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    Tips & TricksRacingReferenceSpeed Tests

    Fastest Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level

    Eric Schlange
    By Eric Schlange
    August 24, 2021
    48

    If you’re racing on Zwift, upgrading your frame and wheels can cut some significant time off your efforts. But figuring out where to spend your hard-earned Drops can be confusing! So we’ve put together this table which lists the fastest frame and wheelset available at every Zwift level.

    (Keep in mind this list applies only to flat and rolling routes. The list below is essentially a simplified, flat-race-focused version of our complete Zwift Shopping Guide. If the climbs in your race last more than a few minutes, you may want to consider a more climbing-friendly setup.)

    Want to keep it simple? Just purchase each frame or wheelset on the list as soon as you level up. Don’t have enough Drops? Keep riding – you’ll get them soon enough! (And you might want to ride near a Pace Partner so your Drops add up more quickly!)

    Fastest Frames

    LevelFastest Frame Time
    Savings
    1Zwift Carbon (Free)0s
    5Specialized Tarmac SL7 (674,500)*6s
    6Zwift Aero (319,500)11s
    8Focus Izalco Max 2020 (426,000)13.5s
    10Canyon Aeroad 2021 (568,000)17s
    19Uranium Nuclear (184,500)*19s

    * The Cervelo S5 2020, Specialized Venge S-Works, Felt AR, and Uranium Nuclear all turn in matching times in our flat tests.

    Fastest Wheelsets

    LevelFastest WheelsetTime
    Savings
    1Zwift 32mm Carbon (Free)0s
    4ENVE SES 3.4 (191,700)26s
    5Roval CLX64 (170,400)30s
    6DT Swiss ARC 62 (184,600)34s
    13Zipp 808 (177,600)42s
    31ENVE SES 8.9 (205,900)43.5s
    35Zipp 808/Super9 (1,075,700)51s
    37Zipp 858 (312,400) fastest non-disc*46s
    42DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT DISC (1,579,800) fastest disc59.5s

    Total time savings of fastest frame and wheelset over stock Zwift setup (Zwift Carbon frame and 32mm wheels): 19+59.5=78.5 seconds

    Times above based on our flat speed tests, done with a solo 75kg rider at 300 watts over two laps of Watopia’s very flat Tempus Fugit route. Our test rider completes the route in approximately 50 minutes.

    *Table Notes:

    • Level 5: while the Specialized Tarmac SL7 is the fastest frame at this level, chances are you won’t have enough Drops to buy it yet! Don’t worry – you can buy the cheaper and faster Zwift Aero at level 6.
    • The Tron bike isn’t listed above because it is not unlocked on any particular level. It is, however, attainable before reaching level 20, if you start working on it first thing. See below for more…
    • We included the Zipp 858 wheels since they’re the fastest non-disc aero wheelset, making them the fastest legal wheelset for top-end Zwift ESports racing.

    What About the Tron Bike?

    The Zwift Concept Z1 (Tron) bike is 68 seconds faster than the stock Zwift Carbon+32mm Carbon setup. The fastest setup available turns in a time ~9 seconds faster than the Tron bike over our ~50-minute flat test course.

    That’s a decent gap, but you can also look at it like this: until you have a disc wheelset (level 35+) or one of the faster non-disc wheelsets (level 37+), the Tron bike is your fastest option on flat/rolling routes!

    We didn’t include the Tron in the chart above since you can’t separate the Tron’s frame from its wheels. But it’s certainly a bike worth unlocking. Here’s how to do that >

    Want to dig deeper? See “Speed Tests: Tron Bike vs Top Performers (Scatter Plot)” >

    Improvement by Level

    The biggest performance gains come early in a Zwifter’s level progression. Here’s how much time you would be saving at each level if you upgraded to the recommended setups above (chart may be outdated due to speed test updates):

    Chart by Visualizer

    You can see that by level 13, 74% of the overall possible improvement has already been achieved. And once you’ve hit level 42, the only way you’ll get faster is by racing smarter and training stronger!

    Digging Deeper

    Want to dig deeper into the speeds of various frames and wheels? Check out our Frame Ranking Charts and Wheel Ranking Charts.

    Your Thoughts

    Hopefully this helps you select a bike for your next race, no matter your Zwift level. Got questions or comments? Post 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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      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

      48 COMMENTS

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      48 Comments
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      Finn McCool
      Active Member
      Finn McCool(@cryptonorniron)
      1 year ago

      Have you ever experimented with rider weight to see if it makes any difference to the bike and wheelset performance?….as a 110kg rider i need all the help i can get going up them hills!

      1
      Reply
      Hansel
      Hansel
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Finn McCool

      Higher weight, slower times. The best climbing frame is the best regardless of your weight.

