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Do I need a cassette for my smart trainer?

Quick answer

Usually yes. Direct-drive trainers replace your rear wheel, so they need their own cassette — and 19 of the direct-drive trainers in our database ship bare, versus 10 that include one. Buy a cassette matching your bike’s rear-derailleur speed (e.g. Shimano 11-speed), on the freehub body your drivetrain uses. Wheel-on and virtual-shifting trainers are the exception: they need no cassette.

Three-step check

  1. Is it direct-drive? If the trainer replaces your rear wheel, it needs a cassette. Wheel-on trainers use your existing wheel and cassette — skip the rest.
  2. Does it have virtual shifting (Zwift Cog)? If so, no multi-speed cassette is needed — a single sprocket plus in-app shifting handles the gears.
  3. Otherwise buy a cassette that matches your bike’s speed (count the sprockets at the back) and your freehub body (HG, XD/XDR, Micro Spline or Campagnolo).

Trainers that already include a cassette

These 10 models ship with a cassette pre-fitted, so you can ride immediately if it matches your bike’s speed:

Wahoo KICKR CORE 2, Wahoo KICKR V6 (2022), Wahoo KICKR MOVE, Tacx NEO 3M, Elite Direto XR, JetBlack VOLT V2, Elite Justo 2, Wahoo KICKR V5 (2020), Zwift Hub (classic), Kinetic R1

Trainers that need no cassette

These 13 models skip the cassette question entirely (virtual shifting or wheel-on):

Wahoo KICKR CORE 2, Wahoo KICKR V6 (2022), Wahoo KICKR MOVE, Wahoo KICKR SNAP, Zwift Hub One, Tacx NEO 3M, Tacx NEO 2T, Elite Justo 2, Elite Avanti, Elite Tuo, Van Rysel D100, Van Rysel D500, Tacx Flow Smart

Frequently asked questions

No. Wheel-on trainers use your bike’s existing wheel and cassette, and virtual-shifting trainers use a single cog. But most direct-drive trainers are sold bare — 19 of 27 in our database — and need a cassette you buy separately.