Zwift version 1.112 begins its phased rollout today. This is a major update, since it includes new levels for riders and runners. See details below…
New Levels and Century Stripe
The big headline for today’s update is new levels for riders and runners. Those new levels aren’t activated just yet, though! Zwift says they will launch this month, but they aren’t committing to a particular day at this time.
When the switch is eventually flipped, cyclists will have access to hundreds of new levels (Zwift isn’t actually saying what the limit is – rather, they say there is essentially no cap). Runners will have their level cap raised from 30 to 50.
There are no new level unlocks (kits, etc) at this time for these new levels.
How much XP do you need to reach the new levels?
- Riding Levels: 20,000 XP per level for 101+
- Running Levels:
- Levels 31–35: 9,000 XP per level
- Levels 36–40: 10,000 XP per level
- Levels 41–45: 11,000 XP per level
- Levels 46–50: 12,000 XP per level
About Accelerated Leveling
Zwift says, “Any extra XP you have over 807,000 at level 100 for cycling or XP over 9,000 at level 30 for running is banked and applied toward accelerated leveling. Cyclists with banked XP will accelerate through levels 4 times faster and runners will accelerate 2 times faster. You’ll know accelerated leveling is active if you see the three-chevron icon next to your rider score.”
Zwift has implemented accelerated leveling every time they’ve added levels to the game, because they believe it’s a better user experience to enjoy each level-up rather than immediately jumping to the level we’ve “earned” with all the extra XP we’ve banked while stuck at the level cap.
Rather than dig into the details of accelerated leveling here, I’ll wait until the new levels go live, then run a few tests and publish a dedicated post with complete info. Stay tuned.
Century Stripe
As soon as you install the update, you’ll see a new “century stripe” in the rider list and Zwift Companion profiles of anyone who has reached cycling level 100. Some riders who haven’t yet reached level 100 have complained about Zwift “moving the goalposts” by adding more levels, but I would submit that earning your first century stripe is the new goalpost.
And while it may take a while before we see it for the first time, supposedly you earn a new century stripe for every 100 levels you complete. Who will be the first to get their level 100 stripe?
Princeton Wake 6560 Lava Wheels Updated
The Princeton Carbonworks Wake 6560 wheels in the Lava (red) colorway can be easily unlocked by completing 2 stages of Zwift Camp: Breakaway (read more here). The Lava version of the wheels was misconfigured initially, but today’s update modifies the wheels slightly so their specs match the white colorway.
These are super fast wheels – the best climb-focused all-arounders in the game today. If you’re a racer, particularly a lower-level rider without access to the fastest wheels, pick these up! Read more >
Cervelo Aspero 5 Frame Updated
As promised, Zwift “Corrected the weight of the Cervelo Aspero 5 bike frame” in today’s update. They also updated it from using the mid-range distance upgrade scheme to the high-end one.
We ran our standard speed tests on the original Aspero 5, and the slightly lighter version in today’s update. The difference is easily detectable, but not huge: the lighter version is 2.1 seconds faster across an hour of flat riding, and 2.5 seconds faster on an hour of climbing.
Check it out: we’re working on detailed homepages for each and every frame and wheelset in Zwift. Here’s the page for the Cervelo Aspero 5 >
Release Notes
Zwift supplied the following additional release notes:
- Fixed an issue that could cause the Elite Square smart frame controllers to appear twice in the Pairing screen.
- Fixed an issue that could cause the background images on Home screen cards to load slowly.
- Removed the notification sound that plays when a mutual friend starts riding in the same world as you.
- Windows, macOS: This update includes Zwift Launcher version 1.1.16 as the minimum-required launcher version.
- Windows:
- Fixed an issue that could cause group workout events like Zwift Camp: Breakthrough to not work properly in some situations.
- Fixed a crash that could occur when exiting Zwift.
Discuss this update in Zwift’s forum >
Questions or Comments?
If you spotted any other changes or bugs in the update, please comment below!
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