Wahoo Kickr Core 2 review: a modest upgrade but still excellent bang for buck

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The Wahoo Kickr Core 2 brings a number of welcome updates to the iconic mid-range smart trainer, putting it back among the best.

The existing Kickr Core, with its many strengths and few flaws, was a tough act to follow. Perhaps with that in mind, the Kickr Core 2 is an evolution of the outgoing model, rather than a reinvention of it.

That’s no bad thing, though. The Kickr Core 2’s key specs remain competitive, and Wahoo’s impressive build quality and usability shine through at every stage.

The only chink in its armour is its £499.99 / $549.99 / €549.99 price tag, which makes it £100 / $150 / €100 more expensive than the class-leading JetBlack Victory (£399 / $399 / €449.95).

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Wahoo Kickr Core 2 specification

Beyond a few added features, the basic specification of the Wahoo Kickr Core 2 is practically identical to the previous model.

The 1,800-watt maximum power output, +/- 2 per cent power accuracy and 16 per cent maximum gradient are all the same as before.

The 5.4kg flywheel – among the heaviest in its price bracket – is also the same as the previous version.

As before, you also have the option of an 11-speed bike cassette or a Zwift Cog and Click bundle – although, you now get the updated versions of both Zwift parts, which have improved functionality versus the outgoing models.

As a reminder, the Zwift Cog is a single-speed adaptor that enables “almost any” 8- to 12-speed bike to be mounted on a smart trainer without needing to swap cassettes.

For riders or households with multiple bikes, it significantly streamlines swapping between different setups. Shifting is then taken care of virtually on Zwift (and compatible apps such as Rouvy), via the Click controllers.

If you do get a trainer with a Zwift Cog, it’s worth noting that it can be removed and a cassette installed in its place – it’s not a permanent attachment. That’s useful in case you ever fancy trying a different indoor cycling app that doesn’t support Zwift’s virtual shifting protocol.

The headline new feature is WiFi connectivity and what this enables, which we’ll talk more about shortly.

In terms of value, the Wahoo Kickr Core 2 is competitive but not cheap.

Its price has risen by £50 / $50 / €50 compared to the previous-generation Kickr Core Zwift One that I tested last autumn, although it’s fair to say it’s still cheaper than the original Kickr Core (£699.99 / $900 / €800) when it launched in 2018.

The Kickr Core 2 is around 25 per cent more expensive than JetBlack’s excellent – and comparably specced – Victory smart trainer.

It’s also slightly more expensive than Elite’s new Rivo smart trainer in Europe, which costs £499.99 / €519.

Wahoo Kickr Core 2 setup

Setting up the Wahoo Kickr Core 2 simply involves bolting on the two legs and selecting the correct axle adaptors, but Wahoo has refined the process since the previous generation.

In an innovation borrowed from the now-discontinued Zwift Hub, the updated legs are flat, colour-coded and have chevrons added. This means there’s no confusion over which one goes where, or what orientation they should be.

The axle adaptors also now come mounted to a diagram, which helps riders work out what they need, rather than just jumbled up in a bag.

It’s a small point that won’t make any difference to veteran cyclists, but for less experienced riders it could remove a lot of confusion and therefore seems a smart idea.

Once that’s done, you can plug it in, turn it on and use the Wahoo iOS / Android app to guide you through the rest of the setup.

The most important thing to do at this step is to connect it to a WiFi network, if you have one.

This enables smart devices to communicate with the Kickr Core 2 via a stronger, potentially more stable connection (compared to Bluetooth or ANT+), while also enabling the trainer to update its own firmware.

Using a network connection also unlocks ‘Race Mode’ – a feature that was notable by its absence from the previous model. This enables the trainer to communicate with smart devices at up to 10hz (instead of the 1hz limit over Bluetooth or ANT+), making for a more responsive ride feel.

This is useful for Zwift racing, because it enables your avatar to react marginally quicker to everything going on around you.

Also new is the ability for the Kickr Core to act as a sensor bridge for Bluetooth heart rate monitors and the Zwift Click controllers, which can be helpful if you’re playing Zwift on Apple TV, or any other device that allows only a limited number of Bluetooth connections.

These additions help bring the Kickr Core 2 in line with the JetBlack Victory and Elite Rivo, and even puts it above some far more expensive trainers.

Tacx, for example, has belatedly added Race Mode to the Neo 3M in a recent firmware update (and cut its price from £1,749.99 / €1,999.99 / $1,999.99 to £1,599.99 / $1,799.99 / €1,79.99), but it still lacks WiFi support or sensor bridging capabilities.

The only ‘feature’ I’m disappointed to see missing on the Kickr Core 2 is a carrying handle. Even at less than 20kg in weight, it’s still a fairly awkward object to pick up and move, and an integrated handle would have been appreciated.

