In the world of Zwift, last week was exciting with the release of the Zwift Play Controllers. To start out our picks for this week’s videos, we’ve got a Lama’s run-down of the Play Controllers with some hands-on experience. Following this, we’ve got a video about a Zwift racing ‘hack,’ the latest workout of the week, a Zwift racing challenge, and a racing short story.
New Hardware from Zwift // Zwift Play Controller
As usual, Shane Miller, aka GPLama has released a video summarizing the setup, function, and his thoughts on the all-new Zwift Play Controllers.
Zwift Racing | Is this the ultimate Zwift hack?
In his latest video, The Watt Life looks at his most recent Zwift race, providing commentary on the race. Additionally, he discovers a ‘hack’ that he found helped him improve his positioning in Zwift races.
The Volcano | Zwift Workout of the Week
Matt from Target 2.5 decided to push himself with the Zwift Workout of the Week. Despite having forgotten to turn his fan on, he pushes through and completes the workout. He also gives views and updates on what is going on in his life.
Racing on Zwift at 100kg. Can I hold on?
Ollie from The Ollie & Bonnie Triathlon Show decided to give himself a bit of a challenge by increasing his in-game weight by 30kg, taking it from 70kg to 100kg. How long can he hold onto the pack?
A Zwift Short Story!
Ryan Condon recently joined Zwift and has been documenting his journey ever since. However, in this video, he tells the story of his most recent Zwift race where he found himself demoralized.
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
This weekend sees the return of the RoboPacer Alpe rides. Additionally, we’ve selected a wide variety of events including group rides, races, workouts, and endurance rides!
The Summit Seeker event is back! This is an amazing way for people to improve their times on the Alpe. The group ride will have several categories with different time goals. Robopacers will start at 75% of the target pace prior to the start of the actual climb.
This event takes place over one lap of the Road to Sky course. Note: it takes ~5 kilometers (3 miles) to get to the base of the climb.
✅ Popular Event ✅ Feel-Good Factor ✅ Beginner Friendly
Join Team Type 1 for this 60-minute social ride. Team Type 1’s goal is to help raise awareness for the disease. Donations are welcome and greatly appreciated by the team. The leader will maintain a steady pace of 1.5-2 w/kg for the full duration of the ride. Additionally, both leaders and sweeps will be present in the ride.
The group ride takes place over 60 minutes on The Fan Flats course in Richmond. This is a great route for a social ride as there is minimal climbing.
Every weekend, the Saudi Cycling Federation (SACF) hosts a race with a bit of a different category system. Rather than the traditional categories, this race has a standard category C but a category B that covers both Category A and B. Additionally, a women-only category is available.
The race takes place on the Temples and Towers course in the Makuri Islands.
Looking for a well-paced endurance ride? The Cryo-Gen Sunday Endurance ride is a great option for both avid and beginner riders. A leader and sweep will be present for both category groups, and the team at Cryo-Gen also highly encourages stronger riders to drop back to assist those who fall off the back.
This 90-minute endurance ride takes place on the Beach Island Loop course in Watopia. Riders will complete multiple loops of this course.
For those who fancy an endurance group ride, Le Col has you covered. These weekly workouts are designed by former professional cyclist, Chris Opie. This week’s workout features three longer sets of intervals, amounting to 90 minutes of riding.
The group workout takes place on the Makuri 40 course. Due to the rubberbanding that occurs in group workouts, the speed will be slower than usual for most riders.
We choose each weekend’s Notable Events based on a variety of factors including:
Is the event unique/innovative in some way?
Are celebrities (pro riders, etc) attending/leading?
Are signup counts already high, meaning the event is extra-popular?
Does the ride include desirable unlocks or prizes?
Does the event appeal to ladies on Zwift? (We like to support this under-represented group!)
Is it for a good cause?
Is it just plain crazy (extra long races, world record attempts, etc)?
Is it a long-running, popular weekly event with a dedicated leader who deserves a shout out?
In the end, we want to call attention to events that are extra-special and therefore extra-appealing to Zwifters. If you think your event qualifies, comment below with a link/details and we may just include it in an upcoming post!
Your Thoughts
Got other events that stand out this weekend? Share below in the comments!
Of course, I couldn’t miss the first event. So I jumped into the Bs. 12 laps of Crit City’s Bell Lap. Let’s go!
