Just read a blurb webpage on the Elite Direto XR -- its selling points are that it can emulate 3600 watt resistance and 24% inclines. Also comes now (what a deal) with a Shimano cassette pre-installed.. which may or may not work with a given bike's installed chain length because it wasn't clear from the marketing what the cassette range is.

Sounds really groovy. Right?

Well, a Shimano cassette is better than whatever no-name generic cassette that a wahoo comes with, so that's something.

I think the high power is nice, means you have some headroom. I think a lot of trainers are barely up to the output of an amateur sprinter.

Looks like an 11-28 cassette in Shane Miller's review video. Also, 3600 watts and 24% seem like overkill unless you are heavy and powerful enough to overpower other trainers' resistance when at low flywheel speeds.

Certainly a trainer I would look at if I was in the market for a new one.

Ok. 11-28 would probably work for my chain length; though since I have extra cassettes, I'd prefer Elite (like they used to) not make the trainer more expensive than it needs to be. Wonder if they still have an option any more to install a Campy freehub and cassette?

Just surprised at the wattage/incline numbers -- I suppose you're right, could be useful for someone out there going from dead standstill, just sounded crazy to me that that's where the trainer ratings have gone recently (I own the first gen Direto).

When you look at the high number of people who buy the same outfits racers wear, not surprising that the trainer manufacturers would go after that same market.

Another likely driver: the rise of pros racing on Zwift (and a few other platforms) created a market for the those high end specs on trainers beyond just the marketing hype.

Shimano 105 is no-name?

I don't know what they've come with in the past, but I just got the newest version of the Wahoo KICKR, and the cassette is a ~$40 Sunrace CSRS3 11-28. Seems to work just fine, though.

I'll look at what mine is when I take it off and recycle it. Got a Shimano 11-32 because anything else is back ordered until December.