Today, Elite announced a firmware update unlocking Zwift virtual shifting across their entire range of interactive direct-drive trainers, including older model versions no longer in production. With this update, the list of Elite trainers with virtual shifting support now includes:
Updating Your Firmware
If you own one of the trainers above, you can now upgrade its firmware via Elite’s Upgrado app in order to receive virtual shifting capabilities.
For the Justo 2 and Avanti, which have built-in Wi-Fi, the upgrade will happen automatically.
Virtual Shifter Options (Play/Click/Ride)
To use Zwift’s virtual shifting, you don’t just need a compatible trainer – you also need shifters! While Zwift (unfortunately) doesn’t sell the simple Click shifter as a standalone item, there are three options currently in stock at the Zwift shop:
- Zwift Play controllers: regularly $80, on sale for $50
- Zwift Click (with Cog): $80
- Zwift Ride smart frame: $800
| Play | Ride | Click | Click v2 | |
| Virtual Shifting | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Steering | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Braking | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Powerup Trigger | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Ride On Bomb button | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Game Navigation buttons | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Drop bar compatible | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Flat bar compatible | ❌ | n/a | ✅ | ✅ |
| TT bar compatible | ❌ | n/a | ✅ | ✅ |
| Sequential Shifting | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| SRAM-Style Shifting | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Shimano-Style Shifting | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Cog Included | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Power Source | USB Rechargeable | USB Rechargeable | Coin cell (CR2032) | Coin cell (CR2032) |
| Battery Life | ~20 hours | ~20 hours | >100 hours | >100 hours |
| BLE Connections* | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Price | Discontinued | $1300 (frame + trainer) or $800 (frame only) | Discontinued | $50US |
Elite tells us Zwifters can use code ELITEZCOG2024 for a €20 discount on the Cog & Click Upgrade pack.
To Cog, or Not To Cog?
You don’t need the Zwift Cog installed on your trainer for virtual shifting to work – your current cassette will work just fine. But some riders may prefer to use the Cog so it’s easier to swap between different bikes on the trainer.
Related: All About Zwift Cog: Versions, Installation, and More
A Very Strong Move from Elite
To say this is a big move from Elite would be an understatement. With industry leader Wahoo only supporting virtual shifting on their newest trainers (plus the KICKR Core), and Garmin/Tacx not supporting it at all (yet), Elite’s move to support it on all of their trainers (including versions that are several years old and not even in production anymore) should earn them a lot of goodwill with existing customers.
We all love it when new capabilities are added to existing hardware. And we really don’t like being forced to purchase new hardware to access new capabilities, when it appears as if our current hardware could do the job just fine with a quick firmware update.
I don’t have a legacy Elite trainer in-house on which to test virtual shifting, but if it works as well as it’s been working on the Direto XR, then this is a move that will earn Elite plenty of points with current customers. Bravo!
Questions or Comments?
Have you tried virtual shifting on an Elite trainer? Share your experience below! Share below!
Great! Seems like a no brainer for all smart trainers. What’s stopping companies like Saris from doing this, do we know?
Money? Do they have any?
And the correct people? I think they let them all go.
That’s great. So the Zumo model does not apply?
Unfortunately not – I had a reply from Elite Support today saying that ‘At the moment there are no plans to make Zumo compatible with Zwift Cog and Click’
Guess it’s time to reopen the Upgrado app tonight.
Report back to us Luddites if things go smoothly for a week and maybe we’ll join you.
Man now they’re going to make me put bent handlebars on my [nearly Zwift-only] mountain bike so I can use this Play thing… though the Cog seems worth a shot too.
There’s gotta be some way to make an app that allows your phone to spoof like it’s a Play though, right?
Really cool that my Suito is fair game. I’d given up hope on that a long time back.
Oh btw the Suito link, above, 404s.
I’m concerned by the number of bad reviews of the upgrado app on the Google play store. I’m not going to download it unless those concerns are a thing of the past.
I upgraded my Directo XR last year when I got my play controlers at half price.
The upgrade app worked flawlessly and it was so simple.
Haven’t had an issue with it – it’s not overly fast, but works reliable.
Just updated the firmware on my Direto X and tried it out. Worked flawlessly. 👌
Does this mean Wahoo could do the same for their older models of Kickr, and Kickr Core?
The KICKR 4 and 5 lack hardware to support both DirConnand VS.wahoo has stopped any efforts to bring VS to those models. Since the CORE doesn’t support and will never support DirCon, they were able to bring VS to that model.V6 has sufficient hardware to support both features.
Just Wonderful (Sarcasm), I bought a zwift ride package and just sold my Direto.
C’mon Garmin… You know you want to join in the fun!
Because garmin doesn’t care about there customers. They bought tacx and destroyed there image and brand.
