The Bkool Pro 2 is an electronic, wheel-on trainer that uses an electromagnetic system to automatically control resistance during your workouts.
First thing’s first! Make sure you’ve downloaded the TrainerRoad app here.
Device Compatibility
Show footnotes
[1] Cadence transmitted by a smart trainer is an estimation of your cadence. This may not always be 100% accurate given potential changes in ride data throughout pedal stroke especially during periods of inconsistent cadence. For best results, the use of a dedicated cadence sensor is suggested, but not required.
[2] ANT+ USB or key may be required to connect to ANT+ devices.
[3] When pairing the Bkool Pro 2 via Bluetooth, ERG and Resistance mode are not available. The Bkool will only be able to pair as a power meter without any automatic resistance control.
[4] In order to use Bluetooth on Windows devices, a Bluetooth dongle is required. See more information here.
[5] Bkool trainers come "factory calibrated" and thus doesn't require nor can you complete a spindown calibration.
How to Use Your Bkool Pro 2
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Choosing Your Connection
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Click here to learn how to pair your devices and adjust device settings.
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Choosing Your Trainer's Mode
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Erg Mode (default)
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Calibration
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Perform a Spindown calibration before each ride to ensure that your power is always as consistent as possible.
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PowerMatch
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Using a power meter along with your trainer? Here's how to use PowerMatch.
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Bkool Pro 2 Troubleshooting
Device Dropouts
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Dropouts can be seen while riding as an absence of data. You may be experiencing device dropouts if your data values drop to zero, or to a null '--' value.
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Why this happens: The most common culprit of dropouts are typically low batteries which cause a weak signal, and interference from other nearby devices.
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The solution: Click the following link to learn how to avoid device dropouts.
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ANT+ USB not recognized
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Click here to learn more about ANT+ Troubleshooting.
Bluetooth not connecting properly
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As mentioned above, when pairing your Bkool Pro 2 to TrainerRoad, you will not be able to use ERG or resistance mode. Via Bluetooth, the Bkool Pro 2 will only be able to pair as a power meter without any type of resistance control.
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Click here to learn more about Bluetooth Smart 4.0 Troubleshooting.
Issues pairing your device
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When trying to pair your device if you're unable to see, or pair your device properly, there may be a connection issue. This could be caused by a faulty connection with the device or another application may be using your Bluetooth or ANT+ connection.
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The solution: Click on the following link to learn more about device pairing troubleshooting.
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Wattage Floor
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It takes a minimum amount of watts to simply turn the pedals on a bike. This minimum wattage requirement can increase even more in higher gears. For more information on wattage floor and what it can look like, click here.
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The solution: Change into an easier gear. This will allow your trainer to spin slower, thus allowing it to reach lower power values.
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Inaccurate Speed
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Speed readings when riding indoors on a smart trainer are inherently unreliable. The "speeds" riders achieve indoors are often not representative of speeds they'd be going outdoors at equivalent power levels.
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Simply put, indoor speed readings can be misleading and don't add any value to the workout so TrainerRoad does not display them during your ride. To learn more about speed readings on a smart trainer, click here.
Floating Power / Power Not Following Prescribed Power
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Dropouts can cause your power values to get "stuck" in place and follow a constant power rather than changing with the workout profile.
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The solution: Avoiding dropouts will help reduce the possibility of this happening.
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Wattage floor/ceiling - If you find that your power is floating above your prescribed power, typically during a recovery interval, you may be experiencing wattage floor.
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The solution: Change into an easier gear. This will allow your trainer to spin slower thus allowing it to reach lower power values. To learn more about what a wattage floor is, click here.
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Power smoothing set to too high of a value can give the illusion that your power is not following the target power when in reality, it is. Power smoothing takes a running average of your incoming power over the span of time that you have selected in your settings, 1-30 seconds. Your average power over that time span is then shown on your workout player.
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Common cases - You would notice this at the onset of an interval. When the interval starts, you may notice that your power is lagging behind quite a bit and then eventually rises to meet the prescribed wattage. This is due to the running average that's being calculated.
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The solution - To fix this, you may need to lower your power smoothing value in your settings. If power smoothing is desired, we recommend adjusting your settings to around 4-7 seconds for most workouts. This should allow you to visually smooth your power while still allowing it to your power to catch up quickly when entering intervals.
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NOTE: PowerSmoothing only visually adjusts your power during your workout. Only raw data is stored during your ride. Due to this, you may notice a difference between post, and during, workout graphs.
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ERG Mode Not Set: If your trainer is set to resistance mode (or slope/standard mode with some trainers) your power will not be automatically adjusted to match the target power. In this case, your power may be graphed similarly to that of a power meter and float around without following any workout profile.
Automatic Resistance Control (ERG) mode is not working
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If you're pairing your Bkool Pro 2 via Bluetooth, your trainer will only be able to be paired as a power meter. Using this method of pairing will only allow power data transfer without the ability to manually or automatically control resistance levels
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The Solution: In order to pair your trainer as a smart trainer, you'll need to pair via ANT+ instead.
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Note: Bkool had indicated that there was a bug in their firmware that caused the resistance adjustment problems many Bkool users were experiencing.
Not to worry though! They've released a firmware update with a fix for this, which is necessary for the best performance and functionality. Please read this article for instructions on how to update the Bkool firmware.
Bkool Pro 2 Best Practices
Update Firmware
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Updating your trainer's firmware to the latest release is very important. Many of these updates contain fixes that the manufacturer has been working on. Updating your firmware whenever the latest release is available will make sure that your device is always up-to-date with the most recent features and improvements.
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Follow the steps found in this article to update your Bkool Pro 2's firmware.
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Gearing
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When using ERG mode, follow the gearing suggestions found in our smart trainer modes explained article for best results.
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If using resistance, or standard/slope mode, you will need to make sure to shift your gears just as you would when riding outdoors. Doing so will allow you to reach your prescribed target power during your workout.
Tire Pressure
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To ensure that you're experiencing the most consistent training with a wheel-on trainer, make sure to check the following:
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Calibrate before each ride
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Ensure that your tire is inflated to the same pressure before each ride.
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Trainer Contact Pressure
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To ensure that you're experiencing the most consistent training with a wheel-on trainer, you should make sure that your trainer contact pressure is the same each time that you install your bike on the trainer. When tightening the roller onto your wheel, once the trainer touches the wheel, turn the knob 2-3 full rotations. Remember how much you tighten this tension before each workout and follow the same steps each time you place your bike back on the trainer.