Your choice of bike frame influences your Zwift speed significantly. And Zwift’s Drop Shop gives us access to a pile of new frames: 60 total including the Tron and TT bikes!
We’ve been hard at work in our lab testing wheels and frames, and this is the fifth in a series of posts giving you some solid, data-driven answers. Read more speed tests here >
We’ve already looked at which frames perform best on flat/mixed routes. The next question for racers is: what about climbing?
*First, a Disclaimer
These frames are the fastest up the Alpe, but that means they won’t be the fastest down or on flat sections since climbing frames are lightweight and less aero. So you’ll want to think through your strengths as a rider when choosing your frames and wheels for races.
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 flats and descents. 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 fastest draftable frames for climbing Alpe du Zwift.
This list is based on our recent speed tests of 100+ rides up Alpe du Zwift, a 12.2km, 8% monster of a climb which takes around 50 minutes to complete for our 75kg test rider at 300 watts steady. We tested all frames using the same power levels and rider weight, making it easy to spot which frames performed best.
Your Winners
#1: Specialized Tarmac Pro
408,300 Drops to purchase, must be Level 11+
The Tarmac Pro is 5 seconds ahead of the Evo, putting it squarely in 1st place. Of course, the Tarmac is a favorite climber outdoors as well, so this makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is Zwift calling this the “Tarmac Pro” when it really behaves more like the S-Works Tarmac Ultralight!
#2: Cannondale Evo
213,000 Drops to purchase, must be Level 9+
Known for its feathery weight outdoors, the Evo deserves a top spot on this list thanks to its performance on the Alpe. It’s also the easiest frame to obtain on this entire list, so there’s a lot of “bang for the buck” here for climbers.
#3: Trek Emonda
Cannot be purchased, must complete Climb Mt. Everest Challenge to unlock
The Emonda used to be the fastest climber in game, but has been bumped a few spots since those early day. But look at it this way: you’re going to take on the Everest Challenge anyway, so why not unlock a nice climber while you’re at it?
#4 and #5: Canyon Ultimate and Specialized Amira S-Works
Canyon Ultimate Lightweight: 461,500 Drops to purchase, must be Level 10+
Specialized Amira S-Works: 355,000 Drops to purchase, must be Level 31+
Both of these frames turned in nearly identical times up the Alpe as well as our flat/mixed course tests, so we’re putting them in a dead tie here. Maybe this is for the best, since the guys can ride the Canyon while the ladies ride the Amira (which has a sweet paint job, by the way)!
#6: Cannondale SuperSix EVO
816,500 Drops to purchase, must be Level 36+
The newest bike on this list, the SuperSix EVO was built to climb fast but be aero at the same time. And that’s how it performs in-game, too! It’s not the fastest on the flats, but it’s pretty slippery, beating every other frame on this list in our flat tests. And while it may not be the fastest up the Alpe, it’s not far off.
What’s the Time Gap?
The frames above are separated by 9 seconds on a climb up Alpe du Zwift at 300 watts with a 75kg rider using the stock 32mm carbon wheelset.
The next fastest frames are just behind those listed above–see the detailed data charts.
What about the Tron Bike?
This is the big question everyone asks. Ironically, even though it takes a lot of climbing to unlock the Tron bike, it’s not a great climber. In fact, at least 16 frames perform better up the Alpe when paired with the Lightweight Meilenstein wheels.
More than that, any bike frame on the list above can beat the Tron up the Alpe, using any wheelset on our list of top climbing wheelsets.
That said, the Tron bike is still one of the fastest on flat/mixed routes. So riders will want to think through their frame and wheelset options when racing on climbing routes. We think this is a wonderful development, bringing more strategy and planning into Zwift racing and variety in the peloton.
Share Your Thoughts
We hope all you riders/racers found this post useful. Got questions or comments? Post below!
Changelog
- Nov 15, 2019: Shortened the list. Removed 7 and #8: Cervelo R5 and Chapter2 Tere, and 9 and #10: Trek Emonda SL and Specialized Tarmac.
- Nov 1, 2019: added the Cannondale SuperSix EVO in the 6th spot.
- Oct 7, 2019: added Chapter2 Tere in #7 slot. Had neglected to test this up the Alpe when it was released back in July.
