to bottom and the good contact of the feets to ground. That the force of the punch was not absorbed by the kickr which was the case if the kickr was not flipped to side.
Are these bearings interference fit and if so how did you remove and replace them and did you use bearing or race cups and what did you use to force them off and on?
Great video, Wahoo have offered me a warranty replacement which I’ll probably take albeit no trainer for 4 or 5 days but next time this goes, I now know exactly what to do, thanks!
How long is the warranty and do they send you a refurb or new unit and how long is the warranty on that? I assume that while it's in warranty any attempt to perform such a fix voids the warranty, right?
@@kovie9162 I believe it's 2 years, although mine was a bit older than that and they didn't quibble. And yeah I assumed any DIY attempts would void the warranty so I contacted them first.
@@choddo I just got my Core yesterday and saw that in the micro-print warranty sheet the customer has to pay shipping each way even for legitimate warranty repairs, which seems kind of crazy given how heavy it is and how expensive shipping is likely to be. I wonder if in practice they often pay for shipping despite this wording.
If they don't and I come across an issue I might try to fix it myself. I can certainly replace a belt and can probably replace the bearings and some other parts. Hopefully though there won't be any issues for some time to come, and if there are it'll happen within the Amazon 30 day return window.
@@kovie9162maybe that’s country specific. I didn’t pay for shipping in either direction in the UK.
@@choddo Good to know in case I need it, but hopefully I won't. Just did my first Core ride today. Very short one as I spent much of the day prepping my bike for it, just over 4 miles, but I was impressed by the variable resistance and smoothness of the transitions. This is going to make indoor riding this winter a lot easier.
For anybody that tries this, I have a Wahoo Kickr Core from 2021. It is now exactly 2 years old with about 3000 miles on it. I removed the set screw on the pulley wheel but the crank extractor tool was still not able to remove it. It eventually pulled the threads out of the pulley and it didn't budge. I suppose it may be corroded onto the shaft. I already bought a Zwift Hub as a replacement so at this point I'm going to try to be more persuasive with the pulley wheel! I will update my comment with how this turns out.
So did you also had a sound of the bearings when you pushed with a certain
Amounth of torque? Is that the Reason you have chanced the bearings?
It made a wahwahwah sound that increased in speed as my cadence increased. It also had a vibration i could feel though the bike. I sent Wahoo a video and they said it was a bearing.
Did you apply penetrating oil to deal with any corrosion-related seizing or galling? And by pulled the thread you mean it destroyed the threads?
@@kovie9162 Yes and yes. I've used a torch before to free nuts on an old flatbed so I figured I'd give that a shot. Unfortunately the penetrating oil didn't help and I stripped the threads with the crank puller, so things got a bit complicated. :-)
@@BrennerKlenzman-i7c I've never used heat myself although a neighbor did once try to use it on an axle that seized into and refused to come out of a hub on an old car I have. It didn't work though, nor penetrating oil and various pullers and pushers, so I ended up removing the assembly and having a local shop remove it with a 20 ton press. Otherwise I've always been able to remove stuck parts with oil, hammering and a removal tool, on my cars and bikes.
What oil did you use, how long did you wait, and did you also try to gently hammer on the sides to try to break the corrosive bond? A lot of people use WD-40 which is not a penetrating oil and a poor substitute for something like PB Blaster.
I just had some issues removing a crank arm from my bike in order to remove and clean the chainrings, that hadn't been removed in years. I was unable to do it by hand so I used an impact wrench on its lowest setting and it got it off right away.
You might have tried to do it this way, blipping the impact briefly with the removal tool inserted, then using the lock bolt to blip it tight, over and over, to break the corrosive bond. But what's done is done and with a new pulley hopefully it won't happen again. Just make sure to lightly grease it or apply anti-seize.
Thank you David. That was very helpful. I had no idea how I was going to get that flywheel loose. Question for you or anyone else. Do you think it's possible that a bad bearing could cause the kickr to stop recording data? Mine just stopped in the middle of a ride. No speed, no power being transmitted. Bluetooth and ant+ connections are fine.
DC Rainmaker had a video with the CEO of Wahoo and this was power supply related issue, mainly ESD.
- KICKR CORE No Power/Speed Issues: This is probably the most challenging issue of all. This is the result of electrostatic discharge (ESD) that results in killing the onboard chip responsible for that. Totally dead killing, no half-deaths here. There’s no recovery from this except a unit swap. Wahoo details in the video what they’re doing to address this. The first step is switching to new power supplies (the power brick thing you plug in the wall) with discharge grounding. This should help most people. The second is adding an ESD diode to the CORE itself. They did note that this has actually been the same since the very original KICKR, it’s just that the KICKR sales volumes Wahoo has now are dramatically bigger (read: they’re selling way more units). It’s notable that when Wahoo support sends folks a replacement KICKR, they are very explicit in telling folks not to use the older (non-protected) power supply and instead to use the new power supply. They even have a nifty picture to tell them apart with green and red text.
When i got the flywheel off i noticed that it has a black and white pattern near the shaft on the inside of the flywheel. I'm guessing it has an optical sensor that reads the pattern to tell how fast it's rotating. If that got dirty or the sensor failed (dirty, or otherwise failed) maybe that would make it quit reporting data?
How did the RS bearing hold up? Was the heat generated by the flywheel too much for them? I think I need to replace my bearings as well and was wondering if the rubber seal faces degraded or can handle the temps? Thanks.
