Road cycling is an incredible form of exercise that gets your heart rate going while also making you feel free. However, the problem with cycling on the road is that it’s outside, and sometimes outside is a horrible place to be, like when it’s storming or 40 degrees.
The benefit of having a home trainer over a traditional exercise bike is that it doesn’t take up as much room, and it can connect to your regular bike which you’re already used to using and have set up exactly how you like it.
Wahoo is famous for making the best home trainers on the market, and the Kickr Core range has been known for being the best budget trainer. This latest edition, which comes with a one-year Zwift subscription lives up to the lofty expectations set by its predecessor.
Wahoo Kickr Core Zwift One review
- First impressions
- Specs and price
- How does it feel?
- Zwift app and subscription
- Storage
- Who is it for?
First impressions
I love bikes and I love riding bikes. I ride thousands of kilometres a year, and I’m decent enough at looking after my bike, but I have to admit to being nervous about taking my back wheel on and off to attach it to the trainer.
My bike is a 2023 model Trek Domane SL6 AXS, and my fear is always messing up my hydraulic disc brakes by pressing the brake with the wheel off, or not putting the wheel on the trainer properly and falling and damaging either myself or my bike. It’s why I resisted previous trainers for so long (that, and compatibility concerns because all my bikes have had 9 or 11-speed drivetrains and most trainers prefer 12).
What took me by surprise was how easy it was to set up. Once I got the hang of it, it was really simple and felt safe. It helps that the gear hub in the Kickr Core Zwift One is just one gear, making it harder to screw up even when you’re trying to set it up in a hurry.
It was all really easy to sync a heart rate sensor to, and then sync it to my Apple TV to use with Zwift. After that, it was simple and small enough to pack down and put into a cupboard until the next windy day.
Wahoo Kickr Core Zwift One specs and price
| Maximum Power Output | 1800 Watts |
| Maximum Simulated Grade | 6% |
| Minimum Simulated Grade | -10% |
| Product Weight | 18kg |
| Drivetrain | Belt drive |
| Resistance Type | Electromagnetic |
| Power Accuracy | +/-2% |
| Connectivity | NT+ ANT+ FE-C Up to three Bluetooth Connections |
| Hub Types | 130/135mm QR, 12×142, and 12×148 Thru Axle |
| Adapters | Includes 130/135mm QR adapter & hub spacer, 12×142/148 adapter & hub spacer |
| Price (RRP) | $899.95 |
| Warranty | One year |
| Official website | Wahoo Fitness Australia |
Most of these specs are pretty much the same as the 2021 model Wahoo Kickr Core, but it’s the Zwift Hub and Zwift Click that make it worth standing up and paying attention to. These are big game changers over the previous model. The Zwift Hub means that the Wahoo Kickr Core Zwift One is pretty much compatible with any standard bike. You can chuck a Shimano hybrid bike on there, it’ll take an SRAM road bike, new or old, and be ready to go in a couple of minutes.
The old-style Core had a more standard cassette (or required you to bio) and used your bike’s shifters to move between the gears. The Zwift Hub uses the Zwift Click to change gears internally, skipping most of your bike’s whole deal, and giving whatever program you’re using more data about your gearing. These aren’t really new innovations, they’ve been around before, but it is new to have them on an entry-level indoor trainer
How does using the trainer feel?
Yes, setup and tech specs are important, but how the trainer actually feels to use is the main thing, and I’m pleased to report that it feels smooth. No indoor trainer is ever going to fully live up to the joys of riding outside, and the gearing doesn’t quite match up with real life, but the key thing is that it doesn’t get in the way of the riding experience.
With how smoothly the gears shift, and how good the resistance is, it gives me a full workout on days when I would otherwise have missed out, without me feeling like I’m riding an exercise bike. That’s kinda wonderful.
Using the Zwift Click takes a little bit of getting used to, but I’m glad you can mount it anywhere on the bike, so you can change gears from the drops, or contort yourself into any weird shape your aging spine needs you to be in, and still be able to shift.
Riding on an indoor trainer shouldn’t be bound to the same rules as real life, so I enjoy it. Though I do miss being able to shift my front gears on a climb or descent.
Zwift app and subscription
For the uninitiated, Zwift is an online platform for cycling. You ride on your indoor trainer, and your avatar rides through the virtual world, kind of what the metaverse was supposed to be like, but good. The Wahoo Kickr Core Zwift One includes a 12-month Zwift subscription, which is a pretty good deal.
While I really enjoy Zwift, I am annoyed with how outdated and low-res the graphics are. Given it’s normally a $300 annual subscription fee, I feel like the developers could invest a bit more in making it look good. That said, it rides well, and the events provide a lot of motivation to get you out on the virtual road, and that’s not nothing.
Storage
This is the one area where I get really frustrated. Packing it down is nice and easy, but then transporting it is hell. What are you supposed to hold onto? Who planned this? There is no handle. There’s no way to lock it into a smaller configuration.
It’s great that it folds up and fits into a cupboard, but carrying it to the cupboard is unnecessarily unpleasant.
Who is Wahoo Kickr Core Zwift One for?
This smart trainer is for people wanting to do more indoor rides, without going all out on one of the fancier models with unnecessary bells and whistles.
The Wahoo Kickr Core Zwift One feels like a much more expensive trainer, and does everything you could need it to do. I highly recommend it.
The post Wahoo Kickr Core Zwift One review: Best budget trainer gets better appeared first on GadgetGuy.
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