- Apr 24, 2019: removed the Safety Bike from the #1 slot, since it has gained weight and is no longer a fast climber. More info
I’m going to drill out my chainring & crankset as well as take out a ball bearing in my hubs like we did back in the day.
Surely you meant the Cervelo S5, not the R5, no?
Nope. S5 is aero, R5 is light.
Weird no Brakes on the Tarmac Pro…
I see that the Cannondale Evo made it into one of the top spots for climbing. This is excellent news !!! I’m an exclusive Cannondale user and that bike is a great climbing bicycle outdoors. I’m glad to see that it is good at climbing in Zwift also.
Thank you Eric for all of your time and hard work doing these recent test. Very much appreciated.
Just earned the Tron bike this week. Back in the garage it goes.
Just a heads up the Cannondale Evo is actually unlocked at level 9
Eric, it says the safety bike does the Alpe in 48.47, the Tron in 48.59, which is only 12 seconds. Yet you said there’s 13 secs between the first 9 and they’re all faster than the Tron. It also says the Emonda SL and the Tarmac which are the last of the 9 can do the Alpe in 48.50, only 3 secs less than the safety bike. Could you clarify the times again please
Lucky me the first bike I bought was the Tarmac Pro for once i’m lucky with Zwift 🙂
So it sounds like the best bang for your drops currently, and based on level, would be the ENVE 2.2 and Specialized Tarmac Pro? Both options below level 10, and combined cost roughly ZD 600K (ZD = zwift drops)
Essentially, I’m curious what combination puts out the best performance for the fewest drops?
Spreadsheet has completely different numbers/
“This frame (Zwift Safety) turned in an Alpe time of 48:47 when paired with the Lightweight Meilensteins”
Spreadsheet says Zwift Safety does Alpe in 48:47 when paired with basic 32mm wheels. With Meilensteins time is listed at 48:32.
Or the Evo. It is about half the price of the Tarmac Pro and only 2 seconds slower.
Would it be possible to make an average of how many time do we need to climb the AdZ to get the lightweight?
Eric you are a serious rock star. You have saved me so many drops by helping me just buy the right stuff. You should run for president. 🙂
Have you looked into how different rider weights and wattage affect equipment choice?
ie if you are a lighter rider with less watts is one bike frame better than if you are a heavier rider that puts out more power?
Thanks!
Hey Eric.
In the “fastest frames” you set the Speci Allez Sprint at #6, althoug the Venge at #8 is faster but the Sprint climbs better.
Here you say, the Venge is just outside the list for best climbers, and no mention of the sprint.
So is the Speci Venge the better Alrounder that the Allez Sprint?
Oh shoot, forget it.
I mixed the Venge and the Venge S-Works 🙁
So the Allez Sprint seems a good Allrounder after all for rider below level 20 or so.
You should also change the text under the Tarmac Pro that says, “The Tarmac Pro is 7 seconds behind the Zwift Safety…”
Fixed. Thanks!
If I’m not a racer but just want the “easiest/fastest” ride up steep KOM’s and Alps, am I better off with the Cervelo P5 the top rated TT bike or the Specialized Tarmac pro (fastest climbing frame) – in other words, if you didn’t draft, how does a TT bike compare to a non TT bike uphill? i’m trying to figure out how to spend my points – thanks! Do a lot of group rides but also by myself for big climbs. Hard to compare as they are in TT and non TT categories for climbing.
Is there a difference between the Tarmac Pro here, and the S-Works Tarmac you get for completing the Ride California challenge?
Yep. Two different bikes with different speeds.
So how does the S-Works compare? I see it’s not in the list, so not so good?
Are you talking about the Tarmac (which I believe says S-Works on it?) If so, it’s on this list, at the bottom. It says S-Works on the frame, but it doesn’t perform like an S-Works on a climb. 🙂 It’s 11s slower up the Alpe than the Tarmac Pro in our tests. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_dvNbBEKAztJwjX-2CDdWmVSR4jP92o-eiNCB7hl5IY/edit#gid=1825340343
S-Works is lighter than Pro
would be interesting to see results at 2.0 w/k. might favor aero less?
We had a discussion on the Herd ride today about the Tarmac Pro being a good option the jungle. A lot of people don’t like the new variable rolling resistances but I have not really noticed it riding the Tarmac Pro
It’s not the frame that makes the roads slow, it’s the wheels you’re running. Tarmac Pro is just as slow as any other road frame in the Jungle.