Elite has announced the upcoming release of their first “Zwift Ready” trainer, officially named the “Direto XR with Zwift Cog and Click”. Let’s dive into specs, pricing, and what this (hopefully) means for existing Direto-XR owners…
Trainer Specs
This version of the Direto has the same specs as the Direto-XR (and XR-T, which is just a Direto-XR sold without a cassette). It’s the same trainer, but with updated firmware and a Zwift Cog installed. Key specs include:
- Gradient simulation: 24%
- Flywheel: 5.1kg
- Max wattage: 2300W
- Power accuracy: +/- 1.5%
The one difference? It ships with the Cog and Click, along with updated firmware so the trainer supports virtual shifting on Zwift!
Pricing and Availability
Elite isn’t giving firm ship dates yet for the new Direto, but they told us, “It’s looking like October here in Europe/UK and November for overseas markets.” The trainer’s homepage confirms this, stating, “The Direto XR with Zwift Cog and Click is an Elite collaboration for the Zwift Ready program, available at the best bike shops, both offline and online, starting in November.”
Elite says the Direto-XR with Cog and Click will retail for €649, and that includes a coupon for 2 months of Zwift.
As far as we can tell, Elite has not stated planned pricing for US and UK markets. Current exchange rates would put the equivalent US dollar price at around $720, and £550 for Zwifters in the UK. But with the Direto-XR currently selling on Amazon for $559, and the Direto-XR-T selling for $528, we expect US pricing to come in closer to $600-$650US, since you could simply buy the Direto-XR-T on Amazon plus the Cog and Click for around $608 today and have a Direto-XR with Zwift Cog and Click once the firmware update is released (more on that below).
Good News for Current Direto-XR and XR-T Owners
Since the Direto-XR with Zwift Cog and Click has the same internals as the XR and XR-T, you would think that releasing a firmware upgrade for current Direto-XR owners (thus bringing virtual shifting capabilities to their trainers) would be a simple matter. It seems that it is not, though, and current Direto XR owners will need to wait a bit to get virtual shifting support.
Elite has confirmed that “We have a firmware update for the Direto XR / XR-Ts on our schedule, aiming to make them Zwift Ready by the end of the year.” Why the delay? Priorities. Elite tells us, “We launched 5 new winter products this year and have many more in the pipe-line and we are fully dedicated to those projects to make sure everything runs smoothly.”
Once the firmware update is released, anyone with a virtual shifting controller (Zwift Play or Click) will be able to enjoy virtual shifting using their existing cassette and Direto-XR trainer. If you want to move to the single-cog setup, though, you’ll need to purchase the Cog and Click upgrade kit from Zwift. Elite says you’ll want to buy the upgrade kit without a freehub, so the Cog will mount directly on your trainer’s existing freehub.
And yes: if you install the Zwift Cog on your Direto, you’ll be able to use the Zwift Ride smart frame on your trainer. Bellissimo!
Wrapping It Up
It’s always nice when a company upgrades current hardware without requiring another purchase. Doing so earns customer loyalty in big, big ways. Hopefully current Direto XR owners will get an early Christmas present of fresh firmware.
US/UK pricing is one big question here. The Direto-XR has higher specs than the Wahoo KICKR Core Zwift One and JetBlack Victory, boasting slightly better power accuracy (1.5% vs 2%), higher maximum wattage (2400W vs 1800W), and thus higher max incline (24% vs 16%). So it would make sense for Elite to price the new Direto-XR with Zwift Cog and Click slightly higher than the Core (€499) or Victory (€449). It’ll be interesting to see where pricing lands.
It’ll also be interesting to see if we hear any Zwift Ready news from Garmin/Tacx now that Wahoo and Elite have released products. So far, the silence has been deafening…
Questions or Comments?
Thoughts on Elite’s first Zwift Ready announcement? Questions? Anything other than complaints about Wahoo not rolling out virtual shifting to the KICKR v5 and v4? 😉 Share below!
wpDiscuz
