Do I need a cassette for my smart trainer?
Usually yes. Direct-drive trainers replace your rear wheel, so they need their own cassette — and 20 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 trainers and the Zwift-Cog models are the exception: they need no cassette. Virtual shifting on its own does not exempt a trainer — most models that support it still take a normal cassette.
Three-step check
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 8 models skip the cassette question entirely (a Zwift Cog in the box, or wheel-on):
Wahoo KICKR SNAP, Zwift Hub One, Elite Tuo, Van Rysel D100, Van Rysel D500, Tacx Flow Smart, Van Rysel RCR, JetBlack Victory