They say cycling runs on coffee. Zwift, the virtual cycling platform that has navigated a turbulent few years, has decided to take that maxim literally. The California-based company this week launched a co-branded espresso machine in partnership with Milan’s Rocket Espresso — the same artisan manufacturer that twice partnered with British cycling clothier Rapha, first in 2011 at $1,900 and again in 2021 at $3,000.
The Zwift x Rocket machine is a limited-edition, hand-built dual-boiler unit carrying a $4000 price tag that would cover roughly 200 months of Zwift’s current $19.99 monthly subscription. Whether subscribers will see the irony is unclear. Whether they will open their wallets is another matter entirely.
The collaboration does have genuine pedigree. Rocket Espresso co-founder Andrew Meo is a keen cyclist and former national champion, and the brand’s deep ties to the sport stretch back to a sold-out limited-edition Giro d’Italia centenary run in 2009. Rocket and cycling are, at minimum, a natural fit.
Zwift has faced its share of headwinds in recent years — staff restructuring, price increases, disappointed investors and a competitive indoor training market that has kept the pressure on. Though, a recent acquisition of rival platform Rouvy signalled continued ambition, and its women’s Tour de France Femmes sponsorship remains intact. An espresso machine is, perhaps, a more colourful product addition than most, though many users would probably prefer fewer software bugs.
Rapha’s machines sold out to Cycling Club members both times — proof that cyclists will spend extraordinary sums on extraordinary coffee equipment. Whether Zwift’s subscribers, a community that skews more towards budget-conscious fitness riders than bespoke lifestyle consumers, will respond with the same enthusiasm is the $4,000 question.
A virtual version of the machine has already been spotted in Watopia. It earns you no XP.
Photo Credit: Zwift
© 2026 Copyright Gran Fondo Daily News – All Rights Reserved