Your choice of virtual bike frame influences your Zwift speed significantly. And Zwift’s Drop Shop gives us access to a pile of bikes: over 125 if you include the Halo, TT, Gravel, and mountain bikes!
At Zwift Insider, we’ve tested every Zwift frame and wheelset using an accurate, repeatable procedure to determine how it performs in game.
Based on those speed tests, we’ve chosen the 5 best overall TT frames in Zwift today, and the 5 best wheelsets for TT racing. This isn’t just a stack rank of the most aero setups in game, although that is the primary factor. But we also took into account how each item performs across a variety of routes.
Without further ado, let’s get to the list! Drumroll please…
The Best TT Bike Frames in Zwift
Canyon Speedmax CFR
1,250,000 Drops, must be level 40+
Simply the best frame in game, no matter how you look at it. Canyon’s new Speedmax CFR is the fastest on the flats, and also on the climbs! (It’s the only TT frame rated 2 stars for weight, after all.)
Why it’s a winner: it’s the fastest TT frame on any road
Cadex Tri
1,500,000 Drops, must be level 40+
Long the fastest TT bike on flats/rollers, more Zwifters have a fully-upgraded version of this frame than any other TT bike.
Why it’s a winner: very fast on flatter routes, plus lots of riders have fully upgraded it
Scott Plasma RC Ultimate
600,000 Drops, must be level 19+
This frame loses a bit in aero performance to those above, but climbs strong, bested only by the Canyon Speedmax CFR. Good for use in climby TT races. Affordable, too, which is a nice perk!
Why it’s a winner: strong climber with decent aero performance
Felt IA 2.0
750,000 Drops, must be level 16+
Almost identical in performance to the Scott Plasma above, this frame is just a fraction of a second behind. It climbs well, and doesn’t lose much in the flats. Also affordable!
Why it’s a winner: strong climber with decent aero performance
Canyon Speedmax CF SLX Disc
1,200,000 Drops, must be level 31+
This bike sits in a solid third place in terms of aero performance, but it’s also the worst climber on this list, so we put it here in the last slot.
Why it’s a winner: strong aero performance
The Best TT Wheelsets in Zwift
Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 850/Disc and DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 85/Disc
900,000 Drops, must be Level 39+
1,000,000 Drops, must be Level 40+
If you’re looking for pure speed, these disc wheels are what you want. They both perform identically, so it’s just a question of which wheelset has the look (or price) you want.
Why it’s a winner: best aero performance of any wheelset in Zwift
Zipp 858/Super9
750,000 Drops, must be Level 37+
Coming in just a couple of seconds behind the disc wheels above, the 858/Super9 are a colorful combo that sticks out in the crowd and are a bit more affordable than the DT Swiss/Swiss Side wheels.
Why it’s a winner: strong aero performance
Princeton Carbonworks Wake 6560
685,000 Drops, must be Level 32+
The top non-disc hoops on our list, these “superwheels” lose 15-16 seconds to the disc wheels across an hour of flat riding, but they’re light weight, and climb around 30 seconds faster across an hour! So if your race includes significant climbing, you’ve got to do the math and figure out if these lighter wheels are the smart move.
Why it’s a winner: super strong climbers with decent aero performance
Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 650
550,000 Drops, must be Level 28+
A few seconds faster on the flats compared to the Wake 6560 above, these HADRON hoops are also ~7 seconds slower on the climbs. Again, a strong wheelset that easily outclimbs any disc wheels, but you’ll need to do the math to decide if they work for your race.
Why it’s a winner: strong climbers with strong aero performance
Upgrading and Digging Deeper
If you’re concerned about race performance – and you’ve read this far, so I assume you are – it’s vital that you upgrade your TT frame. In fact, upgrading your TT frame boosts your speed much more than buying a new frame or wheelset! The difference between an un-upgraded frame and a fully-upgraded one is approximately 50 seconds across an hour of flat riding, and 25 seconds across an hour of climbing. Learn more here >
Want to dig deeper into the precise speeds of various frames and wheels? Check out our TT frame ranking charts, wheelset charts, and public test data.
Share Your Thoughts
We hope all you riders/racers found this post useful. Think there’s a frame or wheelset we should have included but didn’t? Got other questions or comments? Share 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 frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top Performers for current performance data.
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