First Race on AppleTV
While I’ve done some Zwift test rides on AppleTV over the years, I’ve always raced using my dedicated Zwift PC. The problem is, Zwift has been unexplainably crashing on my PC for the past couple of weeks, spoiling two races so far.
So today I decided to race on AppleTV. Sure, the visuals aren’t as nice as my gaming PC… but it’s quite stable. And with the Play Controllers at my fingertips, there would be minimal faffing about with that cursed remote control!
Race Plan
I’ve only done a couple of races with steering enabled in Crit City, so my plan was to first work on taking the fastest lines around the course. (With 12 laps in the race, I hoped I would have plenty of time to practice in the early laps.) Then if my legs felt good I might put in a few digs and try to shake a rider or two, using steering to get further off the front by taking the best lines possible.
A lot of no-shows in this race
The Start
I was surprised to see that 83 riders had signed up for this first steering-required race, including 31 Bs! But when I joined the pens with just a few minutes to go, only a fraction of those signed up had shown up.
12 Bs left the starting pen, and that number was quickly whittled down to 7. The pace wasn’t particularly high – I averaged just 277W (3.33W/kg) for the first 4 laps. It seemed everyone else was taking it a bit easy and getting the feel for steering like I was.
It didn’t take long before I noticed that this race felt entirely different from other Zwift races. I’ve raced hundreds of laps on Crit City, but I’ve never raced in a group where everyone could steer. The pack felt more lively, more real, and the whole thing felt more immersive. I was actually surprised at how different it felt, and surprised by how much more engaging it was.
On the bummer side, two riders messaged early in the race that their steering had stopped working. One was on the Elite Sterzo – I’m not sure what the other person was using. But the race must go on!
Playing with Play
I was using the new Zwift Play controllers for my steering, and I noticed a few things:
Cutting corners made me more efficient. Crit City is made for steering! There are opportunities to steering a more efficient line on 10 90-degree turns, 2 hairpins, and the twisty climb each and every lap. I could easily tell that cutting the corners gave me an edge over riders who did not do so. (More on this in an upcoming Zwift Insider post!)
Following wheels is more fun. It’s much more engaging when you need to do a bit of steering to stay in the draft of a rider attacking off the front.
It seemed like some riders weren’t steering at all. I was trying to take the shortest line around each turn, but it felt like most of the riders in my group of ~6 were just letting the game steer for them and thus not taking good lines. I found that odd.
Attacking is more fun with steering. I put in a few digs off the front, and it was way more fun attacking and taking the best line at the same time. Felt like I was really riding smart to get away.
You can still draft without being on the wheel. Based on my rider sitting up (in the draft) or crouching over (out of the draft), I could be a few feet to the left or right of riders ahead and still be in the draft. I want to test this more precisely, so watch for an upcoming post on this topic, too…
I used three other functions of the Play controllers during the race:
That blessed Y button: activating a powerup with a quick touch of a button feels so smooth and right.
Return a Ride On: tapping Z to return another racer’s Ride On was quick and easy. Like I’ve been saying for years, Zwift should create a keyboard shortcut for this!
Rearview cam: the down arrow activates the rearview camera for 5 seconds, which is great when you’re attacking and want to see what’s happening behind. (But I learned in this race it is not great when you need to see ahead in order to steer properly.)
Lap After Lap
Nothing else remarkable happened during the first 11 laps of the race. I averaged just 259W (3.12W/kg), and that’s with me rolling off the front and being in the wind a fair amount!
Since the pace wasn’t high, I decided to try not steering for an entire lap, to see what happened. I could tell it hurt me a bit on a few corners, but overall the game’s autosteering kept me in a pretty good place. That’s a good thing, I think. Zwift has to walk the line between making steering useful and fun without leaving the non-steerers out in the wind.
With the pace being rather easy through lap 11, I knew we’d all have fresh legs for that final lap. When would the attacks come, and what was my best strategy for following them?
The front group of 6
The Finish
The pace ratcheted up as we started our final twisty climb. Still, nobody was attacking in earnest yet. I had decided to follow the wheels of any attacks but save the Aero Boost I’d been holding since lap 8 for my final sprint.
With 700 meters to go everyone was still playing a bit of cat and mouse, and more than one rider had already burned an aero powerup. Madness! I stayed patient, ready to follow any attacks but happy to hold on until the final turns if nobody went.
