Wahoo Kickr & Virtual Shifting

[AllAboutRides]

Hi all,

 

I’m looking to get an indoor trainer for the upcoming winter, but I don’t want to use my primary bike (MTB) on the trainer. I’d prefer not to deal with swapping wheels or setup hassle on days when I want to ride outside—hope that makes sense.

 

I’m currently considering the Wahoo Kickr Core with the Cog and Virtual Shifting setup.

 

I understand this setup may mainly lock me into Zwift and could limit use with other apps like MyWhoosh. I’m also wondering if it would be better to rather get a cheap “trainer bike” (something basic from Makro or The Hub) that I can permanently leave on the trainer.

 

Would a cheap bike still work properly with virtual shifting on the Kickr Core Cog setup, or are there limitations I should be aware of?

 

Also, I’d really appreciate your thoughts on virtual shifting in general—how well it works, any downsides, and whether it’s worth it versus a standard drivetrain setup.
 

Thanks in advance.

[agilwolf]

1. Ensure your Kickr CORE has the latest Firmware installed
2. If the CORE does not have the Zwift Cog, just install normal 11/12Spd Cassette.  You do not need the Cog, only the "Click".  Just shift to your 14T (or closest to 14T) cog at the back and keep it there and use the Click for your gear changes virtually.
3. Downside for me initially was that the "shifting" is not immediate, it takes about half a second to "feel" the change.  You learn to anticipate the changes and getting caught in the "wrong gear" becomes less of a problem.
4. In my opinion, with the above "set-up" with the casette installed, you're not limited to Zwift, as you'd still have your normal shifting available to you.

[AllAboutRides]

29 minutes ago, agilwolf said:

1. Ensure your Kickr CORE has the latest Firmware installed
2. If the CORE does not have the Zwift Cog, just install normal 11/12Spd Cassette.  You do not need the Cog, only the "Click".  Just shift to your 14T (or closest to 14T) cog at the back and keep it there and use the Click for your gear changes virtually.
3. Downside for me initially was that the "shifting" is not immediate, it takes about half a second to "feel" the change.  You learn to anticipate the changes and getting caught in the "wrong gear" becomes less of a problem.
4. In my opinion, with the above "set-up" with the casette installed, you're not limited to Zwift, as you'd still have your normal shifting available to you.

Thank you for the advice🙏🏻

Main reason is I would like to fit a cheap bike on the indoor trainer, not sure how a cheap bike will shift manually on a trainer as explained.

Primary bike is MTB with AXS shifting, but don’t want to remove the wheel every single time I want to train, hence thinking of cheap bike and the cog as no extra cassette need to be purchased

[Dexter-morgan]

@NotSoBigBen HAS done a similar setup with mywhoosh, maybe he can assist.

[NotSoBigBen]

2 hours ago, Dexter-morgan said:

@NotSoBigBen HAS done a similar setup with mywhoosh, maybe he can assist.

I use a dumb trainer with a 'geared' bike so don't personally have experience with the environment the OP describes but ...

My son uses a Magene 'smart' trainer in ERG mode ... he uses a simple bike we built, single speed and then uses the virtual shifting. He also uses MyWhoosh I haven't heard any complaints from him!