Wahoo Fitness

Great trainer. Nice and quiet. Got on sale from BTD. Switched from Elite Suito trainer that kept squeaking and creaking even after working with customer support and replacing frreehub body. I use either my Garmin head unit to control resistance or use Wahoo app. Free version of Wahoo app is a bit limited in terms of structured workouts. Had connectivity issue once but has resolved with refreshing the app. Overall very happy.

I am recovering from a knee surgery and wanted to upgrade from my old Saris wheel-on trainer that I used during the pandemic. The Kickr core is a step up... much more stable than the old school trainer. And it connects to all the apps out there and my Wahoo Roam without issue. It was offered at a good price. It didn't come with a cassette but that is easy to overcome with a parts bin find or a new cassette. Also, the bike I am using has a Campagnolo 11-speed drive train, and happily an 11-speed Shimano cassette seems to work just fine. As always, BTD offers quick shipping and great service. Ride on!

The Wahoo fitness Kickr Core V2 is the best smart trainer I've tried among the budget conscious range of smart trainers. The direct drive has a better feel and less worry about wearing out you rear tire than the wheel-on trainers. The Zwift direct drive further reduces wear and tear on a cassette and your rear derailleur. It does feel a little weird using the + and - controls for e-shifting but after I got used to it, it became much more intuitive. There is a seamless feel and it lets you maintain momentum which is especially useful if you are doing Zwift racing events because you can carry your power on the downhill sections to make up time. I'm happy to have an indoor cycling experience that does a pretty good job of replacing outdoor riding when the weather is bad or if I don't want to share the road with cars.

Long time road rider. I have worn out the battery on 3 varia units, much quicker than the head unit battery. The battery charge lasts through a couple of long rides, same as Garmin. I am hoping, but don't know, if it will do better than the varia at holding that charge 2 years from now. My hope is based on a newer design and electronics. The mount is sturdy, and easier to secure to the seat post. Some of the features are controlled through a separate app, although you won't need to use the app after initial set up. Radar function works as well as the Garmin, and there are more flash patterns, the light turns off if there are no cars detected, and it has a brake light function.