I am completely new to the topic of the Zwift therefore I would like to make sure in advance if my bicycle is appropriate for the job (official specs suggest using the drive with 8-12 gears).
However, since I do not have exactly such a bicycle (7 gears instead of 8), I am considering Zwift Cog with Van Rysel’s D500 model. As far as I understand, Cog is universal casette which should suit almost every bicycle. Is that right in reality or I might encounter some obstacles because of the meeting requirement of 8 gears?
Chain which I have:
YBN S50 (7,3 mm),
SHIMANO TZ500.
What do you think about such a set up? Will it work?
I’m unsure if that chain will be too wide for the cog, but there are narrower ones that will work with your drivetrain. For example the KMC Z8.1 is an inexpensive 6/7/8 speed chain that is 7.1mm. The Cog is designed for 8-12 speed chains, and any 8 speed chain should work on your 7 speed bike.
I would also recommend the Kickr Core over the Van Rysel D500 if you have the option. The Kickr Core is the most commonly used trainer on the market and it’s a good one. If you come here asking questions about the D500 you’ll probably find very few people who have ever seen one or know much about it, but the Kickr Core is everywhere.
Shuji at Zwift HQ here. Your question about chain compatibility is a good one. Looking up a chain with YBN S50 as the model number - that should work with the Zwift Cog.
Equally as important is the question of how your bicycle would mount to a trainer. Would you snap a photo of the rear wheel and how it attaches to the bike frame?
A bicycle with 7 gears on the rear wheel will have two ways that the wheel is held in place. It might have hex nuts on the axle that you’d tighten with a wrench. Or it might have a quick release mechanism, which has a lever on one end that can be opened by hand. Which of those do you have on your bike?
Either way - whatever smart trainer you chose should be set up for a quick-release type wheel. You should check if that trainer comes with its own quick release “skewer”, or if you’d need to buy one separately.
What do you recommend to prepare bicycle for the Kickr? I will keep the old 7,3 mm chain at the start therefore will cleaning and degreasing suffice then? Should I apply any special grease suitable for the Cog before use ?
That’s a very thougthtful question, actually. It’s hard to say from a photo what condition your drivetrain is in. If the chain is nearly new and the drivetrain shifts well - you should have no troubles. If the chain has a lot of miles and considerable wear - then you might run into a situation where there’s excessive noise because using a worn chain on a new rear cog will cause that. If the chain wear is severe, it’ll even skip on the teeth of the new cog.
I’d say give it a try, and if you run into these symptoms, ask a local bike shop use a chain wear tool to measure the wear. See this video for how-to and also why. While you’re at the bike shop, ask they they check the rear derailleur isn’t bent, as that’s a second very common cause of excessive noise.
Side note - It looks like you might have a fender on that rear wheel? This part here is the end of the fender strut.
It looks like the end of the strut sticks out past its clamp enough that it might interfere with the nut of the quick release skewer? Hard to tell from this angle, but it may also interfere with the QR on the trainer. You can loosen the clamping bolt above it, move that strut a few millimeters, and re-tighten the bolt.
It’s been several days since I made my set up with Kickr. 7,3 mm chain works just fine, besides precise cleaning and regreasing, I have not made anything with it.
I have disasssembled the fender and used QR delivered with trainer. 7-gear drive does not make any issues so far, it works fine with Cog. I am happy with the final result mainly due to the fact that I could use my old bicycle for the job. Thanks for the support. See you during workouts.