Wahoo Kickr Core 2 performance

Wahoo Kickr Core 2 connectivity

As noted in my first look at the Wahoo Kickr Core 2, I initially struggled to connect it to my WiFi network, and have since experienced the odd occasion where I couldn’t get Zwift to connect to it via WiFi.

With things such as this, it’s hard to isolate exactly what the problem is. My WiFi network has both 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz bands active, and other network-enabled devices in the same room have no issues holding a fast and stable wireless connection to my router.

When I asked Wahoo, it suggested ‘power cycling’ – turning it off and on again – the Kickr Core 2 and restarting the Zwift app, which solved the issue.

In any case, there’s always Bluetooth as a back-up – and I found that as reliable as ever. It’s a shame Race Mode isn’t also available via Bluetooth, as it is on the pricier Kickr V6, but that’s a minor point.

The Click V2 controllers connected without issue, though, and I didn’t experience any of the occasional drop-outs I get with the Zwift Play controllers.

Wahoo Kickr Core 2 ride feel

As expected, given the identical flywheel and drive unit, the Kickr Core 2 feels almost identical to the original model while riding.

That’s no bad thing, however, with the Kickr Core 2 offering a fluid feel through the pedals and a realistic simulation of virtual gradient changes.

It’s nice and stable while sprinting, too, and handles ERG mode workouts reasonably smoothly.

Coming off the Neo 3M, I noticed that the Kickr Core 2 wasn’t quite as good in that specific regard. Staying on top of the effort was a little harder than with the Neo 3M, because the resistance on the Kickr Core 2 tended to fluctuate a little less precisely.

However, the Neo 3M is the best trainer for ERG mode workouts I've used, and costs more than three times as much as the Kickr Core 2.

That aside, the difference between the two trainers isn’t night and day, and that’s an impressive feat, all things considered.

As I’ve said before, a maximum power output of 1,800 watts and gradient of 16 per cent are plenty for all but the most powerful riders out there (especially because the default ‘realism’ setting on Zwift is 50 per cent – meaning you only feel half of the stated gradient at the trainer unless you adjust it manually).

And given this, I suspect few will have any cause for complaint about the Kickr Core 2’s ride quality.

Wahoo Kickr Core 2 noise

On paper, the Kickr Core 2 should be essentially unchanged in terms of noise, but here the updated Zwift Cog brings a small improvement over the previous version.

The Zwift Cog 2 can be adjusted, or ‘indexed’, to get a better alignment with the chain and reduce noise.

In my case, this led to an appreciable reduction in overall noise levels compared to the Kickr Core Zwift One – dropping to around 58-59 decibels when ‘just riding along’ at 150 watts / 25kph and only rising to 62-63 decibels when sprinting.

In comparison, the Kickr Core Zwift One produced around 65 to 73 decibels of noise during a similar test scenario.

This helps bring the Kickr Core 2 in line with its competitors in this regard, although it's fair to say once you’ve got a fan going and some music in your headphones, most modern smart trainers are more than ‘quiet enough’.

Wahoo Kickr Core 2 power accuracy

Given the internals of the Kickr Core 2 are unchanged on paper – with a claimed accuracy of +/- 2 per cent – I wasn’t expecting any surprises when it came to power data accuracy.

However, I found my sample performed a little better in this area than the Kickr Core Zwift One I tested last year.

That trainer measured power with excellent consistency and good accuracy, but tracked slightly higher than my on-bike power meters on average.

In theory, this shouldn’t happen because a smart trainer is ‘downstream’ of on-bike power meters and there will always be some power lost to drivetrain friction (no matter how clean my waxed chains are).

In contrast, the Kickr Core 2 measured power only a couple of watts lower on average than on-bike power meters such as 4iiii’s Precision 3+ Pro crankset and a set of Favero Assioma PRO RS pedals – which I’ll chalk up as a small improvement here.

Zooming in on the details didn’t show any obvious deviations either, while the cadence data was very good overall (which isn’t always a given with mid-range smart trainers).

The auto-calibration feature also worked well, which is a boon for convenience.

Wahoo Kickr Core 2 bottom line

The Kickr Core 2 represents only a modest upgrade over the original model, but it still distinguishes itself as one of the best smart trainers available for the money.

Its ride feel, ease of use and data accuracy are excellent, while the construction also remains admirably high-quality.

I’d love to have seen a carrying handle, to make it easier to move and stow away between uses, and the £100 / $150 / €100 premium compared to the JetBlack Victory may be a sticking point for some.

Those minor gripes aside, though, the Wahoo Kickr Core 2 offers a fantastic spec sheet and performance to match.

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