Back in May when Zwift announced staffing reductions and a pause on hardware development, we all thought Zwift-branded trainers wouldn’t be seen for at least a year or more. And this didn’t seem like a particularly bad thing, given the glut of trainers available on the post-Covid market.
So it surprised everyone today when Zwift announced the “Zwift Hub”: the first smart trainer ever produced by Zwift.
We’ve been testing the Zwift Hub and will be publishing a full review in the coming weeks, but for today let’s just look at the specs and other details shared by Zwift.
Zwift Hub Specs
- Accuracy: +/-2.5%
- Max Wattage: 1800W
- Max Gradient: 16%
- Flywheel Weight: 4.7kg
- Max Rider Weight: 254lbs/130kgs
- Protocols: ANT+ and Bluetooth FTMS controllable
- Cadence: built-in
- Cassette: included (customers select from 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12-speed)
- Axle Compatability: 142/148 thru axle + 130/135mm QR
- HRM Bridge: the Hub can pair with your HRM and rebroadcast it via Bluetooth, freeing up an additional Bluetooth connection for AppleTV users
Pricing and Availability
The Hub is attractively priced, given its specs:
- USA $499
- UK £449
- EU €499
It will go on sale October 3 exclusively at zwift.com, and will initially only be available to customers in the USA, UK, and EU. Zwift says potential buyers can register interest and get more information at zwift.com/hub.
Assembly
Zwift clearly knows that assembly and setup of a smart trainer is a pain point for some cyclists. They’ve taken pains to simplify The Hub’s setup process, providing a nicely-designed printed Quick-Start guide in the box plus help videos at zwift.com/hub/setup
The Hub arrives nearly full-assembled. All you need to do is attach the two base feet, as shown below:
The box even includes a wrench for tightening the bolts, so you don’t have to visit your toolbox.
Since many cyclists don’t know the measurements of their rear axle, Zwift includes two handy measurement cards that make it easy to determine which axle adapter to use:
Integration
All firmware updates are handled easily via Zwift Companion:
Calibration is currently handled in game via Zwift’s spin-down utility, but Zwift says auto-calibration is coming soon via a firmware update.
Product Testing
With this being Zwift’s first foray into the smart trainer market, they’re being careful to get it right. Additionally, they know Zwift isn’t a proven name in the smart trainer space, so they’ve provided information on their product testing procedures. Here are some interesting details:
- QA Riders: real test riders have completed 1,500+ rides totalling 10,000+ miles and 515+ hours on the Hub since April 2022
- Bike Mechanics: Zwift contracted with a chain of bike shops in the UK to get the Hub tested for compatibility with as many frames as possible. Each time a bike came in for repair, shop mechanics would fit it to the Hub and log the results:
- 500 bikes have been fitted to the Hub
- 70+ brands (all major brands plus many more)
- 45-64cm frame size range
- All main groupset brands
- 55% rim brake, 45% disc brake
- 8 to 12 speed groupsets
- Lab Testing: Hubs have been running in lab durability test environments for months (read more below).
Remember when Zwift acquired eDrive Engineering Services? These electric drive experts have been durability testing four Zwift Hub units on a 24/7 basis. They’ve logged 1,300+ hours, simulating 2 years of hard usage.
The rigs aren’t just running a steady wattage, either. They are using real Zwifter fit file data to simulate actual trainer usage including popular ERG sessions, free rides, and races.
Where Did It Come From?
Clearly when Zwift said they were pausing hardware plans back in May, they didn’t pause all hardware plans. Still, discerning Zwifters might wonder: how did Zwift design such a (presumably) competent trainer at such a low price point?
The answer is: they didn’t. Not entirely, at least. If the Zwift Hub looks familiar, that’s probably because you’ve seen the JetBlack Volt. Here are some comparison pics:
In our chats with Zwift, it’s clear they worked with Australia-based JetBlack on some level to develop the Zwift Hub. But what role JetBlack actually plays in the overall development and manufacturing of the Zwift Hub at this point is unclear.
The Hub is clearly based on the Volt, but it’s not the same. Firmware, for one thing, is being managed on Zwift’s side. Additionally, while the Volt has some frame compatibility issues with certain disc brake bikes, Zwift explained to us that the Hub’s body has been modified to maximize compatibility with framesets.
Wrapping It Up
The Zwift Hub’s specs put it on par with other mid-tier direct-drive trainers including the Wahoo KICKR Core, Elite Suito, Tacx Flux 2, and even the mid-high Saris H3. But all of those trainers are priced hundreds of dollars higher than the Zwift Hub, and only one (the Suito) ships with a cassette!
The market doesn’t need another $900-$1200 direct drive trainer. But it does need a $500 direct-drive trainer that ships with your choice of cassette and includes auto-calibration.
