Zwift says its new Ride indoor smart bike will get more people cycling thanks to its “drastic shift in pricing”, simplicity and eye-pleasing design.
News of a smart bike from the makers of cycling’s biggest indoor training app may surprise some. Despite launching the Zwift Hub in 2022, Zwift appeared to stop the development of larger hardware when it officially partnered with Wahoo last year.
However, the Zwift Ride unites the company’s hardware accessories with a Wahoo Kickr Core smart trainer and a new metal frame. The result is a modular smart bike that can be used by multiple people and undercuts rivals at £1,199.99 / $1,299.99 / €1,299.99.
Zwift has hinted you will be able to buy the frame by itself to use with your smart trainer later this year.
Reducing cost and complexity
Zwift says the Ride reduces the cost and complexity of hardware to make it easier to start using the indoor cycling app and get cycling.
With the Ride costing less than many of the best indoor bikes, Zwift’s Chris Snook says: “This is a drastic shift in pricing for what customers expect a smart bike to cost.
“This is why we think [the Zwift Ride] will help bring more people into cycling and unlock Zwift as a viable option for their indoor training.”
Zwift hasn’t divulged how it has created a smart bike for a penny under £1,200, but the modularity of the design is likely key.
By pairing the new Zwift Ride Smart Frame with the existing Wahoo Kickr Core, the Ride avoids some of the cost that could be accrued by designing a complete smart bike from scratch.
The Ride’s use of the Zwift Play shifters and Zwift Cog will have likely been a cost-saving factor, too.
The idea for a modular indoor bike goes back to the Zwift Tron, a prototype smart bike that borrowed the name of one of Zwift’s fastest in-game virtual bikes, which was leaked in 2022.
Graham Stoney, a senior product manager at Zwift, says: “The modularity… was a really critical thing that we found from [speaking to] users.”
Stoney says having a smart bike that isn’t “one great big hunk of metal” helps users move it around. You can also store its separate parts when it’s not in use.
“The idea is it's always ready, but you've got that functionality and that flexibility to move it around in a smaller space,” he says.
‘It looks like a bike’
To make the Ride more appealing, Zwift designed the bike for people’s homes, paying attention to its aesthetics.
Stoney says: “It looks like a bike. That might be a bonkers thing to say, but that was one of the critical facts in terms of the design.”
According to Stoney, the original Tron concept bike looked like a bike too, but not necessarily one you would ride. He says people will look at the Ride and think “‘Oh, that looks like my bike. I can relate to that.’”
Another consideration in terms of the design was the colour, with Stoney pointing out that it’s white and “not black”.
“It’s a strange thing to say, but it's one of the things we tested as well. People do not want a black piece of gym kit. They want something that will sit in their home and they’ll go ‘I like the look of that,’” says Stoney.
When presenting test groups with a range of colours, white proved to be the most popular across genders.
To make the Ride more relatable, Zwift has opted to use a chain on the Ride. While belt drives are common on exercise bikes, people typically have a chain on their outdoor bikes, providing a familiar sensation when pedalling the Ride.
Zwift says it has refined the design of the single-speed Zwift Cog to minimise noise.
One tool setup and sizing
Zwift says you only need one tool, the Frame Key, for setup and adjustments.
The Frame Key is a 6mm Allen key stored in the top tube of the Zwift Ride Smart Frame.
Zwift says this makes the Ride “perfect for sharing with multiple users”, who can use the tool to adjust three measurements: saddle height, bar height and reach.
The bike fits riders from 5ft (152cm) to 6ft 6ins (198cm). It will come with a fit card with guidance on what position to set the three measurements for your height.
For every height integer, the card shows a letter. This corresponds to letters marked on the frame at the adjustment points. This makes the Ride easier to set up, especially if you’re unsure of your bike fit, according to Zwift.
Zwift has marked the Ride with graphics showing which way to turn particular bolts, which should make installing pedals, with their tricksy reverse threading, easier.
It has designed the bike so setup and all adjustments are completed from the driveside. This includes removing the thru-axle, which is done from the non-driveside on outdoor bikes.
When removing the Smart Bike Frame from the Wahoo Kickr Core smart trainer, there is a hook in the rear triangle for the chain. This should stop the chain from falling to the floor or potentially marking any belongings.
Integration and indoor bottle cages
For the Ride, Zwift has considered what people need within arm's reach when using its app.
Integrating the Zwift Play controllers into the Ride means you can navigate in-game menus and activate features such as RideOns and PowerUps. This contributes to a gamified indoor riding experience.
You can configure the additional buttons at the base of the levers for extra functions.
The controllers also take care of virtual shifting, which arrived with the release of the Zwift Cog last year. You can configure the levers to your preferred shifting style, with either Shimano, SRAM or sequential shifting taking you through the 24 virtual gears.
Zwift has added two bottle cages to the bike’s frame, too. Zwift says it designed the ‘indoor-specific’ cages to be looser than a conventional bottle cage, making it easier to grab your drink.
A rubber tray at the front of the bike covers the reach adjustment. It provides a place to put any food, a towel or a phone.
Zwift says there has been a 10-15 per cent increase in people using its training platform on a tablet in the last two years, so it has produced an optional tablet holder for the Ride, which will cost £39.99 / $49.99 / €49.99.
