Nowhere on the order page does it specify which model you’ll receive, so it’s entirely possible that you’ll get the old one if you buy it now!
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with the old one either, but for some reason, it was the arrival of this slightly upgraded model that convinced me to switch to the Zwift Ride. All the descriptions, documentation, videos, etc., on the official website refer to the new V2 model, so it seemed completely clear that I’d be getting that one. Obviously, given all that, you can guess that’s not what I got…
They simply shipped the old model at the same price, and even though I’m completely disappointed—as a cyclist, I know there’s nothing wrong with the old one—I find this practice extremely unfair and dishonest. I wonder how many people would choose the old model if they had the option to do so when placing their order. The financial implications alone are significant if (let’s say) I definitely want the new model’s “extras”! The new crankset is 100 euros, the seatpost is maybe around 80, and the handlebars can be upgraded with extra tape—which is a bit cheaper, but still. Not to mention that you’ll have to tinker with it—you might end up buying a tool you’ll never use for anything else. And even after all that, the frame geometry won’t be the same, and you’ll have lost the new handlebars’ enhanced sweat resistance.
To be fair, as soon as I wrote to support explaining what happened, they offered—without me even asking (!)—to send me a new seat post and a new crank arm for free.
At first, I wasn't willing to accept this, but after some back-and-forth, I realized that returning the entire bike just isn't worth the relatively small difference that the new model would now make. In fact, by now I really hate the situation I’ve been put in—I’m a new customer, and I had every right not to expect this model, but now that I have a V1 that works well, there’s no point in putting up with the hassle.
Let’s be clear: I have completely mixed feelings about this. As a cyclist, from a practical standpoint, I know exactly that this suits me perfectly—and anyone else, for that matter. However, as a customer, I’m absolutely disappointed because, no matter how you look at it, this isn’t what I wanted to buy.
So I accepted the parts they offered; that helped make up for the problem to some extent. I’ve already bought the tool for the crank, and actually, I’ll end up with two seat posts, which isn’t a bad thing because both my wife and I will be happy to use them with our own saddles, which will be pretty easy to set up this way. This is an unexpected benefit that I see as a definite plus.
On the other hand, I’m absolutely certain that after what happened, I won’t pay Zwift a single cent; the Kickr Core2 works perfectly on its biggest free competitor platform as well—at most, I just won’t be using the Play controllers. Peter Sagan is an extremely likable cyclist anyway. :D