With 250m to go I activated my Aero Boost, began hammering, then cut the inside of the final left-hand turn. Others responded with orange numbers of their own, but I saw myself move to the front of the pack. Now I only had two goals:
Cut the inside of that final turn
Give it all the power I had to the line
I kept hammering, glancing up to see I was still ahead. Could I actually win this? I pressed my controller to cut the inside of the final right-hand turn. Nailed it! Keep pushing. The riders behind were gaining on me, but I crossed the line just ahead. Winner!
I set a new 15-second power PB (955W) in that final sprint – not surprising, given that the race pace up to that point was quite tame. Make the pace tougher and I’m only good for 800W or less.
This race answered two questions for me:
Can you steer while sprinting? I wasn’t out of the saddle, and I wasn’t in the drops. But doing my typical seated sprint on the hoods, I was able to negotiate those final two corners quite nicely.
Is it fun to race with steering? When I’ve had steering enabled in past races, the vast majority of the peloton has not. And to be honest, the experience hasn’t been anything to write home about. This race was different, though. It was really engaging and fun having all the riders constantly able to move left-right on the road.
There are a few improvements that could be made to the experience:
If the race requires a steering device, that needs to be obvious when people sign up. Currently there’s no indicator that steering is required, so you have to include that in the event text (which many don’t read). I’m quite sure this is why only a fraction of those who signed up actually raced.
Steering needs to be stable. I don’t know why the two riders lost their steering abilities, but that needs to not happen.
Riders visibly ride through each other too often. I could see riders riding through others during the race, which detracts from the realism of it all. I don’t think I see this in non-steering environments, so I assume this is a steering-related thing.
We shouldn’t all be wearing Zwift Insider kits. This was an event misconfiguration that will be fixed for future Zwift Insider Steering Races.
Lastly, I should say: AppleTV performed like a champ. But there were three things I wish it could do:
Give me a controllable drone camera to take nice in-game shots.
Let me use a USB keyboard for messaging.
Show better visuals. I’m on the latest AppleTV, which has the power to do more than Zwift is asking of it.
Your Thoughts
Have you tried a Steering Race yet? Got Play Controllers on order? Think steering on Zwift is a terrible idea? Share your thoughts below…
Zwift’s Women’s Racing Series keeps gaining steam, becoming perhaps the biggest weekly women-only race event on the calendar. With series #2 wrapping up this week, the next set of 6 races has just been announced!
This is a 6-week series featuring different types of races: an iTT, two short scratch races, and 3 points races. Riders accumulate points based on their weekly performance, and it all begins Tuesday, June 27th.
Series #2 Results
Here are the first-place winners in each timezone:
4 Laps (28.8km), fastest segment times plus finishing position decide the winner
Points Scoring
This is a points series where your result each week earns you a certain number of points. Those points are then tallied up for the overall 6-week series, with the highest points earners in each category and timeslot coming out on top.
Note: if you’re aiming for the overall victory you must always race at the same time each week. Points will not carry from one time zone to the other.
If you upgrade mid-series, your points cannot be transferred to your new category. If you think it is likely that you will upgrade during this series, please enter all races at the higher category.
These races are open to all women, but for your results to count, you must be wearing a heart rate monitor and using either a smart trainer or power meter. zPower riders will not be included in the overall results.
First-Timers
Never raced before on Zwift? This is a great place to start! Here are a few tips to get you started:
This series is housed under the Zwift Ladies Only (ZLO) Club. You can join it here for easy access to these and other ladies-only events. I also recommend joining it on Facebook as that’s where most of the discussion happens. (Full disclosure: my lovely wife Monica is the main group admin!)
Tiny Race Series – June 24 Routes and Last Week’s Results
Last week’s “Up-Down-Up-Down” set of races mixed up the results nicely, but the suffering remained! Watch popular Twitch streamer GeneralElost take on the C category (“That was probably the deepest I’ve dug… in a long time!”):
This week all of the races are on UCI Worlds routes. But first, let’s look at who topped the podium in each time zone and category:
This week’s routes are all hosted in courses that have previously hosted UCI Worlds races. We’ve organized them in chronological order: Richmond (2015), Innsbruck (2018), Yorkshire (2019), and Glasgow (2023)!
Race 1: Richmond UCI Reverse (4km – ends on straightaway after Libby Hill descent) A tough route with two gut-punching climbs. Start with a descent, then a longish climb. Grab a powerup at the banner, then it’s a quick descent into a steep (20%+!), short kicker. Grab another powerup at the Libby Hill KOM banner, then descend Libby’s cobbles and end on the paved, straight downhill that follows. Climbers will get away on the last kicker, but bigger riders may just be able to chase them back!
