My Turbo Trainer Setup: Two Years With The Zwift Ride and Wahoo KICKR CORE 2
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A couple of years ago, not long after having my daughter, I decided I wanted a Zwift Ride. It was as much about getting back into fitness postpartum as it was about finding myself again in the new-Mom haze (and somewhere in that same headspace, I impulsively decided to run the London Marathon). Looking back, getting an indoor turbo trainer setup was a big commitment of money, space, the whole "is this actually going to get used" question anyone asks before hitting the payment button. But two years and thousands of kilometres later, it's been one of the best decisions I've made for my own training.
What we've got
We're running a Zwift Ride bundled with the Wahoo KICKR Core 2, Zwift's own smart bike frame paired with Wahoo's trainer underneath it. If you're just after the trainer itself without the Zwift Ride frame, you can also get the Wahoo KICKR Core 2 on its own.
(US and EU based? Use the US bundle link / EU bundle link, or the stand-alone KICKR Core 2 for US / EU.)
It started life in our living room, and has since moved up to our main bedroom, after a Wahoo KICKR RUN treadmill took its spot downstairs. Wherever it's lived, it's sat on a Zwift training mat and genuinely didn’t look too out of place. Zwift has done a great job with the design here. Compared to a lot of the alternatives out there, it's a surprisingly elegant piece of kit, and it's never felt like something I had to hide away or cover up when friends came over.
Two years, thousands of kilometres, basically zero issues
This is the bit I actually want to shout about, because it's rare enough to be worth saying out loud: in two years of use, mine and Scott's combined, this setup has not missed a beat.
No creaks, no mechanical faults, nothing wrong with the hardware at all. The only thing I can report is that one of the bar ends occasionally pops off if you're really putting the power down on the drops. That's it. That's the entire complaint list after two years of weekly use from two very different riders.
For anyone who's been burned by indoor trainers before, the ones that develop an infuriating tick or rattle after six months, or need constant servicing, that kind of reliability is worth more than any headline spec.
Why a Zwift Ride, and not something else
There isn't really anything quite like the Zwift Ride on the market. Sure, you've got things like a Peloton or a Wattbike, but the seamless integration with Zwift (and more recently, Rouvey) quite literally has the best of it all in one. For me, I love the training aspect, of course, but I love the gamified element to my training as well through Zwift’s virtual platform. There’s so much I could say about Zwift’s software alone, but I’ll save that for another time.
In practice, if you're serious about Zwift, you're choosing between a Zwift Ride like mine, or a turbo trainer that works with your own bike. There isn't really a third option worth considering.
Why it works for how I actually train
I'm not chasing perfection with my training, and my setup reflects that. Some days I get out on the gravel bike or do a run. Other days, especially when Scott's travelling for work and I'm solo-parenting, the turbo trainer is the only way training happens at all, because it means I don't need to worry about childcare, daylight, or decent weather. I can get on it around work and even squeeze in twenty minutes while keeping half an ear out for a sleeping toddler.
It's also just genuinely pleasant to use. Being on Zwift means bike training don't feel like the slog they used to before I had a smart trainer. There's something very cool about seeing your effort reflected on screen, riding alongside other people's avatars, that makes an hour on the turbo pass a lot faster than the chore of actually having to leave your house.
Would I recommend it
If you're weighing up whether an indoor setup is worth the investment, my honest answer after two years is: yes, if consistency matters more to you than the romance of always riding outside. It's not replaced outdoor riding for me, it's given me a version of training that survives bad weather, zero childcare days, and the general chaos of trying to fit marathon and cycling training around a full-time job and a small child.