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In all the events of the past two years, many people have started indoor riding, and this is often using smart platforms such as Zwift or Peloton.
Zwift earns most of its revenue through subscriptions, but a logical way to significantly increase profits is to expand into the hardware field and provide an all-in-one solution similar to Peloton.
We know that Zwift has been developing its own indoor smart bike trainer for many years.
Not much information about the coach was revealed. Most of the information comes from the work list of the hardware department. It lets us know what they want, but nothing concrete.
Recently, Zwift has been sending users surveys about new hardware, revealing an astonishing amount of information.
Presumably, Zwift is developing a smart bike that will allow them to provide an all-in-one solution at a high price.
Reality seems to be a strange hybrid approach.
The new bicycle will be divided into two parts, Zwift Wheel and Zwift Ride. The wheel works like a direct drive trainer, but you can use Ride to upgrade it to a complete smart bike.
Posted pictures DC Rainmaker, I assume a reader from him, showed a very unique design. My personal opinion is that the design looks a bit overdone, and it may look very malleable.
The design of this bike looks like a Zwift Tron bike, and it even lights up like it. This is not to my taste, but I don’t care what my device looks like, as long as it works well.
Zwift wheel specifications-very similar to Tacx Neo 2T
Zwift Wheel looks like a wheeled trainer, but it is actually a direct drive trainer designed to look like a wheel.
The specifications of this trainer are very similar to Tacx Neo 2T, which in turn is similar to Tacx Neo Smart Bike.
- Maximum power 2200w (2200w for Neo 2T)
- +/- 1% declared accuracy (same as Neo 2T/bicycle)
- Wireless game controller for bicycle handlebars, used for steering, braking, shifting and other game controls
- Downhill acceleration-drive forward and accelerate to increase the wheel speed when downhill (same as Neo 2T/Bike)
- Gradient simulation, but no specific figures are given. Since this tends to be high-end coaches, we can assume 20-25%
- Terrain simulation similar to Tacx Neo
- The Z Cog design is a single gear design with virtual shifting
Zwift Ride Z Cog design and virtual shifting
One unique feature that other direct trainers that I don’t know of is the Z-Cog design, where the trainer and bile are built around a single gear.
When you think about wireless game controllers, it sounds like the bicycle will work under fixed mechanical gears, and wireless shifting will simulate virtual shifting.
This is exactly how smart bicycles work, but direct drive trainers are usually integrated into your existing bicycle transmission.
It may not be as pleasing as the physically dull sound made when shifting gears, but it means that the bicycle part of Zwift Ride does not require any transmission.
When I used the direct drive trainer, after a while, I started to encounter many gear shifting problems, so the idea of not relying on mechanical gear shifting indoors was very attractive to me.
Zwift wheel pricing
The survey seems to have used different prices. A DC Rainmaker Wheel listed is priced at £900, which is high-end but not the most expensive. Another user’s Zwift Wheel is priced at $1200.
Zwift Ride Smart Bike
Then you have a smart bike, and you should be able to buy it after you have a Wheel to provide you with an upgrade path.
This is essentially just an adjustable bicycle frame, and I assume that the wireless controls are integrated into the handlebars.
There are holes in the crank arm to provide different crank lengths, and the drive train is closed, which should help prevent sweat and dirt from deteriorating objects.
There are also some lights that can make you feel the Tron bike.
Price
Since the wheels contain all the expensive hardware, the cost of a complete smart bike may be as low as £1,700, while an American user claims that it may cost US$2,800.
1700 pounds, it will weaken all options on the market.If you shop around, Tacx Neo Bike is currently the cheapest, priced at 1900-2000 pounds
comprehensive
Although I am not very keen on design, I like the concept and the potentially attractive pricing.
One of my concerns about the Tacx Neo bike is its long-term durability and maintainability. I think that dividing the bicycle into two separate parts and having the option of using a regular bicycle means that if there are any problems, it should be easier and faster to repair.