Powerup: Draft Boost (2x)
Race 2: Lutscher (4.7km – ends after first hairpin on climb) Get a flat lead-in from the start pens, then turn left and hit the Innsbruck KOM and go all-in for 2km. Race ends just after the first hairpin turn.
Powerup: Feather (1x)
Race 3: 2019 UCI Worlds Harrogate Circuit (6.2km – ends after Pot Bank descent) This route in Yorkshire ends on the straight false flat following the super-steep Pot Bank descent.
Powerup: none
Race 4: Glasgow Crit Circuit (2 laps – 6km) Brace yourself for big attacks on The Clyde Kicker, and make sure you time that final sprint just right.
Zwift displays preliminary race results in game when you cross the line, but points are computed after all four races are finished, with final results on ZwiftPower. (We have to do some data processing on our side to compute results, so if your rankings don’t show up right away, be patient.)
Riders will earn points based on finish position in each of the 4 Tiny Races. The category winner of each week’s series is the rider with the most points across their timezone’s 4 races. Here are the links for each timezone’s results on ZwiftPower:
Tiny Race rules are simple, but still every week 7-10% of registered ZwiftPower racers get disqualified and removed from the final results. Don’t let that be you! Four races, four rules:
You must have a ZwiftPower account, because final results are processed by ZwiftPower (learn how to sign up)
No skipping then returning. These races are meant to be raced as a set of 4. If you need to leave early, that’s fine… but once you miss a race in your hour’s set of 4, don’t come back and race another or you’ll be disqualified from that race since you rested while others were racing! (Example: racing only races 1 and 2 is fine. Racing 1, 2, and 4 is not – you will be DQ from race 4. And if you race 2, 3, and 4, you’ll be DQ from all those races, since you skipped race 1!)
Heart rate monitors are required for podium finishers
ZPower/Virtual power is not allowed. Smart trainer/smart bike or power meter required.
Join a Chat & Chill Cooldown
Immediately following each hour’s racing, we’ve scheduled 30-minute “Chat & Chill” events where riders from all categories can spin their legs together and chat about how it all went down. Find them at zwift.com/events/tag/tinyraces.
Zwift Insider Kit Unlock
Finish any Tiny Race or a Chat & Chill ride and unlock the Zwift Insider “Ride Smarter // Ride Harder” in-game kit.
In the Zwift Hot Topic series, each week we’ll bring up a popular discussion, controversy, question, or creative idea in the Zwift community. We’ll share a couple of different perspectives, but we want to hear your thoughts, too. So read on and chime in below!
Until recently, steering was an oft-overlooked feature in Zwift. It can be fun and engaging, but once you careened down Repack Ridge a few times and tried to go for a PR on a twisty climb, what else was there to do? There were virtually no group rides or races that allowed it.
Now there’s a steering revival! The freshly retooled “Repack Rush” has us swerving all over the road to beat our best times (and our friends’ times, too). The Zwift Play controllers that were just released offer a new, easy alternative to other steering devices like the Elite Sterzo Smart.
Steering is also enabled by default now for all events, unless organizers turn it off. (At the time of publishing, 87% of upcoming events had steering enabled). This means people without steering will be riding and racing alongside people with it (marked by a handlebar symbol in the rider list).
On one hand, I am concerned about fairness and accessibility. Does this turn Zwift racing into a “pay-to-win” game, where you have to buy a steering device to be competitive? I noticed a few Zwifters expressing the same concern in the Zwift Racers Facebook group.
Matthew Hermann: “Noticed that steering is getting used in races now and it is definitely being used to gain an advantage… In real life we steer, but on Zwift surely it needs to be a level playing field. The steering is being used to cut corners and avoid being drafted. I know it’s not real and technically a game, but I feel like this is not right for the E racing community.”
Moving to the far left or right when attacking keeps non-steerers off your wheelOne special corner in London where you can take a big shortcut
On the other hand, I welcome anything that makes indoor training more engaging and fun. After all, I love bikes AND games! I’ve seen several people who are excited about this new era of Zwift steering.
