We chatted a bit with Zwift CEO Eric Min about the survey and what he’s excited about for the Wheel and Ride. This really is big news in the world of Zwift, because they have “tipped their hand” in a big way. Until now, it’s been well-known that Zwift is working to develop its own hardware. But no images or specs had been released.
Eric told us, “We decided it was worth the risk of leaking the details of our hardware in exchange for the learnings we’ll get from the surveys.”
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OK, and I don’t want to get into a “meaning of words” argument,
Does not specify that the images are correct, or it will look like that, only somewhere on the page, something might be true (like the accuracy +/- 1%), they still have something to learn from the survey, and it would be more than price, as if it was, they would have announced it without price, and get more exposure and just as much feedback
I still don’t expect that what comes to market, will be this
Well, I think I posted that before what I believe was an edit to your OP (adding the ZI portion after the fact) while I was getting the link, so I was under the initial impression you hadn’t seen that article.
I’m not claiming anything more that what is shared. I just grabbed what I thought hand not been seen previously.
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Cool, but my only point is, that those are not confirmation (like you said), infact any but, Chris Snook talks about " The hypothetical pricing and features covered in the survey"
And
The front wheel comes apart and could be replaced with one that has a riser feature included.”
We’ll eventually have a fan that will be integrated into the front wheel which would be a way smaller footprint that other setups with a fan.
ZwiftInsider.com also noted after that conversation that some sort of future integrated screen seems high on th
Are not confirmations that the hardware is final and or will look like the images
I have no investment in this, I have no info, I just don’t believe that this is the final version, and haven’t seen anything that contradicts my belief (world isn’t going to change if I am wrong), but think it’s worth reading the entire ZI article, and take from the final sentance from the man who talked to Chris Snook and Eric min about the bike
But Chris Snook, Zwift’s PR Director, told us, “the survey is designed to help us better understand the hardware product features Zwifters value most by showing a mix of real and hypothetical products/product features. These are shown at various hypothetical prices.” So while the specs look good, the final product may be very different.
Time will tell, I guess….but my gut says these are pretty close to what you will see eventually hit the market.
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If all of this is true, i think zwift has a major winner in their hands…
They will revolutionize but modularizing the set up… Yes it will be more expensive but you can just get whatever you can at the moment and build from it…
I can imagine people getting the wheel first and go for the bike and raiser later and if the price is right add the screen and fan too…
Zwift can just release accessories as they go and change the bike shape, like create one that is more TT oriented.
Idk. I am not a huge zwift user, but it the specs are right and the price is right i might be tempted, specially if the add profiles/family account. One bike for the family…similar to pelotón
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Now waiting for TrainerRoad to respond with their own smart bike/trainer!
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Got a spark on this from a question in another group. Related to the “Z Cog” comments, I am curious to learn if this is what I think it is.
Presumably it is actually equipping the Zwift Wheel trainer with a single cog, and I would hope it is compatible with a full range of chain sizes from 13 speed down to 8 speed. The reason this matters is the surprising frequency I see people getting a wheel-off trainer that comes with the typical 11 speed cassette, only to realize that their bike won’t mesh properly with it.
I am guessing the Z Cog is essentially “virtual gears” like we see on smart bikes. Hopefully the trainer comes with a controller that includes “shifters” that adjust the effective resistance to simulate physical gear changes. If so, this is one feature that may reduce a common friction point for new hardware buyers, that might make the setup and use one step easier.
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or buying a Wahoo Kickr in late 2017, a company known for customer support and service, and then buying a 12-speed SRAM equipped bike and discovering Wahoo won’t offer a compatible freehub. Should have bought the Tacx Neo!!!
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That’s another good example. Partly “future proof” with a more open option via the single cog and virtual shifting. Much remains to learn and see how it actually works, but I love the concept.
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I dunno how common cycling classes are anymore in this age of Zwift and COVID, but this would be a great feature for any places still doing group workouts. No longer have to worry about which cassette, etc.
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Assuming you mean “live and in person” with people coming to a location and “borrowing” a trainer on site, yeah… that would be great. Sharing one of these in any way becomes so easy if it is a single cog with the virtual controls.
Even something as simple as multiple bikes for one or more riders at home is a win for this option. Think of all the people with a road and MTB that likely have different drivetrain gearing (not to mention gear count), and this one trainer becomes way more adaptable with no effort vs either swapping cassettes or dealing with imperfect setups. So, any bike variations would be easily handled here.
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I will add, that I don’t think Z is in possession of any secret sauce here. Other than taking the step to provide some external method of shifting (via wireless remote to the trainer), presumably this concept could be applied to any of the typical smart trainers. From an optimistic standpoint, I would hope that Tacx, Wahoo, etc. will consider this concept and maybe offer backward compatible firmware updates and remote integration.
Even without the backward option, I hope this concept can land in those other makers because it has strong potential as a “new feature” that really expands the ease of use for trainer and the complexities of gearing.
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By putting it in a survey for a product that doesn’t exist, they definitely can’t claim any sort of new innovation in a patent filing.
So if I was Wahoo or Tacx, I’d develop that feature asap and get it to market before Zwift’s bike ships.
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I have no idea if any of the features here are patentable…however, shipment of the product is irrelevant…many patents have been issued for products that never shipped. I’m sure Zwift has done their due diligence re: any potential patents before they released the concepts above. If they are patentable, the process is likely already underway, or there are more unique features yet to be revealed.
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I am not familiar with all the ins/outs of patent filing. But it may be possible that they already have the patent application in and are able to share a concept. However, I know a couple of people who have gotten patents, and they kept everything tight lipped until they received the actual patent.
Either way, I totally agree that any trainer make not actively pursuing this concept is behind the 8-ball. It is a fantastic idea, and a way to revitalize the otherwise stalled trainer development lifecycle.
Also worth noting that patents have to be very precise and explicit, detailing how they achieve the intended feature / benefit. It is not enough to say “we have a variable geared trainer that utilizes a single cog”. You have to detail exactly how you achieve that feature. In exchange for divulging how you achieve something unique, you are granted am exclusive period of time to produce the product without competition. But once the patent expires, the design is available for use by everyone.
In that sense, that brings a risk factor to rushing out a similar feature…if you don’t know how Zwift is executing a particular feature, you don’t know if your competitive response is violating a potential patent.
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