• Get Started
    • Get Started on Zwift
    • Zwift Course Maps
    • How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More)
    • Links Every Zwifter Must Have
    • More “Get Started” Posts
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Kit Unlock Codes
    • Training & Nutrition
    • Racing
    • Zwift Hacks
  • Reference
    • How Zwift Works
    • Course Calendar
    • Smart Trainer Index
      • Top Wheel-On Trainers
      • Top Direct-Drive <$900
      • Top Direct-Drive >$900
      • Exhaustive Trainer List
    • Achievements & Unlocks
    • Frames & Wheels
    • Routes & Maps
      • Master List of Routes
      • Downloadable Watopia Map
      • Rebel Routes
    • Speed Tests
  • News
    • Events
    • Game Updates
  • Shop
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Get Started
    • Get Started on Zwift
    • Zwift Course Maps
    • How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More)
    • Links Every Zwifter Must Have
    • More “Get Started” Posts
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Kit Unlock Codes
    • Training & Nutrition
    • Racing
    • Zwift Hacks
  • Reference
    • How Zwift Works
    • Course Calendar
    • Smart Trainer Index
      • Top Wheel-On Trainers
      • Top Direct-Drive <$900
      • Top Direct-Drive >$900
      • Exhaustive Trainer List
    • Achievements & Unlocks
    • Frames & Wheels
    • Routes & Maps
      • Master List of Routes
      • Downloadable Watopia Map
      • Rebel Routes
    • Speed Tests
  • News
    • Events
    • Game Updates
  • Shop
More
    Sign in
    Welcome! Log into your account
    Forgot your password? Get help
    Privacy Policy
    Password recovery
    Recover your password
    A password will be e-mailed to you.
    ReferenceFrames & WheelsSpeed TestsTips & TricksRacing

    Speed Tests: Zwift’s Fastest* Wheels for Climbing

    Eric Schlange
    By Eric Schlange
    November 8, 2019
    27

    Your choice of wheelset influences your Zwift speed significantly since it impacts both weight and aerodynamics. And Zwift’s release of the Drop Shop has given us access to lots of wheelsets: 39 now, with more on the way!

    Wheel choice for flat/mixed courses has already been discussed. What about climbing? When aerodynamics matter less and weight matters more, which wheelset should you choose?

    We’ve been hard at work in our lab testing wheels. Here’s a post summarizing some of our findings.

    Want a look at the complete data?
    Check out our Zwift Speed Test Charts for Wheels >

    *First, a Disclaimer

    The “which bike frame or wheelset is fastest” question isn’t as easy to answer as you might think. Each piece of equipment has unique weight and aerodynamic (CdA) values, making them perform in ways that mirror outdoor physics. Lighter items perform better on climbs, while more aerodynamic items perform better on the flats. Differences between options will also be magnified or minimized by your own power levels, drafting abilities, and more.

    Your best Zwift setup, more than ever, depends on your specific situation.

    About the Results

    Below you will find the 9 fastest wheelsets for longer, steeper climbs. This would include big Zwift mountains like Alpe du Zwift, the Epic KOM, or Innsbruck’s KOM. This isn’t an exact science, but we’re pretty confident in our findings thus far.

    This list is based on our recent speed tests of 100+ rides up Alpe du Zwift, a 12.2km, 8.5% monster of a climb. We tested all wheelsets using the same power levels, rider weight, and bike frame. This made it easy to spot which wheelsets performed best. We then ranked those wheelsets based on their climbing performance, using their flat/mixed course performance as a secondary factor when needed.

    Your Winners

    #1 & #2: Lightweight Meilenstein and Roval Alpinist CLX

    Lightweight Meilenstein: Cannot be purchased, must be won via the Alpe prize wheel
    Roval Alpinist CLX: 135,300 Drops to purchase, must be Level 32+

    The Lightweight Meilenstein wheels are super-premium IRL, and their price reflects that. Luckily for us, we can get them free by just riding up the Alpe! Problem is, it may take one try… or 25. Nobody really knows how often the spinner lands on the Meilensteins, but they’re definitely a prize worth winning.

    The new climbers from Roval were released in mid-2021, matching the Meilensteins climb time. Read more about the Alpinist CLX wheels >

    Both wheelsets turn in essentially the same flat test times as well (we clocked the Lightweights at 0.5s faster over ~50 minutes), so your choice really comes down to preference and what’s in your garage.

