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?
But every cloud has a silver lining, and today's comes in the form of two budget-friendly smart turbo trainer launches: Wahoo's long-awaited Kickr Core 2, and Elite's Rivo, complete with Zwift's Cog and Click V2. To throw in a second season-appropriate film reference and to quote Arnold Schwarzenegger and my all-time favourite Christmas film: It's turbo time.
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.
Let's take a quick dive into what's new for each model individually.
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 the price of the Kickr from £699.99 to £499.99, and forced all brands to look more closely at the setup process, simplifying it no end, and adding a cassette to the equation in a move that further increased the value proposition.
The new version follows suit, with the inclusion of Zwift's Cog and Click system or an 11-speed cassette within the price, and a new leg system that is both more stable and colour-coded for quicker setup.
Elsewhere, the Kickr Core 2 retains its accuracy within +/-2%, 16% grade simulation, and a maximum resistance of 1800 watts. It gets WiFi connectivity to piggyback off your home's internet connection to connect to your laptop, rather than relying on Bluetooth. It also gets 'Race Mode' for faster transfer of power data, ERG Easy Ramp to help you get moving again if you stop mid-interval, and the new 'Kickr Bridge' functionality, which will let your heart rate monitor pass data through the trainer, reducing Bluetooth noise.
All of these were features previously exclusive to premium smart trainers, adding performance to your budget-friendly indoor cycling setup.
The Kickr Core 2 has also been on a diet, dropping down from 18kg to a little over 14kg, without losing any weight in the flywheel. It will be priced at £499.99 / US $549.99 / CA $899.99 / EU €549.99 / AU $899.95.
Read our Wahoo Kickr Core 2 review for more.
Elite goes live with Rivo
For the very same price of £499.99, or the marginally better price of €519.99 if you're in Europe, Elite's new Rivo smart trainer might be your preferred choice. This price is complete with the Zwift Cog and Click v2, but can be bought at the slightly cheaper price of €499 without it.
UK pricing is yet to be confirmed for this derivative, and international pricing is to be confirmed for all options. Assuming it follows the latest conversion rates, we can expect to see the Rivo loosely match the Kickr Core 2's pricing across all territories.
Now, if you're getting deja vu, that's because this isn't the Rivo's grand unveiling. It was first announced at IceBike in February, and later shown off at Eurobike, but today is its official go-live day, meaning you can now buy it.
For your money, you get accuracy within +/- 2.5%, grade simulation of up to 18%, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, automatic firmware updates, and a 'Bridge mode' that lets you push heart rate monitor data via the smart trainer to your laptop in the same data stream as your power and cadence.
Its unit weight is just 10kg, and a carry handle is included, should you need to store it away between uses. It's even functional without mains power, with two standalone modes that let you use the trainer for car-park raceday warmups, or in the event of a power outage.
