Wahoo has easy-to-miss functional upgrades to two of their popular indoor training platforms – a next iteration Kickr Core 2 mag trainer and a newly designated Kickr Bike Pro smart bike. The direct drive Kickr Core 2 looks a lot like its predecessor, but is now quicker & easier to set up out of the box, better connected to other sensors, and more responsive when you are training online.
Plus, the new Kickr Bike Pro takes their top-tier dedicated smart adjustable indoor training bike to the next level with more premium contact points from Fizik, gamified shifter controls à la Zwift Clicks, better external sensor management, and more
New Wahoo Kickr Core 2 direct-drive mag trainer
Wahoo’s direct-drive Kickr Core trainer has been a solid smart indoor trainer for more than 7 years, essentially remaining unchanged besides getting cheaper over the years. It tops out at 1800 Watts with +/-2% power accuracy, delivers a consistent & quiet ride with a 12lb flywheel, and compatibility with most old & new bikes. All of that remains the same.
But now, it is easier to use, from the moment you take it out of the box until you are smashing virtual KOMs in Watopia.
What’s new?
First out of the box, the new Kickr Core 2 has new flattened oval legs/feet. They are color-coded, with offset bolt holes, and can only be fitted in one direction. I tried to screw it up on purpose, but Wahoo did outsmart me, making it pretty idiot-proof.
It also now already comes with your choice of either the simple, single Zwift Cog & Click remote shifters or an 11-speed cassette already installed. Wahoo wanted to make it easier for most buyers to get riding without needing a cassette tool, so they picked the most common options. Yes, the newest bikes now have 12- or even 13-speeds these days. But Wahoo assures us that the bikes people mount to indoor trainers still usually have 11-speeds.
When you plug it in, setup continues to be easy. Now, thanks to added WiFi connectivity (in addition to Bluetooth and ANT+), you can use the trainer as a ‘Sensor Hub’ to relay all of your sensor’s data to whatever app or device you train with. That means faster and more reliable connection, but also lets you easily communicate heart rate and virtual shifting inputs to devices that have limited data channels.
There are also better colored LED indicators directly on the new Wahoo Kickr Core 2 to confirm wireless connections, being ready to ride, and for diagnostics if there are any issues.
Plus, it’s faster too – with Race Mode activated!
The real performance specs of the new Kickr Core 2 aren’t any different from the original. But, again thanks to WiFi and its faster connectivity, the new Core 2 trainer now gets Wahoo Race Mode. That is simply faster data transmission between the trainer and the device that controls your display – now at 10Hz instead of 1Hz before. That means less lag time between something happening onscreen in your virtual training platform before you feel it in your legs.
So how does the new Wahoo Kickr Core 2 ride?
Well, it just feels like a great indoor magnetic trainer.
The simplified setup did make it quicker to get rolling – although this was never a big obstacle for me. I was a little annoyed with the relatively loose fit of the 12mm thru-axle endcaps when I was first lining a bike up on the trainer, but that also wasn’t really a big deal.
Riding Wahoo’s new base trainer was a reminder why not a lot has changed in the last 7 years with the Kickr Core. It is pretty quiet, has a great no-nonsense ride feel, and just does its job well.
Wahoo kinda glossed over it when talking about the update, but the fact that WiFi connectivity now gives the Core the same 10-times-per-second Race Mode communication that their top-end trainers got 2.5 years ago is a pretty big deal. That really does feel like it improves the interactive feeling of riding in a virtual training environment. And it’s especially noticeable when riding ‘virtually rolling’ terrain, when using new virtual shifting like with the new Zwift Click v2 controllers, or when riding fast-changing virtual workouts
Wahoo Kickr Bike Pro smart adjustable indoor training bike
Wahoo’s new Kickr Bike Pro takes indoor training just one step further and a bit more expensive. But for that extra cost, you still get all the 5-point adjustability, hill simulation up & rolling down, and max 2500W power with +/-1% accuracy, plus… now it feels better under you.
A pain point for many riders buying such an expensive dedicated indoor smart training bike was the contact points simply didn’t live up to the same quality you would expect. Of course, you could always change out your saddle & bar tape, but if you spent this much on a trainer, you kinda want it to just be perfect.
So, Wahoo teamed up with Fizik to kit the Kickr Bike Pro out with a premium Fizik Aliante R5 saddle and their Solocush tape. Plus, Wahoo gave the Kickr Bike Pro a new ergo-shaped handlebar and redesigned their own shifter hood for improved comfort & ergonomics. At the same time, Wahoo gave those hoods integrated gamepad controllers – just like the latest Zwift Click v2 – for sleekly integrated virtual shifting and on-screen controls.
It already had WiFi (and Race Mode), but the new Kickr Bike Pro also gets the same Sensor Hub connectivity that the Core 2 gets, so setup of sensors is easier and seamless even on devices like AppleTV that have a limited number of connections at once.
Wahoo Kickr Core 2 & Kickr Bike Pro – Pricing, availability & options
The new Wahoo Kickr Core 2 is available now from Wahoo and its retail partners for $550 / 550€. For that price you get to pick either a single Zwift Cog & Clicks v2 setup or a simple preinstalled 11-speed cassette optimized for older Shimano or SRAM drivetrains. All have a HG freehub body underneath as standard and also come with all the standard endcaps to fit QR & thru-axle bikes (road and MTB spacing). Campy & SRAM freehubs are available separately. A new Kickr Core 2 setup with Zwift’s own Ride indoor bike is also now available directly from Zwift for $1300 / 1200€ total.
The new Wahoo Kickr Bike Pro sells for $4000 / 4000€, a bit more than the original version now that it gets upgraded contact points. It effectively replaces the previous top-tier Kickr Bike, while the more affordable Kickr Bike Shift still carries on.
Get yours now directly from Wahoo.
