If you’re racing time trials on Zwift, upgrading your frame and wheels will cut some significant time off your efforts. And in the “race of truth” where there is no hiding in the draft, every bit of savings counts!
But figuring out where to spend your hard-earned Drops can be confusing, so we’ve put together this table which lists the fastest TT frame and wheelset available at each Zwift level.
(Keep in mind this list applies only to flat and rolling routes. The list below is essentially a simplified, flat-race-focused version of our complete Zwift Shopping Guide. If the climbs in your time trial race last more than a few minutes, you may want to consider a more climbing-friendly setup.)
Want to keep it simple? Just purchase each frame or wheelset on the list as soon as you level up. Don’t have enough Drops? Keep riding – you’ll get them soon enough! (And you might want to ride near a RoboPacer so your Drops add up more quickly!)
Fastest TT Frames
| Level | Fastest Frame | Time Savings |
| 1 | Zwift Steel (Free) | 0s |
| 3 | Zwift Carbon (55,000) | 3.5 |
| 4 | Zwift TT (60,000) | 83.5s |
| 7 | BMC Timemachine01 (400,000) | 101.5s |
| 16 | Felt IA 2.0 (750,000) | 116.5s |
| 31 | Canyon Speedmax CF SLX Disc (1,200,000) | 118.5s |
| 40 | CADEX Tri (1,500,000) | 123s |
Fastest Wheelsets
| Level | Fastest Wheelset | Time Savings |
| 1 | Zwift Classic (Free) | 0s |
| 3 | Zwift 32mm Carbon (32,000) | 6s |
| 4 | Shimano C50 (34,600) | 20s |
| 6 | Mavic Cosmic Ultimate UST (38,400) | 25s |
| 7 | Mavic Cosmic CXR60c (39,800) | 27.5s |
| 10 | Shimano C60 (41,100) | 29s |
| 13 | Mavic Comete Pro Carbon SL UST (45,400) | 31.5s |
| 15 | Roval Rapide CLX (200,000) | 36s |
| 19 | Zipp 404 (115,600) | 39s |
| 25 | Zipp 808 (200,000) | 50s |
| 31 | Zipp 858 (300,000) fastest non-disc* | 53s |
| 34 | Zipp 808/Super9 (450,000) | 57s |
| 37 | Zipp 858/Super9 (550,000) | 59s |
| 39 | DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT DISC (655,600) fastest disc | 66s |
Total time savings of fastest TT frame and wheelset over stock Zwift setup (Zwift Steel frame and Zwift Classic wheels): 123+66=189 seconds
Times above based on our flat speed tests, done with a solo 75kg rider at 300 watts over two laps of Watopia’s very flat Tempus Fugit route. Our test rider completes the route in approximately 50 minutes.
Improvement by Level
The biggest TT performance gains come quite early in a Zwifter’s level progression. Here’s how much time you would be saving at each level if you upgraded to the recommended setups above:
The biggest percentage improvement comes when you upgrade to the Zwift TT frame (your first TT frame) at level 4. This frame alone accounts for 44% of the overall improvements you can receive by upgrading equipment! By level 16, over 80% of your possible improvement has already been achieved. And once you’ve hit level 40, the only way you’ll get faster is by racing smarter and training stronger!
Digging Deeper
Want to dig deeper into the speeds of various frames and wheels? Check out our TT Frame Ranking Charts and Wheel Ranking Charts.
Your Thoughts
Hopefully this helps you select a rig for your next TT effort, no matter your Zwift level. Got questions or comments? Post below!
Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike's performance relative to others may also change. We don't always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the TT frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top TT Performers for current time trial-related performance data.
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