Does Zwift use the reported cadence data for anything other than animating the rider?
I ask because I’ve noticed at times my kickr core grossly over estimates my cadence (usually at lower power levels)
Zwift doesn’t use the cadence data in any way to calculate your power/speed, no.
The vast majority of trainers only estimate your cadence rather than actually measuring it. They do this by analysing your power variations. Often this results in reasonably accurate cadence data, but sometimes it can be wildly inaccurate. Also, everyone’s pedalling style is different and some people’s pedalling style can also add to the inaccuracy.
Edited - thank you Mark!
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Zwift does use cadence in workouts–many segments of various workouts will have target cadences as well as power. As Steve said it doesn’t play a role in power calcs, but you’ll get workout instructions to pedal faster or slower. I honestly have no idea if that affects whether you achieve ‘stars’ for hitting your marks in the workouts, or if those are only based on power. But that’s really the only other way I’ve seen Zwift doing anything with cadence at all.
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Hi All,
Thanks for bringing this query to our attention! Jose here from Zwift.
As @Steve_Hammatt said. Zwift does not incorporate cadence data into its calculations for power or speed. It’s important to note that most trainers do not measure cadence directly; they estimate it by analyzing variations in power output. While this approach can yield reasonably accurate cadence readings, it can also result in significant inaccuracies at times.
Have a lovely day!
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Power = Force x Velocity (cadence). In ERG mode, you can feel this formula at work. If you pedal faster, you will feel less force needed. If you pedal slower, you will have to push harder to maintain a given wattage.
Please don’t shoot the pedantic engineer, but ‘Power ∝ Force x Cadence’, not ‘=’.
( ∝ meaning ‘is proportional to’).
For the public at large, ‘=’ is the best explanation.
But, for Mark, it’s ‘shoot’ not ‘shot’ 
In the case of rotational movement
Power = Torque x Angular Velocity
Exactly, Torque or ‘Force-how hard you are pushing on the pedals’ x Angular velocity or ‘how fast you are spinning the cranks’
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'how hard you are pushing on the pedals’ x ‘how fast you are spinning the cranks’ x ’ the length of your cranks’