Speed Tests: Concept Z1 (Tron) Bike vs Top Performers

Our wheel and frame performance charts are useful tools, but they don’t answer one crucial question for many Zwift racers: how does X frame paired with Y wheelset perform compared to the Zwift Concept Z1 (Tron) bike?

With Zwift tweaking performance parameters and releasing new bikes this week, it was time to update this popular chart with current data. Below, you’ll find a scatter plot chart pitting the Tron bike against top-performing wheels and frames.

Note: while bikes can now be upgraded in 5 stages, these results are from the un-upgraded (stage 0) versions of these bikes. We’re working on publishing comparisons of the fully-upgraded versions!

Tip: we charted how many seconds each setup saves across an hour of riding compared to a basic bike/wheel setup (Zwift Carbon frame + Zwift 32mm Carbon Wheels). This means you’ll find the top performers higher on the Y-axis and further right on the X-axis.

Colored based on frame. Mouse over each point for details.
Zwift Concept Z1, S-Works Venge, S-Works Tarmac SL8, Pinarello Dogma F 2024, Canyon Aeroad 2024, Cannondale SuperSix EVO LAB71, Specialized Aethos

Chart updated March 18, 2025

Observations

The most surprising thing you can see immediately is that Zwift’s performance tweaks have turned the Tron bike into a leading aero bike, but a poor climber. It’s no longer an all-arounder.

See the old Tron vs Top Performers chart for comparison >

This change is due in part to Zwift making the Tron bike a bit heavier. But they also made the disc wheels a bit slower on road bikes, and those nerfed disc wheels no longer let us beat the Tron.

The next thing worth noting is how the new S-Works Tarmac SL8 is the best performer in almost every way. (See how its purple dots are higher and further right than all the other bikes.) It’s only edged out in pure aero performance, but even then its most aero setup (paired with the Zipp 858/Super9) only loses 2.4 seconds over an hour of flat roads to the Tron bike, while being 6.5 seconds faster on an hourlong climb.

Speaking of the new Tarmac, you can see that, with its release, there’s really no place for the S-Works Aethos. It used to be the pure climber that beat everyone else up the Alpe, but the Tarmac now edges it out while being much more aero. (It is possible that tests at lower power, perhaps 2 W/kg, would see the lighter Aethos edging the Tarmac whose superior CDA would have less of an effect at lower speeds. Stay tuned for more on this topic…)

(While we’re talking about bikes being edged out, the all-arounder Canyon Aeroad 2024 beats the pure-aero S-Works Venge now, even in purely flat riding, which means the Venge really isn’t the go-to frame… anywhere!)

Let’s talk about wheels a bit, since their performance was modified this week as well.

One big piece of news is that the DT Swiss Disc is no longer the obvious king. The Zipp 858/Super9 is just a bit more aero, and gains almost 5 seconds on the climb.

Another big piece of disc news is that all the disc wheels were made heavier this week. It used to be sort of an “even trade” going from a good disc wheelset to the best non-disc wheels… you would lose about as much in your flat time as you gained in your climb performance.

But now, going from the Zipp 858/Super9 to the ENVE 7.8 improves your climb hour by ~19s on the climb, while costing you less than 4s on the flats. This makes it hard to justify using a disc wheel on all but the flattest races.

The ENVE 8.9 wheels have received a bit of a polish, making them perhaps the best non-disc wheels available in terms of pure aero performance. If you’re looking for good climbing wheels, though, the Zipp 454s are probably your best bet. In fact, as you can see in the chart, they edged out the Lightweight Meilensteins! (The same disclaimer as above holds true here, though, that riders are lower speeds may see the lighter Lightweights beating the 454s.)

Your Thoughts

What conclusions do you draw from this chart? Share your thoughts below!