I replaced mine and then adjusted the tension pulley so it has the MINIMUM amount of pressure needed to prevent the belt from slipping. I'm wondering if the belts are too tight from the factory and put too much pressure on the bearing.
Having replaced bearings on cars these appear to be smaller versions of those, and given that car bearings experience far more tension, load, abuse and heat than trainer bearings I'm guessing that if they're high quality they will be able to handle all this.
@@kovie9162yeah I guess that makes sense. Crap bearings used in production. That said, it can't hurt to decrease the belt tension and might help? I don't want to take that dumb thing apart every 2 years.
@@BrennerKlenzman-i7c On cars there are often automatic tensioners, generally springs and/or hydraulic ones that make sure that the tension is just right, enough to prevent slipping or skipping but not so much as to wear down bearings and pulleys.
But just as often there aren't and it's up to the installer to set the correct tension and check and adjust it periodically. Timing belts are generally tensioned whereas A/C and alternator belts usually aren't.
I haven't seen the inside of any trainers to know if they employ any sort of tensioner, but for those that don't it's imperative to set the tension properly per the manufacturer's specs and methods and not just wing it.
Great video. Can I ask how you got the pulley back on after extracting it? Just hammer softly with a 2x4?
Sorry for the delay. Yes. Light taps.
May I ask what is size for that pulley remove tool? Yes, in some videos guy just take off by hand but I think for Core it is not possible. Thanks!
@@zf3d it is a crank arm extractor tool. For the older style octalink bottom brackets.
I tried using a mallet with a 2x4 to knock the axle out, but it just won’t budge. Aside from me whacking it harder, any tips on how to drive the axle out ?
Any update on this issue? My axle is stuck too.😢
@@kwaktube I had to hit it very hard but I put a block of aluminium in between hammer and the axle. U need something softer than steel so your hammer doesn’t damage the axle.
I eventually used a benzene torch to heat the wheel and shaft. I then pounded the shaft from the drive side of the unit and got it off. The shaft had a lot of corrosion where the pulley wheel was. Removing the bearings was also a challenge. There is a short aluminum tube inside the trainer between the two bearings. I found that I could use a screw driver to shift it slightly so it was no longer lined up with the opposite bearing. This allowed me to pound the bearing out from the back side, remove the tube and pound the other bearing out. Then just put it all back together--getting the new bearings pressed in takes time. I adjusted the belt tension wheel so that it had the MINIMUM needed pressure to keep the belt from slipping. I'm hoping this will reduce pressure and wear on the drive side bearing.
My doesnt seem to have a set screw that I can find. I think I bought mine 2021. Is it a different system?
How do you get into the motherboard board thing to replace ac wire adapter
Bonjour ! Je souhaiterais savoir quel type ou bien le modèle d'extracteur de roulements que vous avez utilisé pour extraire les deux roulements à billes 6003 Z? Merci
How did the 6003 2RS bearings work out ? Any problems ? Thanks for the video !
So far so good. They feel pretty smooth still. About 800 miles on them so far.
@@davidcaso Thank you for the video -
Drive side bearing on mine was definitely leaking. Replaced both of them (with the 2RS) and my quiet Core is back - much appreciated !
how did you get the bearings out, some kind of a drift?
What did you end up doing? Mine required some prying.
Previous bearings caused an erosion on the axle. I found a way to replicate the axle (boring machine +steel but I need to remove the axle from the weight. Do you know how to do it?
Did you figure this out? Sorry to miss your question. Hi
What was your strategy for getting that second bearing off the shaft? I can't get gear puller arms underneath with little clearance, and don't want to bend the shaft...
Any update on getting the bearing off the shaft?
There is a tube inside the trainer between the two bearings. I found that i could shift it slightly with a screw driver so that it wasn't inline with the bearing on the opposite side, then i could get a screw driver against it and pound it out.
@@brennerklenzman Same worked for me, offset the tube then I had a suitably sized steel rod to batter the bearing out, second bearing easier to extract
Thank you, that helped
Is that pulley puller available on Amazon for bikes?
It's a stand pedal remover. Spend a few quid on one, I've had cheaper ones pull their thread rather than the pedal!
Where did you get the pulley remover tool
Bike shop that sells the tools
Hi what is the size of tha crank puller to remove the pulley?
I used a standard size crank puller. It looked to small when I got it home, until I lined it up and screwed it in place.
I can measure it if that helps.
@@davidcaso Could you give the make and model of the crank puller? Thank you
The flywheel isn't coming off. Someone has an idea about the reason?
Ive got the exact same problem. Did you figure it out?
I eventually used a benzene torch to heat the wheel and shaft. I then pounded the shaft from the drive side of the unit and got it off. The shaft had a lot of corrosion where the pulley wheel was. Removing the bearings was also a challenge. There is a short aluminum tube inside the trainer between the two bearings. I found that I could use a screw driver to shift it slightly so it was no longer lined up with the opposite bearing. This allowed me to pound the bearing out from the back side, remove the tube and pound the other bearing out. Then just put it all back together--getting the new bearings pressed in takes time. I adjusted the belt tension wheel so that it had the MINIMUM needed pressure to keep the belt from slipping. I'm hoping this will reduce pressure and wear on the drive side bearing.
nice video, pity you didn't show the reassembly.
Point well taken.
Please tell me the belt model)
I am unsure of the belt model. I reused the same belt.