I received information directly from ZWIFT when I wanted to return my Zwift Ride together with faulty Kickr Move that in July Garmin/Tacx should receive an update and be compatible with virtual shifting.
I’ve got a perfectly good cassette on my trainer, and I have shifters. I have to pay $80 to get a dinky little Click with the unnecessary Cog? Play controllers won’t work on my handlebars, and would interfere with the steering device I already have.
I agree it’s silly. Zwift should be selling the standalone Click for $20…
Nobody’s forcing you to buy it
Awesome support from Elite, will certainly keep this in mind when I buy my next trainer. Currently have a Saris H3, which works very well, but would be nice if they made some kind of official public announcement about virtual shifting support (or a reason why it won’t happen).
Can confirm it works well with my Direto (version 2), I had to google what app to use to update my firmware as it’s been a while lol (upgrado is the app).
I’ll do a few more rides then check the dual records to see if anything funky is going on, but it’s positive so far.
Agree that it’s nice to get the support on our old trainers, however I don’t see any reason why to replace my cassette with something that costs at least 50 €, when it’s working nicely.
E gears are like Di2 or disk brakes. You don’t “need” ’em but once you’ve tried them, you don’t go back.
Viritual shifting not working if you connect via Wi-Fi on Justo 2?
No, implementation is via Zwift BLE protocol, not WiFi.
I have recently set up old-skool downtube shifters on my zwift bike, and they are truly wonderful. I don’t shift gear very frequently indoors, but when I do it’s a little burst of nostalgia and joy!
Just upgraded the firmware to v203 on Elite Suito-T with no issues. Virtual shifting seems to work but the resistance doesn’t seem to match the real world gears. Also, the trainer calibration feature (“wrench”) on the pairing screen seems to have also disappeared. Did they also enable “Auto-Calibration” without mention? Would like to know…
I’m running into a similar issue. It felt like I was “chasing” the resistance. I did a spin down with Elite’s MyETraining app which seems to have helped but we’ll see when I race again
How did u do that? Same issue here, upgrade works but the resistance seems not correct…
So resistance feels closer now to before. Zwift is supposed to analyze your pedaling and calculate the right gear ratio. But I found it to be helpful to be in a specific gear in real life. I run a compact gear setup (50-34 with 11-34 cassette). I use the big chainring (50) and 20 or 24 (middle) gear on my cassette. This gave me the closest feeling of real resistance with the virtual gears. Also I’ve setup the virtual gear to be in 48-36 combination. That’s closest to my own real world setup. Last thing was I did SRAM style shifting instead of sequential to trick my brain into being in a 2X setup. Hope this helps you.
Must have an older version of the Direto XR as there wasn’t a firmware update for it. Weird.
Sadly no support for the Drivo either, disappointing although better than Garmin at least and those with a V4 or V5 kickr
Can confirm Suito-T but have to check the resistance-settings….
This is awesome news from Elite! It’s great to see a company actually support its older products rather than pushing us to buy something new every year. I’ve got a Direto XR and was seriously considering an upgrade just for virtual shifting—so this firmware update saved me some serious cash. Just finished updating through the Upgrado app, and it worked like a charm. Now I just need to decide between the Play or Click controllers…
By the way, for anyone like me who enjoys a bit of online fun after a training session, I’ve been chilling out with some games on pincocasinos.com —great variety and smooth interface. Helps take the edge off those brutal intervals!
so i upgraded, enabled virtual shifting. two races later, I disabled shifting. on my second race, my resistance stopped working after entering the pen. i tried disconnecting and reconnecting, but only rebooting my justo got it working again. i have a standard cassette and don’t know if my manual shifting caused the issue though I was doing it to test to see if my wattage changes at all and that’s when I discovered that I had no resistance. if anyone knows of a firmware readme it would be nice to know what cog size is expected for this to work properly.
The Zwift Cog uses a 14 tooth sprocket.
Zwift cog uses 14 but the new Elite cog uses 18 tooth
It’s not the entire range though! Mine’s a Zumo which according to a comment below, Elite have no plans to upgrade
Would love to see Garmin/Tacx add support
Kind of moot since I “upgraded” to a Kickr Core last month, but I see the Drivo (original, I think released in 2015?) isn’t on the list either. It was their first direct drive, so Any chance it was just missed or is this definitely not going to get the update
Garmin/Tacx please come with update that support Zwift virtual shifting🙏
What about tacx flux s. Is it supprorted with the cog and play?
No. Nothing from Tacx currently supports virtual shifting.
Any recommendation for gearing ratio for Elite trainers?
Small or large chainring in front?
If i use 34/19 it seems my Justo 2 struggles to go below 120Watts.
Any other with issues like that?
I tried using the Upgrado app to update my Direto (original) trainer to enable virtual shifting and it seems to fail and gives an error message. It does seem to connect but not be in a position to update firmware. Anybody else experiencing this issue?