    #3: Zipp 353 NSW

    255,600 Drops to purchase, must be Level 19+

    Zipp released the IRL 353 NSWs in late April 2021, billing them as the lightest tubeless wheelset they’ve ever made! And they climb well, matching the ENVE SES 3.4s but performing a bit better on flat ground (hence us giving them the edge here).

    #4: ENVE SES 3.4

    191,700 Drops to purchase, must be Level 4+

    Just 8 seconds behind the Meilensteins, these wheels come at a low price and level unlock.

    #5: DT Swiss ARC 62

    184,600 Drops to purchase, must be Level 6+

    These hoops deliver strong climbing performance and solid aero performance, making them perhaps the best all-arounders yet. Read more about these hoops >

    #6: Giant SLR0

    191,800 Drops to purchase, must be Level 22+

    Slightly lacking in aerodynamics compared to the top competition, they definitely have the light weight necessary to turn in a fast Alpe climb time.

    #7: Zipp 454

    284,000 Drops to purchase, must be Level 24+

    These climb at the same speed as the Bora Ultra 50s below, but are faster on the flats so they get the edge in our rankings. Because you have to get to the Alpe before you can climb it! A solid all-around wheel, the Zipp 454s rank at the top of our combined percentile rankings (see bottom chart here).

    #8: Zipp 404

    149,200 Drops to purchase, must be Level 15+

    The 404s perform very much like the 454s up the Alpe (just 1 second slower), but the 454s outperform them by a few seconds on flat/mixed courses. Then again, the 404s are much easier to obtain!

    #9: Campagnolo Bora Ultra 50

    262,700 Drops to purchase, must be Level 27+

    These climb 1 second slower than the Bora Ultra 35s, but they vastly outperform the 35s on flat/mixed terrain so they made the cut. Plus, with a more aero wheel, you get to feel the wind in your hair on the way down!

    #10: CADEX 36

    257,400 Drops to purchase, must be Level 26+

    These climb 1 second faster than the Campagnolo Bora Ultra 50 but are much slower on flat/mixed terrain, so we placed them here. They’re actually the third fastest wheelset on this list, but their aero performance is so bad that it’s hard to recommend them over much more aero wheelsets which are just 1s slower up the Alpe!

    What’s the Time Gap?

    Only 10 seconds separate the Meilensteins from the Bora Ultra 50’s up the Alpe at 300 watts with a 75kg rider on a Zwift Aero frame. The next wheels which climb decently well perform so poorly in flat races that they aren’t worth listing.

    Again, your best Zwift race setup depends on our specific situation, so do your research and choose wisely. Feel free to sift through our detailed charts!

    Share Your Thoughts

    Hopefully the mountain goats found this post useful. Got questions or comments? Post below!


    Changelog

    • September 19, 2021: changed the Meilensteins and Alpinist wheels to be tied for top slots based on fresh tests. Added CADEX 36 in #10 slot.
    • July 26, 2021: inserted the Roval Alpinist CLX wheels into the #1 slot.
    • Apr 22, 2021: inserted the new Zipp 353 NSWs into the 2nd slot.
    • Aug 11, 2020: inserted the new DT Swiss ARC 62s in the 3rd slot.
    • Nov 8, 2019: Moved Bora 50s down two slots to #6. Removed 7, 8, and 9 because their flat performance is so bad, and you can get better climbing wheelsets at lower levels and prices.

    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.

    Related Posts

    Related Posts

    Facebook
    Twitter
    Pinterest
    ReddIt
      Eric Schlange
      Eric Schlangehttp://www.zwiftinsider.com
      Eric runs Zwift Insider in his spare time when he isn't on the bike or managing various business interests. He lives in Northern California with his beautiful wife, two kids and dog. Follow on Strava

      27 COMMENTS

      Subscribe
      Log in using
      Notify of
      guest

      Log in using
      guest

      27 Comments
      oldest
      newest most voted
      Inline Feedbacks
      View all comments
      ozun
      ozun
      2 years ago

      So complicated to choose! I weigh 95 kg and have an FTP of around 350 watts. Therefore, on the flat I can follow almost any group (often fairly easily), but struggle on the climbs. For mixed routes, shall I go for light wheels and frame so that it helps me on the crucial moment of a race (for example, the original Watopia KOM) when I get dropped? Even if it meant higher efforts on the flat? Or the opposite, any advantage I get this way on hills will be wasted in the flat sections (even if I “hide” in the… Read more »

      1
      Reply
      Rüdiger Reichow
      Rüdiger Reichow
      2 years ago
      Reply to  ozun

      Depending on the course. On flat courses you should even be able to break away (small group or alone), so a fast wheelset will definitly help. On mixed courses you need to avoid being dropped and go for a light one. In hilly routes it is obvious that a light wheelset must be chosen. But compared to your body weight a few hundred grams will not make a big difference :).

