I currently have a 3 year old elite direto. It’s been mostly okay but I did have to replace the belt recently which was actually a bit of a pain and considering the amount of use I put in the trainer (2-3 hours per week) it was disappointing it wore down so fast. Another minor annoyance is it’s a bit slow for resistance changes. Not the end of the world but noticeable.
anybody make a switch from elite direto to kickr core? I assume it’s a pretty big difference. I’m in no rush but looking at upgrading maybe when some sales around holidays.
Is it likely that wahoo upgrades the kickr core anytime soon? Or do they even need to?
I had a direto for about 12 months and it stopped responding to any device telling it to change resistance. Elite was less than helpful so I chalked it up to a lesson learned and then bought a kickr core. It was superior in every way. No annoying printer noise, silent basically, faster to respond (mostly), and I just like how it feels. Always works as promised.
elite was pretty slow responding to my belt issue and just said buy a new one. I guess since it’s 3 years old it’s out of warranty. Replacing their belt is a pain compared to the video I watched for the kickr. I was definitely surprised at how quickly the belt wore out. I wouldn’t mind the saris h3 but with kickr I have the option for the kickr climb if I want in the future. But guess I’ll just wait and see if I want to upgrade to a kickr
I currently have a 3 year old elite direto. It’s been mostly okay but I did have to replace the belt recently which was actually a bit of a pain and considering the amount of use I put in the trainer (2-3 hours per week) it was disappointing it wore down so fast. Another minor annoyance is it’s a bit slow for resistance changes. Not the end of the world but noticeable.
anybody make a switch from elite direto to kickr core? I assume it’s a pretty big difference. I’m in no rush but looking at upgrading maybe when some sales around holidays.
Is it likely that wahoo upgrades the kickr core anytime soon? Or do they even need to?
I own a Core. Would recommend.
The only time I’ve ever remotely noticed “lag” is that tiny fraction when doing structured intervals and the power swing is drastic. Like, doing 30/30’s at 150% work and 50% rest. So, like a 250w instant swing. Otherwise, as the terrain I view on Zwift changes in free ride, the resistance unit responds accordingly.
I haven’t been in “want” of anything it won’t do. Other than buying a climb unit to go with it!
Only oddity I’ve come across time to time is when turning on bluetooth on devices and getting ready to ride. It works best with Zwift pairing for me to leave off my phone bluetooth and headphones until I’ve powered on the laptop and Core and let Zwift startup and pair all my stuff including the HRM. Then I turn on my phone’s bluetooth for the headphones. And the “cadence” the Core calculates versus using your on-bike power meter…I have tried all combos. On-bike power, on bike cadence, core power, core cadence. I just let the Core do it all. I feel Zwift has dropped my on-bike meter/cadence too often. It doesn’t ever drop the Core. Just the cadence can be a tiny bit laggy the first 10 seconds of a ride. After that, all good. It has it figured out and tracks it impressively well for my needs.
I bought a Kickr Core to replace my 2018 Elite Direto last year. I didn’t think it would make a huge difference, but it did. Much more natural feel due to the flywheel weight and secondary resistance leverage, and the erg is 100X smoother. The Direto used a direct power measurement at the hub, which is good in concept, but very difficult in erg mode. I found the brake adjustments to be hyperactive. With really difficult high intensity intervals particularly, I struggled to maintain power targets because the erg would over-react to small changes both in Zwift and TrainerRoad. It’s far smoother with the Kickr Core, so possible to push high intensity intervals more effectively. And as others have said, quieter also. I can actually hear audio from tv speakers with the Core. That matters more than I thought it would - it just decreases the perception of effort and improves my overall comfort. In summary, it was an unexpectedly huge upgrade in my training setup, and I wish I had done it sooner.
I bought a Kickr Core to replace my 2018 Elite Direto last year. I didn’t think it would make a huge difference, but it did. Much more natural feel due to the flywheel weight and secondary resistance leverage, and the erg is 100X smoother. The Direto used a direct power measurement at the hub, which is good in concept, but very difficult in erg mode. I found the brake adjustments to be hyperactive. With really difficult high intensity intervals particularly, I struggled to maintain power targets because the erg would over-react to small changes both in Zwift and TrainerRoad. It’s far smoother with the Kickr Core, so possible to push high intensity intervals more effectively. And as others have said, quieter also. I can actually hear audio from tv speakers with the Core. That matters more than I thought it would - it just decreases the perception of effort and improves my overall comfort. In summary, it was an unexpectedly huge upgrade in my training setup, and I wish I had done it sooner.
Good to hear. I’m becoming more convince by the moment. l certainly don’t think the direto is bad and for most things it’s fine. But it definitely has some downsides
Anybody any experience with how the Elite Suito compares, both to the Kickr Core and/or the earlier Direto? My sister is looking for her first smart trainer and I’m trying to advise, down to these two as good mid-budget options. I have the earlier Direto and am pretty happy with it, but admit Erg mode is a bit shit and often end up pedalling through mud.
Suito is current favourite due to preinstalled cassette, as strange as that sounds, as they don’t have any bike tools (and I’m too far away to help). But if the Kickr Core is substantively better I’d like to hear it.
I had the original Elite Direto and fortunately I never had any issues with the belt it just worked and it was really good. Last year I had the opportunity to get a Kickr Core and my former coach highly recommended it and said I wouldn’t regret so I sold my Direto. He was so right, I love the Kickr Core and it is light years ahead of the Direto. The Core responds quicker and its more smooth and less noisy and I have nothing but good things to say about it. Honestly I can’t see myself going back to a Direto (which as I said served me quite well).