BLE Dropouts with Elite Justo 2 + Zwift Ride Smart Frame

Bugs and Support
1

Hi everyone,
I’m experiencing persistent Bluetooth dropouts between my Elite Justo 2 trainer (firmware v36) and Zwift when used with the Zwift Ride Smart Frame in virtual shifting mode.
Setup details:
• Zwift Ride Smart Frame + Zwift Cog
• Elite Justo 2 trainer (firmware v36)
• Windows 11 Pro (ThinkPad X13, Intel AX201 Bluetooth 5.1)
• Android 16 (Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, Zwift Companion)
• Tested both direct Bluetooth and Companion bridging
Issue:
• Initial pairing works perfectly
• During rides, Zwift intermittently loses connection to Justo 2
• Zwift Ride Handlebars and HRM stay connected without issue
• To restore functionality, I have to manually re-pair Justo 2 via the ‘Paired Devices’ screen
• Dropouts are less frequent with Companion bridging, but still occur

What I’ve tried:
• Uninstalled/reinstalled Bluetooth drivers
• Removed all paired devices from Windows
• Clean reinstall of Zwift (including Documents, Program Files, AppData)
• Reset Zwift game preferences (Zwift Support Guide)
• Ensured Justo 2 is not paired via Windows Bluetooth settings
• Verified admin privileges and system-level permissions,
• Disabled the internal Bluetooth adapter and tested with an external USB Bluetooth dongle with a USB extension cable to position the dongle closer to the trainer and away from potential interference sources.

etc…

Last winter, everything worked flawlessly with Justo 2 + standard bike, but I didn’t use the trainer from May to October, and the issue started after switching to Zwift Ride and updating to latest firmware

Zwift Tier 3 support confirmed a Windows-level GATT failure, but no clear root cause

I’ve also contacted Elite support, but unfortunately their response was limited to basic troubleshooting questions and didn’t offer any meaningful insight or escalation. At this point, I’m stuck between two support teams and still without a stable solution.

Has anyone else experienced similar BLE instability with Zwift Ride + Justo 2? Any insights, workarounds, or firmware rollback options would be greatly appreciated

Thanks in advance,
Ned

Avanti drop outs
2

Which BT dongle did you try? Some seem a lot more reliable than others, based on the chipset used.

3

TP Link UB500

4

Hi,

I had a similar issue today. Usually I had the Justo 2 connected via wifi (also with the sensor bridge broadcasting hr sensor data), just a cadence sensor connected via Bluetooth directly (to PC / zwift) .

Because I am experiencing some other issues (Justo 2 + square), I tried it today with everything connected via Bluetooth.

Suddenly (after like 25 minutes of riding in simulation mode) the resistance dropped and switching gears did nothing and after like 20-30 seconds everything was “normal” again.

Afterwards I inspected the recorded data. Just the data that was broadcasted directly from the Justo via Bluetooth (resistance, hr) was not present for that period. The cadence that was send seperately via Bluetooth were recorded.

I don’t know if this is related in any way, but it was an odd behavior.

5

Hi Sören,
Thanks for sharing your experience — it sounds very similar to what I’ve been dealing with.
In my case, I’ve also had intermittent dropouts when using Bluetooth, especially when Zwift Ride is involved for virtual shifting. The trainer (Justo 2) would suddenly stop responding to gear changes, and resistance would drop for 20–30 seconds before recovering — just like you described.
Interestingly, when I switch to ANT+, the connection is stable, but of course, I lose the ability to shift virtually, since ANT+ doesn’t support that bidirectional control.
I’ve been in contact with Elite support and have shared logs, .fit files, and screenshots. Still waiting on a proper resolution, but it’s helpful to know others are seeing similar behavior — it might point to a deeper Bluetooth firmware or communication issue.
Let’s stay in touch in case either of us hears something useful from support.
Cheers,
Nenad

1 Like
6

Hey, I’m having the exact same issue on my justo 2. Have been in contact with their support as well and sent over FIT files from both my devices that show the exact same issue.

They even sent me a new motherboard that didn’t solve the issue at all. Support now tells me it’s an environmental issue (blaming it on my setup / house / interference etc) but I used a Tacx Flux, and JetBlack over Bluetooth without any issues.

What sometimes helps for me is to have the power and cadence connect over WiFi, and just let the resistance work over Bluetooth. This makes the connection drop way less but it still happens very annoying when in a race

Elite told me they’re working on making virtual shifting available over WiFi as well but judging by how they make their updates available I’m not sure about a quick fix anytime soon.

7

Yes they also sent me a new motherboard, I expect it by the end of this week. I also don’t expect that to solve the problem.

But in the meantime I also bought a Wahoo Kickr v6, it should arrive in about 10 days, so we will be able to see where the problem really is.

A small number of the community uses virtual shifting with the Justo 2, so only a few discuss this issue. Users with a standard bike, when they experience a Bluetooth problem, simply switch to WiFi or ANT+ and that solves their connection problem. We are stuck with Bluetooth until WiFi virtula will be enabled

8

Do you guys use Airpods or bluetooth headphones when zwifting?

9

no, i do not

10

Hope virtual shifting is coming soon via Wifi for justo2. I can’t install Firmware 37 …but using 36 so not a real problem….

11

I received a new mainboard for my trainer from Elite. The board came with factory‑installed firmware version 37.

In the past few days I have had 4 rides of 45 to 60 minutes each, 3 on the computer and one via phone. On two rides on the computer I had in a total two small connection losses of about 10-15 seconds each. So overall the problem is solved, maybe some additional minor firmware tweaking will be needed.

12

That doesn’t sound great. I get like one disconnection per year or less with a Kickr Core V1 and PC (via Bluetooth)

1 Like
13

Yes Paul, you are generally right, but compared to the previous state this is excellent. I did two more rides with Justo 2 — one via PC, with an again one small short loss of connection, and another via phone without any interruptions.

Today I received my Kickr V6 and joined a group ride that lasted about 90 minutes, and everything worked great. In addition to the stable connection, the ride feel and virtual gear shifting are far better than on the Justo 2. Elite will definitely need to improve its software

1 Like
14

I am also struggeling with the Bluetooth drop outs on my brand new Avanti. I had a Neo 2 (replaced to get through axel) and a Kickr Core (replaced to get a lighter one for travels) which never made any issues. Not one single drop out in years. I should have stayed with the Wahoo.

WiFi seems to be fine but no virtual shifting so I am currently stuck..

15

Just received a new electric board from elite and now the BLE connection works like it should. No signal drops during 90min ride.

1 Like
16

I’m having the same issue. New Justo 2. Came with firmware 15, which wasn’t connecting at all over Bluetooth. Upgrading to version 37, now pairs at startup but drops within a minute or two. Once I pair again it holds for a bit but will eventually drop again.

17

In my case, I seem to have resolved this by going into Windows Bluetooth device settings and disabling the default Realtek Bluetooth on my PC and retaining only the TP-Link dongle. There appeared also to be an issue with the TP-Link driver, which I resolved by uninstalling and reinstalling from TP-Link’s website.

So far I’ve had two 30-minute spins with no dropouts on the virtual shifting. Not sure why this was an issue specific to the Justo and not the Tacx Neo or Kickr Cores I was on previously.