      0
      Reply
      Carl J
      Carl J(@runbikebbq)
      2 years ago

      Slightly confused. In the wheel rankings, the 808s are ahead of the 454s, and I’m pretty sure that in previous posts (and before the garage) they were one of the best wheels to have. However here, they’re not mentioned.
      Is it because they’re only better on a purely flat course, and the 454s are better with a mixed course?

      0
      Reply
      Carl J
      Carl J(@runbikebbq)
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Carl J

      Ignore. Wrong post

      0
      Reply
      Rüdiger Reichow
      Rüdiger Reichow
      2 years ago

      Hi,
      currently going up the AdZ frequently doing Intervall workouts. Three of my longer workouts made me complete the AdZ but all in all three instances I received gloves…. is there any indication of percentage for the Lightweight Wheelset and the other items? I already own ENVE SES 3.4 (cheap to get) but the Lightweights would make me feel better :).
      And as even in real life I do not use gloves I am quite upset to receive 3x gloves :(…

      2
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Rüdiger Reichow

      Everyone receives way too many gloves. This is the way of the Alpe. 😀

      I got my Lightweights on my 13th climb up the Alpe. I have no idea what the percentage is!

      5
      Reply
      Steven Morrical
      Steven Morrical
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      I got the Meilenstein’s on my 15th trip up the ADZ…I was so excited I turned around and went back up 🙂 However, I did not see a noticable difference in time or uphill speed from the Enve 3.4’s with same effort. As mentioned here, 8 seconds on the total climb is the difference between the two…still going to run them though….#marginal_gains.

      1
      Reply
      Steven Morrical
      Steven Morrical
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Steven Morrical

      Correction…only 5 seconds noted between the Enve 3.4’s and Meilenstein wheels.

      0
      Reply
      Daniel
      Daniel(@dkwinc)
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      Got mine after 20th and almost want to give up as it’s only good for long steep climb event such as ADZ. I hope you can do a new comparison test on a more tough roller routes such as NYC Perimeter Park to see where else can we slower rider can make better use of this Meilenstein wheels. Btw, I could never hang with group A riders after the 2nd half of a 30 miles round. Cheers!

      0
      Reply
      Dan Connelly
      Dan Connelly
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Daniel

      I think it’s fairly straight forward. Use an average based on the time (not distance) on the flats or descents, and the time on relatively steep climbs (8% or steeper). For gradual climbs, take a rough average based on how steep it is. So suppose I’m doing Bologna where I spend half the time on flats and half the climb on steep climb. Then I’d take the average of time savings on flats and steeps from these rankings. On the other hand, suppose I’m doing a route like the Watopia reverse Hilly. There I probably spend 2 minutes on steep… Read more »

      1
      Reply
      Esteban
      Esteban
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      I got mine on the 13th, as well. Lo and behold, next trip up, i got the wheels again. Now, it’s back to gloves though. lol

      1
      Reply
      Víctor Del Corte Lora
      Member
      Víctor Del Corte Lora(@vcortelora)
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Rüdiger Reichow

      I’ve been really lucky, then. I’ve got them on my second climb up the Alpe!

      2
      Reply
      Daymon Shack
      Daymon Shack
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Rüdiger Reichow

      I got my Lightweights on the 5th time up AdZ. This attempt was a sub 60 minute effort so maybe this was a qualifier?

      0
      Reply
      Mr. 2F
      Mr. 2F
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Daymon Shack

      If you made it up sub 60 you don’t need the lightweights! Leave em for us commoners! 😉

      5
      Reply
      Ken
      Ken
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Daymon Shack

      No, sub-60 can’t be a qualifier because I got mine after my twelveth ride up the Alpe, which was close to 90 minutes, my third worst time! *LOL* (I was hunting for the Yeti rather than the Meilenstein on that ride)

      0
      Reply
      J Crume
      J Crume
      8 months ago
      Reply to  Ken

      17 times up the Alpe and I still don’t have them. Continual gloves and helmets are pretty, no, exceedingly, lame. Now I would rather do something fun. But every once in a while, I get a bee in my chamois. Last time was 3 months ago. I am just no longer motivated to try. If you stop and think about it, as a reward the Milenstein’s won’t make much of a difference unless all you do are KOMs. They are horrible on flats according to the tests. I decided that the Zipp 353 or the DT 62 make much more… Read more »

      Last edited 8 months ago by J Crume
      0
      Reply
      Jim borrens
      Jim borrens
      2 years ago

      How do I access these top 5 wheel sets? When I went to wheels to change my current set the top five were not offered. Thanks

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Jim borrens

      Are you in the Drop Shop, or your garage? Gotta buy ’em before you can use ’em!