Stuart Lynne: “Of course, it provides a (small) advantage. So does KICKR Race Mode. So do rocker plates. So do fans. So does having time to train. So does watching how to race in Zwift videos and race recon videos. Zwift is amazingly like IRL [in real life] in that there is no level playing field. People willing to spend time or money or both will have an advantage… My Sterzo sat on a shelf for two years because race events were few and far between. Now I’m using it because most events have it enabled (and I can avoid the ones that don’t).”
Stuart added that the cost of a Sterzo Smart is not much more than a Garmin heart rate monitor, and some races already require HRMs to get points or results. The new Zwift Play will be more expensive, but in the future, third-party hardware could give us cheaper options.
When I tried racing with steering, it was a double-edged sword. I watched with glee as I sailed through the field by cutting corners, as long as there was room on the inside. I could move left or right to try to “shake” someone off my wheel. But when I broke away with another rider who didn’t have steering, I found it hard to stay on his wheel or keep him on mine.
I also kept steering myself out of the group’s draft, leaving my avatar stranded, trying to find space to tuck back into the pack. Zwift sometimes does this on its own, but apparently, I’m not much better at directing my avatar. It takes mental energy to actively steer throughout a race. You need to choose the right positions, and it’s not always easy to get where you want to go. I’m not the only one who had a mixed experience.
Jon Steadman: “I have actually found it both an advantage and a liability. When going through the twisty bits of Titans Grove or France, I seemingly kept being thrown out of draft more than normal. Had to fight with constant correction and more power – got dropped.”
Jon told me he did notice an advantage on the forward KOM climb in Watopia. Taking those corners on the inside gives you a more direct line, and drafting isn’t as important as it is on shallower climbs.
This tells me that Zwift steering takes skill, focus, and tactical smarts. It’s not an automatic win, but it can give you a boost if you use it well. And race organizers can choose to either turn off steering or require it, making sure there’s a level playing field.
Your Thoughts
What do you think? Does steering add to the Zwift experience, or is it a silly gimmick? Do you use it? Is it fair in races when not everyone can?
Here at Zwift Insider we like to publicize and even host experimental Zwift events, because we know that’s an important part of pushing the platform forward.
Zwift Play controllers launched last week, and with them a renewed interest in experiencing and developing in-game steering. So we’re hosting Zwift’s first-ever series of steering-required races beginning tomorrow.
That’s right: you won’t be able to enter these events unless you have a steering device paired!
The goal here is to find out what it’s like to race when everyone can steer. Until now, if you raced with a steering device you were virtually surrounded by riders without steering. We’re hoping these events attract a critical mass of steering riders who want to experience a new sort of racing on Zwift.
What will it be like when everyone can choose their road position? Will the peloton take the fast line by diving into the corners? Will we see more attacks up the edge of the road, and sprinters veering to shake wheelsuckers?
Schedule and Routes
This 4-week series rotates to a different “steering-friendly” race course each week:
Every week has 3 race events scheduled on different days/times for maximum availability. Here are the signup links for week 1’s events in Crit City:
Wednesday, June 21: 12 pm PDT // 3 pm EDT // 8 pm BST // 5 am AEST (Thursday) Sign up here >
Saturday, June 24: 11 am PDT //2 pm EDT //7 pm BST // 4 am AEST (Sunday) Sign up here >
Sundays: 1 am PDT: // 4 am EDT // 9 am BST // 6 pm AEST Sign up here >
Rules and Results
These are simple scratch races, and each race is a standalone event. Category enforcement will be used, with each category starting separately. (Depending on turnout, future events may feature all categories starting together in order to have a critical mass of racers.)
A smart trainer or power meter is required to enter (no virtual power racers).
Since we don’t need ZwiftPower for special post-race results processing, final results will be available on screen as soon as you cross the line.
Steering Required
Steering is required to enter the start pens for these race events, so when you log in to the game to join the event, make sure you have your steering device connected. When the join event prompt appears, you can only enter the event if you have a compatible steering device connected.
Everyone loves a good FTP increase, so we start our picks with a new Zwifters’ second-ever ramp test. Following that we’ve got videos about suspected cheating, an upgrade to a Zwifter’s pain cave, a sprint challenge, and a recap of a Zwifter’s first month on Zwift.
Brutal Ramp Test
After taking her first ramp test a few weeks back, Zoe Ottaway decides to give the test another go to see where her fitness is at. Has her FTP improved over the last few weeks?
Zwift Race Commentary – Did the Winner Cheat?
The Watt Life recently took on a race where the rider who won the race had a questionable sprint finish, averaging 12 w/kg for 15 seconds. He also provides commentary on the full race, reflecting on places where he could have improved.
