The Kickr Core is now cheaper than ever, even beating Black Friday sale prices, but what has driven the change?
(Image credit: Josh Ross)
Wahoo has permanently dropped the retail price of the Kickr Core smart trainer by £150 / $300 recently in a reduction which sees the trainer decrease in price from £699 to £549. The trainer has also seen a similar drop in the USA, dropping from $899 to its new price of $599, and a €200 drop in Europe from €799 to €599.
Despite being the cheapest direct drive trainer in the Wahoo lineup and about half the price of the top-flight Kickr V6, our tech team really rates the product. Our reviewer Josh Ross gave it a 4.5 star review back in 2021 in his Kickr Core review, saying he thought it was as good as anything else on the market and it does the important and key things really well.
We also still recommend it as one of the best smart trainers and Wahoo does a great job of supporting older products with software updates, so you won't get left out in the cold should you choose to invest in it now.
But why the price change? Well aside from the trainer being on the market for several years (it launched in 2018) it could be a sign that some new equipment is on the way from Wahoo.
Could the new price be an effort to stay competitive as much as anything?
Competition and legal cases
The smart trainer world is full of choice and there are a wide range of options for consumers to choose from at all pricepoints. Like the virtual competition that takes place using the trainers themselves, there seems to be a fair bit of competition between rival manufacturers.
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When Zwift launched its own smart trainer, the Zwift Hub, back in October last year, it was aimed to sit firmly in the same performance bracket as the Kickr Core, but it significantly undercut the Wahoo price. It retailed for £449 / $499 / €499. We reviewed the trainer and thought it was pretty excellent, our Associate Editor Josh even wondered whether it was about to transform the smart trainer market with its excellent performance alongside a very competitive price tag. With today's price change, that prediction could well have been right.
Shortly after the release, Wahoo was quick to file multiple copyright infringement claims against Zwift. Specifically, three patents related to trainers. There was also a similar lawsuit being aimed at JetBlack Cycling who manufactured the smart trainer for Zwift.
JetBlack Cycling also had its own trainer on the market, the Volt, which had been on the market for over a year prior and formed the base product of the Zwift Hub. Wahoo wasn't happy about either model, claiming the trainer was "identical, in all material respects" to the Kickr Core trainer.
Summed up, Wahoo felt the Kickr Core was there first and clearly felt the rival trainers' designs infringed on their own trainer patents while at the same time undercutting their retail price.
(Image credit: Wahoo)
The Wahoo Jetblack lawsuit was settled in December of 2022, but the case against Zwift continued on. The hearing date of April led to Wahoo's request for a preliminary injunction being denied by the judge, reported DC Rainmaker at the time, and even though the case was set to continue through to 2025, it has reportedly now been settled.
The timing of Wahoo's price drop could be a pure coincidence, but at face value it appears connected to the court case.
Of course, the Zwift Hub isn't the only competitor in the space. Tacx has a pair of direct drive trainers that also undercut the Kickr Core's price. Wiggle's in-house brand Lifeline is another, the CycPlus T2 does so too, likewise the Pinnacle HC. Perhaps Wahoo has realised that it needs to cut its price in order to remain a viable consideration.
No matter the reason, what important is that in bringing down the price, Wahoo has made an excellent trainer more affordable than ever before. It's still not quite as cheap as some of the others, but this can only be a good thing for consumers looking to take their cycling indoors as the weather takes a turn for the worse and the nights draw in.
Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.
He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.
