Zwift Cog is designed to broaden bike compatibility with sensible bike trainers and introduce digital shifting for Zwift. As an alternative of conventional gear mechanics, you shift gears utilizing digital buttons. Zwift then calculates the resistance primarily based on the terrain and your chosen digital gear.
Under, you’ll study extra particulars. I’ve summarized the professionals, cons, and motivations of Zwift to push Zwift Cog to the market.
How Zwift Cog Works
Zwift Cog replaces a freehub with a cassette with one gear and two bowl-like wheels. It’s delivered with Zwift Click on buttons, which you pair with Zwift and use for shifting. So, you received’t mechanically shift your rear derailleur (you’ll be able to shift the entrance one); you solely shift just about.
It expands bike compatibility as a result of you need to use it with 8-12spd bikes, not like with an 11spd cassette. So it’s simpler to make use of one coach with a number of bikes. However, there are just a few disadvantages, like a slower change of a number of gears without delay, a much less mechanical really feel, and primarily restricted indoor biking app compatibility. When writing this text, Zwift was the one app supporting digital shifting.
Zwift mainly managed to lock clients into its ecosystem. Utilizing completely different apps with one gear is unnecessary until you utilize an ERG mode. And since different apps don’t assist digital shifting but, you’ll be able to’t shift gears just about.
For an in depth comparability of benefits and downsides, take a look at Digital vs. Conventional Shifting or the next desk.
Sort of shiftingProsCons
Digital shifting(Zwift Cog)• Improves compatibility with bikes which have completely different variety of gears¹• Eliminates cross chaining• Permits setting completely different gear ratios²• Quieter• Much less comparable feeling to using a motorbike open air• Slower when altering a number of gear• The place of the shifting buttons shouldn’t be ultimate• Not at present supported by functions aside from Zwift
Conventional shifting(cassette)• Quicker when altering extra gears without delay• Practical shifting• Splendid place of the shifters• Greater threat of cross chaining• Worse compatibility with bikes which have completely different variety of gears• Gained’t assist you to change gear ratios³• Noisier
The professionals and cons of digital vs. mechanical/digital shifting in indoor biking.¹Assuming a Zwift Cog is used. ²Currently on sensible bikes only³Assuming you don’t change cassette or chainrings
Zwift Cog v1 vs. v2: What’s the Distinction?
The primary era of the Zwift Cog had a major downside: it couldn’t be micro-adjusted. This limitation made it difficult to attain correct rear derailleur alignment, typically leading to elevated drivetrain noise.
Zwift Cog v2 addresses this concern with ten micro adjustment positions, making rear derailleur/chain/sprocket alignment simpler and lowering noise for a greater expertise.
Conclusion
Zwift Cog v2 solves just a few issues, just like the compatibility of bikes with completely different gears and crosschaining, but it surely brings one other. It makes the coach unusable with completely different indoor biking apps. Fortunately, you’ll be able to substitute it with a freehub physique and cassette and use the coach historically, the place you shift gears mechanically.
Keep in mind that you don’t want a Zwift Cog to make use of digital shifting. In case your coach helps it, you need to use it with a standard cassette and shift with Zwift Click on or Zwift Play Controllers.