Our take: if Zwift is able to get this right, they’ve got a winner on their hands. One Zwift employee told us, “We’re not interested in becoming a hardware business, we’re interested in helping more people gain access to the Zwift experience.”
With these features, at this price point, the Zwift Hub can do exactly that.
“There’s no doubt that Zwift Hub is going to disrupt the market, and we think that’s great news for the customer,” says Eric Min, Zwift’s CEO and Co-Founder. “When we started on our hardware journey, it was important that the hardware served the primary purpose of accessing and elevating the core game experience. Getting set up on Zwift hasn’t been an easy process. It can be hard to know exactly what equipment you need to Zwift, and that equipment can be costly. Zwift Hub will help us deliver our mission to make MORE PEOPLE, MORE ACTIVE, MORE OFTEN by making it both easier, and more affordable to get set up on Zwift.”
Your Thoughts
Share below!
2.5% accuracy but it autocalibrates? Don’t think I’ve seen that combination before. I like the idea of them coming in at that price point with a direct drive trainer.
Correct – that combination doesn’t currently exist in any other trainer. Trainer companies seem to like saving autocalibration for their high-end trainers (looking at you, Wahoo) but with that as a key pain point for users, Zwift wants auto calibration built into every trainer I’m sure.
As soon as the RGT acquisition was announced, it was clear that Zwift would have to stop selling their most popular trainer brand (Wahoo) and put their name on someone else’s trainer. It couldn’t be Saris (dying company) and it couldn’t be Garmin (too much risk of another Wahoo/RGT situation in the future) so it had to be one of the smaller players.
Very interesting!
Did anyone else get that trainer survey from Zwift recently? It sounded like they wanted to introduce a smart bike with a screen going by the questions…
Yeah I got that about 7-10 days ago. Asking if I would buy a smart bike with a screen on it etc. It did get me thinking that something was up. I’m wondering if Zwift have given Jetblack the rights to develop the Smartbike – at price points like this, they could do some damage to the big players.
I got the same survey and though it was an old one. Maybe they’ll buy all the old pelotons and make them smart. I have an ICG bike that I wish I hadn’t bought. If there was only an attachment.
In case I missed it in the article – is this compatible with Kickr Climb?
Only Wahoo products are compatible with the Kickr Climb
Wonder if they made it compatible with the Rizer though. Probably not, but that would be cool
As long as Zwift Hub supports rotation along the rear axle it should be compatible with the Rizer since the Hub supports ANT+FE-C. However, like when connecting a Rizer to a non-Elite trainer (like Wahoo), the Rizer can only “guess” the incline based on the users weight/current speed and power output.
Correct, but, previously, only Elite and Wahoo trainers officially said that they supported rotation on the rear axle. Others may have done it (briefly the Neo2 did when Wahoo said it was going to open up the Climb but then changed its mind so the Neo stopped), but don’t officially say that they do.
Last summer, Zwift closed its Canadian store and made it so that Canadians could no longer buy zwift products. Does this mean that no one in Canada will be able to buy this new trainer?
It wasn’t just Canada where they stopped selling via the Zwift store, I think all of UK & EU too, possibly everywhere although I can’t say for certain.
I would imagine this will be available to all markets once they have stock levels
Zwift has been working on revamping their e-commerce stuff. Selling out of old stock, etc. Word is they’ll get a bunch of fresh merch in, plus the new Hub, and probably have all of that available in October. I would assume it’ll be available worldwide.
Hi George,
In the meantime, JetBlack product are available at the new pricing in Canada. The Volt can be found on amazon.
A complete distraction from their core business. Few companies have the talent and customer obsession to be good at hardware and software- and Zwift isn’t one of those. Now we know why it’s been taking so long for Zwift to introduce (not just announce) much in the way of new roads and features. And quite frankly even if I had been in the market for hardware, Zwift customer service is aweful. I have never felt valued as a Zwift customer. Here’s a suggestion- before you try to get new customers focus on the loyal ones that can help evangelize the… Read more »
It’s a Volt with new stickers. Zwift is only developing the firmware and Companion interface, and the Volt has been out two years already so the firmware tinkering from what already exists should be minimal. Zwift’s own smart trainer was a distraction, but this is not that.
zwift ran over your dog huh?
Zwift is simply buying an existing product to rebrand it. No idea where you get the information about hardware development from.
Regarding support, that’s unfortunate. I’ve been using Zwift for some time now, and I’ve contacted Zwift Support a handful of times over the years. They’ve always been quick to respond and dealt with my issues satisfactorily.
Here’s hoping they have gotten it right with this new unit, the market could definitely do with this kind of price-point reset as they’ve been getting a bit crazy high in price all across the feature levels.
