Wahoo KICKR CORE 2 in Chrome or Edge
The Wahoo KICKR CORE 2 should work in Tour du Pain in Chrome or Edge, over Bluetooth FTMS, with ERG and 33 resistance levels. Status: should work, tested on an emulator, not on a real CORE 2. Most of this page is about the Zwift Cog version, because one cog changes how you ride outside Zwift.
Updated · Written for version 1.36.3
Tour du Pain is free for everyone through 2027, everything included. Donations are optional.
What the KICKR CORE 2 is
Wahoo sells the CORE 2 in two versions: with an 11-speed cassette, or with the Zwift Cog and Zwift Click (DC Rainmaker's KICKR CORE 2 review). Mechanically it's the same trainer as the first CORE. The changes are electronic: built-in Wi-Fi, a Race Mode that sends data ten times a second, and a Sensor Hub that passes a heart rate strap on to an app. It speaks FTMS from the start, so there's no firmware threshold like on the old CORE.
Wahoo's KICKR CORE 2 page lists 1,800 W, a 16% maximum grade and 2% accuracy, the same numbers as the first CORE. The CORE 2 is also the trainer at the back of the Zwift Ride V2.
How to connect it
- Update the CORE 2 in the Wahoo app once, then close the app on every phone and tablet.
- Open tourdupain.app in Chrome or Edge on a computer, Chromebook or Android tablet.
- Pedal to wake the trainer. Go to Settings, Devices and press Connect next to Smart trainer.
- Pick the KICKR CORE 2 in the browser's chooser.
- With the Cog version, also press Connect next to Controller and pick the Zwift Click.
If the trainer isn't in the chooser, turn on Show all devices and try again. If Zwift still controls it, Devices shows "Connected, power only" until Zwift lets go; the smart trainer guide has the other fixes.
One cog: the level sets the effort
The Zwift Cog is a single sprocket. In Zwift, virtual shifting makes it feel like a cassette, but that shifting is Zwift's own. In Tour du Pain the 33 levels do the work instead.
A level is a share of your FTP at 90 rpm. Level 1 is 40%, each level adds 2.5%, level 33 is 120%. The game measures the gear you're in after a few seconds of steady pedalling and anchors the scale to it, and with the Cog that's always the same gear. Take an FTP of 250 W: level 9, where a new rider starts, is about 150 W at 90 rpm, and every level is about 6 W more. Because a level is a fixed push at the wheel, spinning at 100 rpm on level 9 asks about 167 W.
| Your FTP | Level 1 at 90 rpm | Level 9 | Level 17 | Level 33 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 W | 80 W | 120 W | 160 W | 240 W |
| 250 W | 100 W | 150 W | 200 W | 300 W |
| 300 W | 120 W | 180 W | 240 W | 360 W |
ERG ignores the cog altogether: the trainer holds the target whatever your cadence, so workouts ride exactly like on a cassette. The 105 built-in workouts are in ERG workouts in your browser.
The Zwift Click: + and −
The Zwift Click that comes with the Cog version connects as a controller. Its + and − step one level at a time with ERG off, or move the ERG watts by 2% of your FTP (2 to 10 W) with ERG on. The keyboard does the same: ↑ or + for harder, ↓ or − for easier, and E for ERG on or off.
If Devices says "Locked to Zwift", open Zwift with the Click once, close Zwift, then connect again.
On a Zwift Ride V2 the trainer and the handlebar buttons are two connections, and the buttons are locked more tightly; see the Zwift Hub and Zwift Ride guide.
What works on a KICKR CORE 2
| Feature | On a KICKR CORE 2 in Tour du Pain |
|---|---|
| Power, cadence, speed | Should work, from the trainer over FTMS |
| ERG | Should work, cassette or Cog |
| 33 resistance levels | Should work; with the Cog they replace shifting |
| Simulation | Used to carry the levels; climbs feel flat |
| The game's virtual gears | Not used: they're only for trainers without ERG |
| Zwift Click | Should work, as a controller for + and − |
| Zwift's virtual shifting | No, it's Zwift's own |
| Wi-Fi and Race Mode | Not used; the game connects over Bluetooth |
| Sensor Hub (heart rate passed on) | Not needed: connect your strap under Heart rate strap |
| ANT+ FE-C | No: browsers have no ANT+ radio |
It's the same FTMS that runs on the tested KICKR CORE, which is why it should work.
Tour du Pain or Zwift on a KICKR CORE 2
Zwift is the big one: many worlds, races, structured training plans and a large community, on a subscription. Tour du Pain is a browser tab with nothing to install, voice and chat built in, clubs, and ride along with a friend whatever your watts. The demo rides without a trainer. Tour du Pain is free for everyone through 2027, everything included. Donations are optional. We make Tour du Pain, so we're not neutral.
On a CORE 2 with the Cog:
- + Zwift: the Cog and Zwift's virtual shifting were built for each other. If you want to feel gear changes on one cog, Zwift does that.
- + Zwift: races, many routes, and real climbs in the resistance.
- + Tour du Pain: the levels give you a clear, FTP-based scale in one gear, and the Click steps it. No install, and it runs on a Chromebook.
- + Tour du Pain: group rides with voice chat in the same tab.
- = Both: ERG workouts ride the same, since the trainer holds the watts.
- − Tour du Pain: not ridden on a CORE 2 yet, and one loop and one climb for now.
With the cassette version you shift real gears in both apps. The rest of the Wahoo range is in the Wahoo KICKR guide, and every supported trainer has the full list.
Questions
Does the KICKR CORE 2 work without Zwift?
The trainer does: it speaks FTMS over Bluetooth, which Tour du Pain uses in Chrome or Edge. Only Zwift's virtual shifting stays in Zwift.
Can I ride the Zwift Cog in other apps?
Yes, but in one gear. In Tour du Pain the 33 levels set the effort and the Click steps them; in ERG the cog doesn't matter.
Does the Zwift Click work in Tour du Pain?
Yes, as a controller: + and − change the level or the ERG watts. Close Zwift first, and if it says "Locked to Zwift", open Zwift with it once.
Does Tour du Pain use the CORE 2's Wi-Fi?
No. A browser connects over Bluetooth, so the Wi-Fi, Race Mode and Sensor Hub aren't used.
Should I swap the Zwift Cog for a cassette?
Only if you want real shifting outside Zwift. With a cassette you ride a level plus your own gears.
