This is a good thing if it brings smart trainers to people who couldn’t afford them previously.
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My guess is because there is no Zwift shop in Canada. You can’t even buy anything from Zwift in Canada at the moment.
To me it seems the Zwift Hub is a very smart thing for Zwift to do. I don’t see the numbers or have much knowledge about the industry, but smart trainers make the Zwift experience exponentially better than a wheel on trainer, so it is in Zwift’s best interest to have low priced hardware to get more folks into that experience on their platform.
They can sell it at a loss, and expect a new Zwift subscriber to eventually make up the difference - ie. if the only place you can buy it is from the Zwift store you know what Zwift is, and are waaaay more likley to be buying it to use with Zwift. I wouldn’t be surprised if they also tied a low priced tier to a Zwift membership at some point (get a hub trainer for as low as $399 if you sign up for 1 year of Zwift), get it for free if you sign up for 3 years of Zwift (ok, now I’m being crazy, but I’d click that).
This makes so much more sense to me than them investing in a high end concept bike when the high end market seems saturated given what’s happening to peleton etc… Heck, the price is low enough I could imagine myself buying one for my wife so both of us could Zwift at the same time, and she would only use it sporadically. Maybe if they gave me a discount on a hub with the purchase of a family plan… Hint hint. 
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A few bits that stood out to me from reading DCR’s post, his Volt review, and ZwiftInsider’s article on this…
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Integrating trainer config into the Companion app seems welcome - some people weren’t fond of JetBlack’s own config app though JetBlack has indicated a new, more user-friendly app is on the way.
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Will be offered with choice of cassettes (8/9/10/11/12), out of box.
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Simplified installation of bike with measurement cards to determine rear dropout spacing and axle type. (Thru-Axle vs Quick-Release Skewer, 142mm or 148mm TA vs 130mm or 135mm QR) Native thru-axle support.
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JetBlack Volt has seen/will see some internal hardware changes in parallel with the Zwift Hub - they’ll have feature parity.
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For those unfamiliar with the Volt: HR sensor bridging is a big deal. I believe it’s only this and the upcoming Elite Justo that’ll offer it. Tacx and Wahoo: are you paying attention? You’re going to get left behind.
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2.5% accuracy but real-world tests by DCR of the Volt were more like 1%.
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Dead-silent, like a Kickr Core - you’ll only hear your bike’s drivetrain noise.
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A new firmware update will make the trainer auto-calibrate: any time you stop pedalling during a ride/workout, it’ll measure flywheel spindown - that’s a novel and cost-effective approach versus integrating an expensive power meter into the trainer.
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Zwift rumoured to be doing some e-commerce cleanup and offering shipping to countries like Canada. (fingers crossed)
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JetBlack stated pricing on the Volt will match that of the Zwift Hub in shared markets. Other comments suggest this is not being sold at a loss. (which is supported by the price parity)
I’d buy this in a heartbeat for a family member if I could get it in Canada before winter. The 2.5% accuracy is irrelevant for the target market. Ease of setup, sensor-bridging, and auto-spindown calibration are VERY relevant.
OPINION: This is “the people’s trainer.” All the other trainer manufacturers were just put on notice.
Somewhat off-topic but kinda not: a personal wish of mine is a modern version of the Adjust-a-Bike/PowerWatts Bike - basically, an adjustable, indoor only bike frame specifically for smart trainers. No brakes, no wheels. Saddle and bars would adjust similar to spin bikes. Pair that with Zwift Hub and you can sell a more cost-effective smart-bike package. Offer fully electronic “virtual gearing” like you see on purpose-built smart-bikes and you don’t even need most of the drivetrain, just a chain running to a single cog. (which seemed to be what the now-scrapped Zwift smart bike was going for)
(edits to add some bullet points and cleanup formatting, syntax, grammar)
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Maybe. But it’s only a big deal for AppleTV users. Anyone using another system doesn’t have to worry about the set cap for Bluetooth connections.
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O you have my vote on this.
Having a single speed on the trainer with virtual gearing will be the perfect cheap option.
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I wonder if there’s any correlation planned with this kind of event entry restriction: Zwift Hardware Requirements Public Test - 2- 9 Aug
i dont like the exposed belt. or even the price since there are saris h3s going for less in the uk
If by correlation you mean restriction to only Zwift trainers being allowed, no. It is not in the scope (nor my desire at least) of restricting hardware to restrict by brand or model, as I don’t believe that kind of exclusion will be helpful for the competitive community.
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Anyone know what the minimum axle spacing is for the trainer? Most direct drive trainers only go down to 130mm and most frames built for single speed use are narrower (often 120mm). Support for rear-facing dropouts would often be necessary as well.
EDIT: minimum spacing is 130mm according to reviews, so track bikes are unlikely to work
Saris nearly went bust as they built far too many trainers during covid and could not shift them. I suspect they are just trying to get ride of stock now they have released the H4
Glad to hear it. Yes, I meant the potential for events/features to only be available to customers using the Zwift Hub trainer.
Right, from their reply it sounds like they are matching the price in the markets where the Zwift Hub is released. Maybe it’s a bit more expensive in other markets?
@Paul_Southworth
A New Zealand company makes adapters to bolt on to your 120 mm track frame that widens it to 130mm. You may have to add a couple chain links because it increases the effective chainstay length, but it would work with nearly any direct drive trainer.
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Cool idea!
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I was going to post an entirely new thread about this but it seemed related enough to simply add on to this.
JetBlack appears to have a bunch of new tricks up their sleeve!
Poking around their website, they have an “accessories” section down the Volt page that teases at a smart fan to compete with the Wahoo Kickr Headwind, and what’s almost certainly a partnership with FootHill Products as it’s identical to the latter’s “Trainer Tray.”
FWIW: I have both the Headwind and Trainer Tray. 10/10 would recommend them both. I posted some pics of the Trainer Tray in action, here: Phone tray add-on for Tacx Tablet Bracket - #2 by Otto_Destruct
Very interesting to see JetBlack building a complete training accessory roster - like they want to be the one-stop-shop for everything.
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Bumping this with a thought.
It seems largely debunked that Zwift would restrict their platform to a particular piece of hardware.
However, with the release of Zwift Hub, they have the moral authority to reduce the amount of support they provide with other brands of trainer.
“How do I mount my 2008 Cannondale System 6 to my new Tacx/Wahoo/Elite trainer? How do I make my Zwift on my 1994 iMac connect to my 2011 fluid trainer?”
“Not our monkeys, not our circus.”
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Can’t see them doing that. It’d be a disaster from a commercial point of view.
The zwift hub is not going to make someone ditch their neo or kickr anytime soon.
It’s just getting an affordable route for people to be able to zwift I think.
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