P.S. @eric have you struck a deal where you get a penny every time they use the phrase “Zwift Hub” 🙂
Zwift Hub! Zwift Hub!
Looks like a kicker core with better in some areas. The wheel on trainers just lost their current msrp and the mid range direct drive trainers price just dropped. If other companies want to stay competitive they have to figure something out for the low-mid price points. If zwift keeps pricing that way and trainer works in mass production. Zwift eventual high end trainer to meet top level racing standards will be cheaper then current top of the line as well.
The fact that it lets you pick an 8 to 12 speed cassette (and is $499!) is wonderful if it works worth a darn as a smart trainer. Where were you in the middle of the pandemic when I needed you?! (The Elite Suito is doing just fine, thank you, ;^D but there’s nothing quite worse than, “Includes everything you need, including a cassette!” and then learning the old bike in the back of your garage was not going to hook up to the Suito you’d just barely gotten before stock ran out again. Would’ve been better in my case… Read more »
Even better if they could throw in a choice for a Campagnolo cassette, but there probably isn’t the demand to add that complication to their supply chain.
price point is good, but not accurate enough to enter any serious races..!
Sure… but the Hub isn’t targetting top-level racers who have the 1% accuracy requirement. This is targeting the other 99.9% of Zwifters (and potential Zwifters) who just want an affordable trainer that is decently accurate and feels good.
This is Zwift working to grow their user base by making good hardware more accessible. Nothing more, nothing less.
My initial thought was, “what about racing?” like @ShakeNBakeUK, but, the more that I think about it, the more that I think you’re right. Eric Minn’s initial statements about making a branded smart bike were all about how can they make an all-in-one, just-get-on-it-and-ride experience like people get from Peloton to bring in those who don’t want to have to become tech savvy just to ride their bikes indoors before they started talking about glowing wheels, steering, braking, haptic feedback, potentially rising the front end, and all the other whiz bang gadgets that the enthusiasts wanted. While this isn’t quite… Read more »
Looking forward to testing it and comparing to the Elite Direto XR which is similarly priced and with Tacx Flux S, which is an nice trainer, which I first used with Zwift.
Trainer with 2,5 % accuracy is no more accepted for elite races.
Like UCI cycling esport : https://www.zwift.com/news/27258-uci-qualifiers?__znl=en-gb
Will be good to include additional label for all “eligible trainer” to help customers to bought the right trainer.
Surely if you are racing in elite level events, you are not going to be shelling out just 450 quid for your trainer?
Zwift you have my attention. I’m not a racer. I use an old dumb trainer, and I’d like to upgrade. But I have no interest in spending $1000+ trainer. I’d definitely consider this when available.
the price point is very good. makes me cry i have a kickr that has now devalued
The description on the zwift website says “With Zwift Hub you’ll feel every (…) draft from your fellow Zwifters.”
Really? I didn’t think the software adjusted resistance feel to account for drafting.
Wow, didn’t see this one coming.
That said, pretty nice timing for me, since my old Tacx Flow is starting to show its age after nearly 5 years and 15,000+ km and I was looking at the possibility of upgrading to direct drive but finding the costs a bit of an issue.
At a little over twice the price I paid for the Flow 5 years ago this would be a no-brainer … assuming it works as advertised. I gather DCRainmaker had some consistency issues in his testing that Zwift are now looking at.
The Saris can be had for $360 right now so folks should be jumping on that until it dries us.
Hi, do you have a release date or month for the zwift hub in Canada?
Thanks
I do not.
What about for the technical support and warranty issues
They’ll run through Zwift.
It’s great that it will hold 12-speed cassettes. But, will it be compatible with Shimano’s MicroSpline 12-speed MTB cassettes? That’s my biggest issue with certain brands of direct-drive smart trainers.
Would anyone know if this is compatible with Campagnolo 8?
when is the trainer going to be available in Aus please?
Perhaps never – Zwift says for now it’s just EU, UK, and USA. BUT… JetBlack is offering the same trainer (Volt v2) for sale in Australia. Just got an email from them about it last week… may do a post here about it as well. Interesting news.
Will I be able to get zwift hub in Australia?
When I started on Zwift in 2018 I started with a budget trainer the Elite Turbo Muin Direct Drive Trainer and this looks like a direct copy and very similar to the Kickr core. I dont know if JetBlack manufactured it for Elite.
i bought one of those, realised it wasn’t a smart trainer, took it straight back to the shop and got a direto instead. (this was the black friday before covid hit, so got a bargain too!)
When is Zwift hub coming to Australia and where can I buy??
Why does it have a weight limit that low when these are supposed to help people lose weight!