This week Zwift added a new bundle to their store, along with updated photos. The Wahoo KICKR CORE Zwift One + Zwift Play Bundle includes the Wahoo KICKR CORE smart trainer with the quieter, adjustable Zwift Cog v2 (the orange one) installed, plus a Zwift Click shifter and Zwift’s Play Controllers. All for $499USD!
Wahoo KICKR CORE Basics
Wahoo’s KICKR CORE is the most popular budget direct-drive smart trainer on the planet today, and it’s only growing more popular now that it’s the trainer that ships with the Zwift Ride. With solid specs and proven reliability, the KICKR CORE’s success is no mystery: it’s an affordable trainer that meets or exceeds the needs of the vast majority of Zwifters.
A few key specs:
- Accuracy: +-2%
- Flywheel: 12lb
- Max Wattage: 1800 W
- Max Incline: 16%
- Autocalibration
- Built-In Cadence
- Connects via Bluetooth or ANT+
About That Orange Zwift Cog
This trainer bundle ships with the Zwift Cog installed in place of a standard cassette. The Zwift Cog is made for trainers using Zwift’s virtual shifting, and is simply a single sprocket surrounded by a housing. (You only need one sprocket since virtual shifting changes the trainer’s resistance to mimic a gear shift, instead of changing a physical sprocket on a cassette.)
All About Virtual Shifting in Zwift >
But this new bundle doesn’t use just any Zwift Cog – it uses the new, quiet, adjustable orange Zwift Cog v2! This Zwift Cog easily adjusts left to right between 10 different sprocket positions, so you can get the perfect chainline. And it’s built with rubber rings and other changes to the housing which make it noticeably quieter than previous Zwift Cog versions.
All About Zwift Cog: Versions, Installation, and More >
Zwift Click Pro Tip
The bundle also includes a Zwift Click virtual shifting button (shown above). This may seem redundant since the bundle includes Play Controllers which also enable virtual shifting, but who’s complaining when the Zwift Click can be paired alongside the Zwift Play controllers and attached to any part of your handlebars to act as a satellite shifter!
Play Controller Capabilities
Zwift Play controllers usually sell for $99USD. They easily mount on most road bike drop-bars and unlock various capabilities for Zwifters, allowing you to interact with the game without needing a keyboard or remote. Game interactions include:
- Steering
- Braking
- Virtual Shifting (see note below)
- Menu navigation, including the Action Bar
- Powerup activation
- Ride On bombs and easily returning a Ride On
- Minimap view changes
- Quick rearview camera in events
- U-turn
- Intersection navigation
- Workout interactions: change intensity and skip workout block
All About Zwift’s Play Controllers >
Questions or Comments?
Remember when the Wahoo KICKR CORE sold for $899 without a cassette (or virtual shifting, or autocalibration)? Times have changed, and a quality Zwifting experience is more accessible than ever.
What do you think of this new bundle from Zwift? Share your thoughts below!
I would love to put my hands (LEGS!) on Zwift Ride Smart FRAME alone, but they priced it bit too high ($799?). Especially, that I invested already around $600 in The HUB Smart Trainer, Cog and Zwift Click! Any word about upcoming promotion 🤔 for FRAME only??
799 is still good value and entirely worth it.
Perhaps. But, if the WHOLE Set Up, incl Smart Trainer (the HUB) and Frame, plus Cog and Zwift Click runs all together at $1’200, and you already spent more than half for most od it, and now you have to add $799 for Smart Frame only, it feels like you have been “punished” with extra $200 just for the SIN of buying previous items as soon as those became available…! What I try to say is: $1’200 for WHOLE Set Up is much better deal than $1’400 if bought separately 😑
I think the price is value for money.
Ok 😁👍
Thank you Jetblack for pushing the overpriced Wahoo trainers.
The Jetblack Victory will be ordered here when available again.
Agree. I already have the Play controls anticipating virtual shifting for my Kickr, which will never happen.
$499 is a GREAT price for this bundle, if you just starting out and don’t already own a smart trainer.
As the proud (and irritated) owner of the latest version of the Wahoo Kickr that WILL NOT be upgraded by Wahoo to enable virtual shifting, $499 is too high a price to pay to get virtual shifting.
Plus, I have to assume this new hardware from Wahoo will likewise be excluded from future technology improvements. No thanks, Wahoo!
I think it’s right that we keep mentioning this. Severely hacked off after their treatment of Kickr Bike firmware updates.
Yep, that was a truly awful move. The fact that an older model gets the update but the v5 couldn’t. Hard to believe
Big push to get rid of old Core’s before a new version comes out?
Or (and) a play to pull the rug from under the foot of Jet Black?
🤔
Will Zwift ever sort out the reliability of using the companion app to pair devices? I use AppleTv and as such using virtual shifting is just a dream! Using at the moment with companion app is an absolute nightmare!
Now that we have the adjustable frame (so different riders can share the same ‘bike’) isn’t it really about time Zwift launched a shared ‘family’ account? C’mon Eric… please!
I was stoked to pay just $750 for my Kickr Core in 2021. So cool to see competition doing its thing and lowering prices.
Bundle available in Europe? (the link above did not take me to the bundle offering)