Much as I try to bury my head in the sand and pretend it’s not still shorts-and-t-shirt weather, the fact of the matter is that Jon Snow was right, and for those of us in the northern hemisphere, winter is coming.
If the endless ‘Fall-Winter 25 drop’ emails landing in my inbox weren’t evidence enough, and Zwift’s recent host of updates didn’t give me the hint, the almost-coordinated unveiling of new smart turbo trainers from two of the leading brands in the indoor cycling space, Wahoo and Elite, confirms that summer 25 is behind us. Sad faces, anyone for a Jet2 Holiday?
This means that if you’re a new cyclist looking to take your newfound passion indoors through the winter, or if your seven-year-old Kickr Core (yes, it’s been that long) has seen better days, your investment in setting up (or upgrading) your ‘pain cave’ – hate that term – will go a lot further than it would have a month or so ago.
Both new smart trainers are priced similarly to existing entry-level smart trainer models, each at £499.99 in the UK (US and EU prices differ slightly), but the new Kickr Core 2 gets a host of upgrades such as WiFi connectivity, automatic firmware updates and ERG Easy Ramp; each previously exclusive to the brand’s supra-1000-pound/dollar options.
Wahoo launches Kickr Core 2
The original Kickr core was launched in 2018, and ever since, it has been the go-to entry-level smart trainer (excluding the brief period in which Zwift had the Hub).
Thinking back, that’s an incredible feat given that those seven years included the Covid-19 pandemic, and with it, indoor cycling’s popularity explosion. It also included Zwift’s foray into hardware with the aforementioned Hub, which massively undercut the price of the Kickr Core, leading to a lawsuit and later a collaboration between the two USA companies.
That process, though perhaps not great for Wahoo’s bottom line, was excellent for consumers. It forced down…
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