Earlier in the year, my Zwift cog started to skip under torque (anything over 300 watts would skip the chain). Outside season hit, and I just got my bike back from a complete tuneup and its riding amazing. However, wildfire smoke here in Bend has me needing to use my trainer today, and it is completely non functional right now.
This is what Im getting. Bike is shifting fantastic outside, smooth as butter. Brand new, as in less than 30 miles on it chain. Its dust season here so I apologize for the tent/bike having a light coating, we RV full time.
Hi @Zach_Johnston, welcome to the Forums! My name’s Oscar, working with the Zwift Support team.
I really appreciate all the information provided and the video included. I know how important it is for you to report issues with your Zwift Cog. Don’t worry, I’ll be providing information.
I would like to let you know that I checked our system and I was able to see that you already submitted a support ticket and our team it is working on your case, and we suggest we continue via email.
Thats awesome Oscar, if thats the most efficient way to get support then email is great. Good to know that everything is synced up and the video is available for my case. Thanks!
I am back with yet another broken cog/pawl problem. Has anyone else experienced such a high body count? Cog 1 lasted 9 months, cog 2 was broken on arrival, cog 3 has died after 4 months.
Dust from living in the high desert during summer/dry season and bright sunlight in an orange tent that makes it appear gross- no, a light coating on the outside of the chain is not what causes their pawls on the inside of the cog to break, it seems to be sprinting.
I am a strong sprinter and can generally grab green or the top ten - but by no means do I put the kind of mileage on zwift that some might, I think Ive averaged maybe 4 hours a week, less than a dozen sprints a week. There are absolutely stronger sprinters than me, the gear certainly doesnt warn you not to go above a certain wattage.
So having these cogs/pawls die so fast seems to just speak about quality. Theres no way they can reasonably expect every user to go through three cogs in a year. Last time it was during smoke season (so that was a huge bummer not to have the trainer going) and now its fatbike or go home season, again without a functioning trainer.
I will say, I got my brother on zwift earlier this year and he is using a cog as well but it is the orange type and thus far he is going strong- they have sent me two black replacements, so maybe they just have to get through their supply of garbage first gen cogs?
The pawls aren’t in the Cog itself. The Cog is just a single sprocket and some plastic. The pawls are in the trainer freehub, although your Cog (depending on type) might have come with a freehub attached - Zwift will have been sending you a replacment freehub when they send you a new Cog.
If thats the case, I need Zwift to say that themselves so they stop sending gear that they know is going to break and just refund the trainer so I can ride zwift.
“To help us further investigate, could you please provide some photos of the Cog after removing it from the trainer? Specifically, we’d like to see the inner face of the Cog, focusing on the condition of the pawl and steel wire. These components are crucial for ensuring a secure attachment to the trainer.”
Anyway, its now Tuesday and I have heard nothing back - The first time it broke they literally replied within an hour of me sending the request. Pretty awful experience with Zwift gear, Ive been using the service going on 7-8 years and love it but I will never buy a piece of hardware from them again.