Zwift currently costs £12.99 per month here in the UK. There is no discount for a yearly membership.
Of course, this assumes you have all the other hardware required to start Zwifting. As this page is aimed at beginners, here are all the “one-off” costs I had before I could start riding on Zwift:
| Item | Notes | Cost |
| Bike | Specialized Allez | £630 |
| Trainer | Tacx Neo 2 | £1199 |
| Computer | Ebay gaming PC | £300 |
| Heart Rate Monitor | Wahoo TICKR | £39.99 |
| Tools | Chain Whip, Lock Ring Remover | £19.31 |
| Shoes | Specialized Torch 3.0 | £99.99 |
| Pedals | Shimano R540 SPD-SL + cleats | £26.00 |
| Pedal Grease | Park Tool PolyLube 1000 | £5 |
| Clothing | 2x bib shorts, 3x wicking vests | £91.98 |
| Sweat Mat | PedalPro Exercise Bike Mat | £22.99 |
| Dongles / Cables | CooSpo ANT+, HDMI cable | £17.98 |
| TV Stand (already had TV) | Proper Portable TV Trolley | £50.75 |
I also bought some things that I am no longer, or have never used:
| Item | Notes | Cost |
| Extra cassette (not supplied with Neo) | Shimano Ultegra CS-R8000 Cannot get this thing to work. | £56.73 |
| Phone mount | Joby GripTight Gorilla Pod Total fail. | £18.15 |
And all of that comes to a grand total of:
£2577.87
(as of July 4th 2019)
Add on all the things I already had, such as a big fan, a USB extension cable, water bottle, whey powder, and I’d guess you can add another £100 to £200 onto that figure.
Cycling equipment can become something of a financial rabbit hole. However, not everything on this list is essential. And I certainly didn’t have everything on this list to begin with.
The Cost Of Not Exercising
You may be looking at that figure and thinking “yeah… no.”
And If that is the case then I completely understand. I’m not here to convince you to spend a bunch of cash on a setup you may or may not get any value from.
What I can share is my personal experience:
For the last 15+ years I’ve sat on my arse, mainly at a computer, slowly but surely getting less and less fit. I didn’t blog about my first ever ride on Zwift, but it was tough going. I remember hitting a hill and feeling like I was going to pass out.
Spending all this money on Zwift (or more generally on an indoor cycling setup) was a gamble. I knew I needed to change something.
I’d tried a monthly gym membership, that didn’t work. It was too far away, and I’m not the world’s biggest fan of other sweaty men.
I’d tried running, but my knees ended up sore, and frankly, I just didn’t enjoy it.
About the best exercise I had was pushing my little girl around in her pram, often going on 5+ mile walks. But this would only be on Sunday mornings. Exercising once a week wasn’t enough. And as my kids grew up, their desire to sit in a pram deteriorated. They wanted to walk, too.
Finally, sat in the Lake District, on a much needed holiday, I resolved to buy a bike as soon as I got home. And so I did.
My only regret?
I didn’t buy it sooner.