It’s a busy day for the world of indoor riding, which, like the proverbial bus, has three of the best turbo trainer press releases coming along at once.
The brands’ twinning (or throupling) of launches dates back to 2023, when the two giants of indoor riding partnered up after a patent spat, after Wahoo launched legal action against Zwift for alleged patent infringement.
(Image credit: Wahoo)
In its first update in seven years, the Kicker Core 2 now comes with the Zwift Cog and Click or 11-speed cassette for the same price.
Wi-Fi connectivity is now standard, and, according to Wahoo, not only enhances connectivity across phones, tablets, and other devices but also enables faster data transfer speeds compared to Bluetooth or ANT+, which should prevent any annoying data lags.
Wahoo has paired this update with the launch of the brand new Kicker Race Mode, which both brands say delivers near-instantaneous power response, giving you more control over your Zwift avatar and your online riding experience.
This connectivity improvement update extends to data collection, introducing a new ‘Kickr Bridge’ that streams heart rate monitor data directly through the trainer app, eliminating the need for additional sensor platforms.
This all forms part of a redesigned turbo, which Wahoo states now offers a faster and more stable setup.
(Image credit: Zwift)
The good news for Zwift fans is that the update swings both ways, with the Zwift Ride Smart bike now coming with the all-new Wahoo KICKR CORE 2 as standard.
The Wi-Fi connectivity now also allows users to manage all firmware updates through Zwift Companion, which Zwift says further enhances the rider experience by unlocking the full potential of Zwift and making it easy to find clubs, friends, events, as well as track your fitness progress.
While updates are great, money off is better, and it’s rare for prices to go down rather than up. So we very much welcome the news that the complete setup reduces by £100 and €100 in the UK and EU, bringing the cost down to £1099.99 and €1199,99, respectively. In the US, the cost of shipping has been reduced from $110 to $75.
(Image credit: Wahoo)
While the Zwift Ride Smart Bike improvements and updates will steal a lot of the limelight from the interwoven launches, we must not overlook Wahoo’s Kickr Bike facelift, which now becomes the Kickr Bike Pro.
The brand’s flagship indoor bike now features redesigned ergonomic shifters, not that we struggled with the previous ones, but which will now facilitate easy access to Zwift in-app features.
The brand has also upgraded its touchpoints thanks to a new partnership with Fizik for the saddle and handlebar tape, along with a new, mysteriously worded ‘ergonomic handlebar specifically designed for indoor riding’.
As for exactly what that feels like, it is still to be discovered, but with the bike having just landed with us, we’ll soon be able to reveal all.
The Kickr bike pro is priced as US $3999, CA $5,249.99, UK £3,499.99, EU €3,999.99, AU $6,299.95, JP ¥510,000.00, and available to buy from today.
The Kickr Core2 will cost US $549.99, CA $899.99, UK £499.99, EU €549.99, AU $899.95, Japan ¥99,000 and again is on sale now.
Developed to work with Wahoo SYSTM, Zwift, Rouvy, TrainingPeaks Virtual, MyWhoosh, and more (please see brand websites for full details).
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