Zwift Cog compatible with plain Direto XR?

General Discussion
1

There’s basically no-one to contact apart from a chat bot, so here we go:

The Black Friday Sale got me interested in the controller & virtual shifting, but I have a few questions before I dare buy anything:

  • I’m running an Elite Direto XR trainer with an 11-leaf mechanical, i.e. “dumb”, cassette, do I need a Cog (+Click) to enable virtual shifting?
  • If yes, can I replace the “dumb” cassette with a Cog, i.e. is it compatible with my plain normal Direto XR? (The compatibility table says Direto XR with Cog, but that’s a separate product.)
  • If I buy Zwift Play, do I need the Cog for virtual shifting?
  • If yes, can I buy a Cog without a Click (which wouldn’t be necessary due to Play)?
2

Elite has not yet released firmware for your trainer, but they have said it will happen this winter. They obviously have the firmware since they’re selling a Direto XR bundle with it installed. Until then, Zwift virtual shifting will not work with your trainer.

3

OK. Because there is another thread about this where Fernanda confirms your notion but then links an upgrade kit that you can use for existing Direto XRs. How I read it, the confirmation reopened the question.

But now I think I just understood what she means: the upgrade kit will be the same, physically, but you will have to wait for the firmware (=programme update) to launch this winter.

So even if I bought it now, I won’t waste my money. I’ll just have to wait for a while. Right?

4

Probably right. We know the firmware exists so it seems likely it will be offered eventually. I usually avoid buying things that don’t work with an expectation that they will work later. Like what if a Click v2 or Cog v3 comes out, would you be disappointed by having made a premature purchase?

5

Indeed. I will wait for the firmware update first.