Upgrading the Pain Cave – Mac Mini M2
The Fat Triathlete provides an update on the latest period of training and gives viewers a look into his pain cave set up where he recently upgraded his Zwifting device. How does the Mac Mini M2 perform on Zwift?
Learning To Sprint
In his latest video, Matt from Target 2.5 takes a few laps of the Glasgow Crit Course to improve his sprint.
A Recap of My First Month on Zwift
Around a month ago, we featured Ryan Condon’s video about his first-ever Zwift ride and FTP test. Now, Ryan takes a look back at how far his fitness has come since then.
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
The team at SISU Racing has announced the 2023 SISU Tour – a celebration of the Tour de France, happening during the men’s IRL race. This is the second year SISU has organized this Tour event, with last year’s race attracting over 2,000 participants!
Categorization and Results
This is a stage event where the overall winners are those with the lowest cumulative time across all 7 stages. Individual GC results will be split up by category and gender. That means separate results for A grade women, C grade men, etc.
There’s also a team GC based on a team’s best two finishers in each stage (meaning different riders can contribute to a team’s result – climber, TT specialist).
These are mixed races, so men and women will be racing together. Category enforcement will be used to enforce a minimum category for all riders.
Can’t race all seven stages? You can still race any stage you’d like, but you won’t be in contention for the overall GC win.
Schedule
The race has 7 stages: 6 road races and one iTT.
Each stage has multiple event times, and you can choose to race whatever time slots you’d like. Need to race different time slots for different stages? No problem. Your fastest time on each stage will count toward the GC results.
Everyone who completes five or more stages and subscribes to the SISU Racing newsletter (scroll down at https://www.sisu.racing/tour) will be entered to win one of four AUD $100 vouchers to babici.cc (SISU’s kit partner) or when ordering a SISU Racing IRL kit in September.
Important Rules
Riders who upgrade and are in a podium position at the tour’s conclusion will be classified in their new grade.
Heart rate data is required
Z Power (virtual power) riders will not be included in the final results
Wahoo KICKR Core On Sale for $449 (50% off) at REI
Note: this temporary sale has ended. You can click some of our recommended retailers on this page, though, to see what the current sale price of the KICKR Core is!
REI is currently running a sort of “stealth” sale on the Wahoo KICKR Core smart trainer. Regularly priced at $900, the trainer is 50% off… $449!
Wahoo’s KICKR Core is their mid-range smart trainer. The full Wahoo KICKR retails for $1299, the KICKR Snap sells for $349, and the KICKR Core sits right in between.
What many people don’t realize, though, is that the KICKR Core has basically the same specs as a 2017 KICKR, namely:
+/-2% accuracy
12# flywheel
It’s got a very good reputation in the indoor cycling community, which is why it tops our list of “Best Smart Trainers <$900“.
REI is traditionally a very US-based seller, but this deal seems to also be available outside the US… I tested a checkout to an address in the UK and it let me get all the way to the final checkout stage with no additional shipping charges. (That said, it would be great if you could comment below to confirm if you’re able to place an order shipped outside the US.)
How does the KICKR Core compare to Zwift’s Hub ($499)? Clearly the Hub is the main competition for the Core, and as some have said in the past, Wahoo will probably need to drop the Core’s price if they want to remain competitive.
The two trainers are pretty close in terms of specs, but it’s generally agreed that the KICKR Core is a better trainer if price isn’t figured into the equation:
KICKR Core supports 3 concurrent Bluetooth connections instead of the Hub’s 1, which is handy if you need to connect it to more than one device simultaneously
KICKR Core supports the KICKR Climb device: if you want the Climb, you gotta go with a Wahoo trainer
KICKR Core wins on accuracy at 2% vs the Hub’s 2.5%. (The Hub has autocalibration, but the KICKR Core is very stable and doesn’t need regular calibrations unless it is moved.)
KICKR Core has a slightly larger flywheel, which should give it a slightly more realistic inertial feel
Hub ships with a cassette, while the Core does not ($40-$70 additional cost)
Hub can re-broadcast your heartrate, saving you a Bluetooth connection if you’re on a device like AppleTV where connections are limited
One Last Note
If you purchase the KICKR Core through the links in the post, Zwift Insider will receive an affiliate commission from REI. This helps us cover site costs so we can put more time into creating amazing Zwifty content… so thanks in advance!