      0
      Reply
      Jim borrens
      Jim borrens
      2 years ago

      Ps, I’m at level 43. Shouldn’t I be able to access at least one light wheel set?

      0
      Reply
      Gabriel
      Gabriel
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Jim borrens

      I got the Lightweight wheelset at the 18x up the Alpe, but have heard of people going 25+

      0
      Reply
      David Cook
      David Cook
      2 years ago

      Zipp 202 didn’t make the cut for a climbing wheel?

      1
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      2 years ago
      Reply to  David Cook

      It would probably be the next wheelset on the list, if we made the list longer! But I wouldn’t rank it above anything listed here, no.

      1
      Reply
      stefano deriu
      stefano deriu
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      So Eric, which combo do you suggest for a race “tour of fire and ice”.?
      Tarmac pro as frame for sure , and then? i mean, with LW wheels i wille be able to keep the peloton on the first 10k? or better a more aero solutions as Dtswiss to keep the group ? thanks

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  stefano deriu

      LW wheels beat DT Swiss by 6 seconds up the Alpe. DT Swiss beat the LW wheels by 21 seconds on the flats! Not a great trade, in my book. I’d go DT Swiss in a Tour of Fire and Ice race, especially if I was at all concerned about my ability to hang onto the front pack in the flat early sections.

      0
      Reply
      Andrew
      Andrew
      1 year ago

      The “Zipp 202” wheels show as the same star ratings (3* Aero, 4* Weight) as the “Enve SES 3.4” and with a better rating than the “Zipp 404”, yet the Zipp 202 wheels don’t make the list, is there a reason for that? Are the in-app star ratings not accurate when you actually put them to the test?

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Andrew

      The star ratings are accurate, they’re just not very granular (if that makes sense).

      The 202s are 4 seconds slower up the Alpe than the ENVE 3.4s. They just barely didn’t make this list – they’d be the next wheelset on the list, if we made it longer.

      3
      Reply
      Doug
      Doug
      5 months ago

      I wondr3d about the Zipp 202’s for climbing? Not in the Top 10 and wondered why.

      0
      Reply
      wpdiscuz   wpDiscuz

      Free Zwift Trial

      Create Account

      Newest Featured Posts

      Top 5 Zwift Videos: ZwiftPower, Hard Races, and Smart Trainer Setup

      How Zwift Works

      Zwift Hardware Requirements Public Test Events, August 2-9

      Events

      Zwift Chartgeist, Volume 6

      How Zwift Works

      Support This Site

      Contribute a post, shop through us, make a donation, advertise on this site. See how you can support Zwift Insider!

      This community-driven site is maintained by Eric Schlange and a team of Zwift enthusiasts. Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs.

      This site contains affiliate links to Amazon, Wahoo, and other brands. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts.

      Terms of Use/DMCA Copyright Policy

      Privacy Policy

      [email protected]

      Latest articles

      Top 5 Zwift Videos: ZwiftPower, Hard Races, and Smart Trainer Setup

      The Wrap, Episode 3

      Zwift Hardware Requirements Public Test Events, August 2-9

      Popular Categories

      • Racing883
      • News698
      • Training & Nutrition565
      • Interviews435
      • Events395
      • Routes & Maps288
      27
      0
      Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
      ()
      x
      | Reply
      Comment Author Info
      :wpds_smile::wpds_grin::wpds_wink::wpds_mrgreen::wpds_neutral::wpds_twisted::wpds_arrow::wpds_shock::wpds_unamused::wpds_cool::wpds_evil::wpds_oops::wpds_razz::wpds_roll::wpds_cry::wpds_eek::wpds_lol::wpds_mad::wpds_sad::wpds_exclamation::wpds_question::wpds_idea::wpds_hmm::wpds_beg::wpds_whew::wpds_chuckle::wpds_silly::wpds_envy::wpds_shutmouth:
      You are going to send email to

      Move Comment


    • Related Posts