Zwift started out as the massively multiplayer online cycling and running app, providing virtual worlds to explore while working out. In 2022 the company joined the hardware market with its own smart bike trainer called the Zwift Hub. Today the company has launched the next generation called the Zwift Hub One ($599). It boasts virtual shifting, the Click handlebar-mounted shift controller and broader compatibility with a variety of bikes. The older model will continue to be available under the name Zwift Hub Classic ($599). Existing users can even upgrade their Hub (Classic) with the Zwift Cog/Click bundle without having to purchase an entirely new trainer.
Support for the Zwift Hub One and Zwift Cog will be part of the 1.50 version of Zwift which should be rolling out between October 11th and 13th this week. You’ll be able to add the Click shifter control under the Paired Devices section of the app. The Zwift Play drop-style handlebar controller should also be able to work concurrently with the Click depending on how many devices you have connected to the app. Its buttons can even be customized to control shifting as well.
Virtual shifting is something that’s usually seen on more expensive standalone trainers like the Wahoo Kickr Bike. With the Zwift Hub One or an upgraded Hub with the Zwift Cog, you can expand your shifting range across 24 gears (at launch). The chain from your bike gets threaded through a single cog instead of a full cassette, which simplifies the setup, can reduce wear and tear and leaves compatibility open to a variety of types and sizes of bike.
The shifting is electronic and controls resistance in the flywheel, so we hope the experience is as good or better than real-world situations, especially under heavy loads. It should be a bit quieter too, since much of the noise comes from your actual drivetrain and not the trainer itself.
With the Zwift Cog using just a single spot to thread the chain through, you no longer have to worry about cassette compatibility when swapping bikes. It can accommodate a variety of widths with the help of spacers, but the other selling point is the “real gear ratio calibration” which is calculated at the first few seconds of each ride. This lets the system compensate for, say, the smaller chainring of a mountain bike, and with 24 gears available it can expand your options beyond the hardware you have. One caveat though, is that if your bike has multiple front chainrings, you’ll want to keep that static throughout your ride, otherwise you’ll throw off the initial calibration.
For those who enjoy riding single gear bikes outdoors, you can pop that bike onto a Zwift Hub One and experience riding hills in Watopia with a full array of gears, assuming you don’t need to tweak the chain length or anything. The Zwift Click controller can be affixed to any type of handlebar (unlike the Zwift Play) and this will allow you to cycle through the virtual gears.
The Zwift Hub One is available today at the company’s website for $599, alongside the Zwift Hub Classic, also priced at $599. Both include a one-year subscription to the Zwift app. At launch, the upgrade bundle including both the Zwift Cog and Zwift Click will be priced at $60 for a limited time. After that it will go up to the normal retail price of $80.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-zwift-hub-one-trainer-offers-virtual-shifting-and-broader-bike-compatibility-150014140.html?src=rss
