Just a super quick heads up that Wahoo has put the Wahoo KICKR CORE 2 on sale, as an ‘end of season’ sale. While I’m not entirely sure I’d count the first few days of ‘end of trainer season’, most of us aren’t going to be upset about it.
The KICKR CORE 2 was announced back in early September (2025), and is mostly an electronics upgrade adding a bunch of new features, rather than any sort of difference in flywheel/etc… As a quick reminder, here’s the newness:
– Added WiFi connectivity (helps in certain environments, and auto downloads firmware updates)
– Added Race Mode (faster update rate)
– Added ‘Sensor Hub’, aka Bluetooth bridging, helpful for Apple TV users especially
– Added secure/bonded/encrypted Bluetooth pairing for EU security compliance (EU RED)
– Added new trainer LEDs for trainer/WiFi status
– Tweaked the legs to be flat-shaped (versus rounded previously)
Also, in early January it got another firmware update, allowing you to pair Zwift controllers via the Sensor Hub (again, mostly useful for Apple TV users). I’ve continued to use the CORE 2 unit I bought, with my wife riding it most of the time as her main trainer. Continues to work spot-on for us.
The unit is offered in two flavors, one with the Zwift Cog/Click (specifically the new Click V2 dual-set buttons), and the second with an 11sp cassette. The underlying hardware is the same on both, and you can always swap to other cassettes (as I did in my review – to a 12sp cassette).
In any case, keeping this short, the KICKR CORE 2 is on sale for $399, regardless of which model you buy. Additionally, in the EU it’s 399EUR, and the UK £399.
In terms of upgrading, the key thing you’d want to decide is whether or not you care about those electronic features above. Meaning, if you already have a KICKR CORE 1, you’re not going to ‘feel’ anything different here. It’s the same physical trainer as before. Likewise, if you have a KICKR CORE V4/V5/V6, those flywheels are greater. However, if you care about those electronics updates, then this is worth considering.
Wahoo KICKR CORE 2 with Zwift Cog/Click – $399 (REI)
Wahoo KICKR CORE 2 with 11-speed cassette – $399 (REI)
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Hopefully you found this review/post useful. At the end of the day, I’m an athlete just like you looking for the most detail possible on a new purchase – so my review is written from the standpoint of how I used the device. The reviews generally take a lot of hours to put together, so it’s a fair bit of work (and labor of love). As you probably noticed by looking below, I also take time to answer all the questions posted in the comments – and there’s quite a bit of detail in there as well.
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Here's a few other variants or sibling products that are worth considering:
Wahoo KICKR CORE 2 (11sp Cassette)
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Thanks for reading! And as always, feel free to post comments or questions in the comments section below, I’ll be happy to try and answer them as quickly as possible. And lastly, if you felt this review was useful – I always appreciate feedback in the comments below. Thanks!
I bought the Core 2 to simplify device connectivity to Zwift on Apple TV but my experience has been opposite.
My old Core through the Zwift companion app worked reliably for years. Using the Wifi bridge of the Core 2, it solid for the first month but now, I frequently get HR and power drop outs. Still troubleshooting the reason but hasn’t been fun.
Hi, thanks for the hint – would you suggest it makes sense to take this opportunity and go for a kickr core 2 now?
I’m currently on a Tacx Neo (1st Gen) – no complaints about it, almost exclusively using TrainerRoad. I was just wondering, are there any benefits to be had that I’m not aware of? Race mode is only relevant in race-situations, right?
Yeah, to be honest, I don’t think you’d gain much there, if it’s fitting all your requirements today.
The main things would be:
1) Multichannel Bluetooth (doesn’t sound like that’s a limiter for you)
2) Zwift Virtual shifting (not an issue since you’re using TrainerRoad)
3) Sensor Hub (again, doesn’t sound like something you’re running up against, mostly for Zwift Apple TV folks)
4) Race mode (again, not for TR, for Zwift, and as you noted, really not something 95% of the people would even notice/care about)
I’d honestly go spend it on ice cream instead!
Cheers!
Hi Ray, I was about to order the JetBlack Victory until I saw your post. Now that they are the same price at $399, which one would you recommend?