      1
      Reply
      Finn McCool
      Active Member
      Finn McCool(@cryptonorniron)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Hansel

      “Higher weight, slower times” – not necessarily true, but I am aware that as a heavier ride i need considerably more Wattage to get up the hills than the featherweights due to my old friend gravity. However your comment “The best climbing frame is the best regardless of your weight” – has this been tested? The above test uses a 70kg rider riding at 300W – has this been tried using an 80/90/100/110kg rider at 300W to see if the rider weight introduces any variation in the performance of the frames. Undoubtedly a lot more work introducing a 2nd variable,… Read more »

      7
      Reply
      Hansel
      Hansel
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Finn McCool

      At the same wattage higher weight is slower up a climb. Climbing speed is essentially based on watt output and weight (at slower speeds like the Alpe). Your weight is constant so the lighter bike at the same watts will be faster. Changing your weight by 10 kilo won’t change that since your weight would still be constant just lower. Not sure what there is to test unless it’s less steep and then aerodynamics come into play which they’ve tested as well.

      2
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Finn McCool

      There’s this post: https://zwiftinsider.com/rider-weight-speed/

      We’ve done TONS of tests at various weights on the same equipment, etc.

      5
      Reply
      Derek
      Derek(@dpr4473)
      1 year ago

      Still waiting on the test times for the new 2020 Cervelo S5 frame. I find it strange Zwift has only given 2 stars for aero.

      2
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Derek

      It’s going to be faster. Zwift will be updating it, probably in the next minor update… we’ll release test results after that. I wouldn’t ride it now, though. 😀

      2
      Reply
      J. Pennarun
      J. Pennarun
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      All right for the 2020 S5, but there were other new gears coming with the last update (BMC TimeMachine, Cadex wheels, etc.), did you test them yet ? Is any of them a must buy ?

      1
      Reply
      John Schultens
      John Schultens
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      Eric, So even tho you’ve listed the Cervelo S5 as the “fastest” frame for level 25 above, it’s not fast yet until Zwift updates it? Do you know when it will be faster?

      0
      Reply
      John Schultens
      John Schultens
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      I see that the 2020 Cervelo S5 and regular Cervelo S5 are different now. 😳

      1
      Reply
      Paul Rayner
      Paul Rayner(@paulrayner)
      1 year ago

      Hi Eric, bit of a curve ball here – have you ever thought of doing a story on “the slowest bikes on Zwift”? So if you’re riding with a friend who’s a lot faster than you, what bike could they ride to “level things out”?

      13
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Paul Rayner

      That’s actually a great idea! Hmm….

      4
      Reply
      Paul Rayner
      Paul Rayner(@paulrayner)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      Thanks! I do have decent ideas sometimes…😉

      1
      Reply
      Oliver
      Oliver
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Paul Rayner

      I tried doing that for one of my articles and found that it made a huge difference when going up the Alpe. Not sure about flats though. If you are interested, feel free to check it out: https://pursuitcyclingforkids.com/2021/08/24/buffalo-bike-vs-cannondale-evo-alpe-test/

      4
      Reply
      anderfo
      anderfo
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Paul Rayner

      You might want to use an MTB or gravel bike then, those are significantly slower (unless you ride into some dirt roads). And stay in front so the weaker rider gets your draft.

      Otherwise, make a rubber band meetup, then you can ride at the pace you want and you’ll stay together anyway.

      1
      Reply
      Danny
      Danny
      1 year ago

      @Eric Schlange : Awesome article, as always! Love that you did the Tron vs Venge S-Works/DT Swiss Arc 1100 wheelset comparison. I am a big fan of the Tron on rolling routes…I worked hard to earn it, so I am willing to give up a second or two to ride it. And the color of the wheels go nicely with my team kit. You definitely proved that on pure flat surfaces, the Venge S-Works/DT Swiss Arc 1100 wheelset is ~9.5 seconds faster than the Tron. Would you be willing to do a comparison on Sand & Sequoias, which is representative… Read more »

      2
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Danny

      We’ve done a lot of those tests already, in years past. Basically, performance over rolling courses is the same as flat courses, because the lighter bikes don’t have enough time on the climbs to pull back anything significant on the aero bikes.

      Short answer: it would be closer to 9.5 seconds. Especially with Fuego Flats in there!

      1
      Reply
      Douglas
      Douglas
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      @Eric Schlange do you think this still goes for something super close in performance, say the Cervelo v Venge S Works, although the Cervelo is 1s faster on the flat in your tests it gives away 3s on the climb time, is this not enough to equalise the performance of these fees over a more rolling course?

      0
      Reply
      yousuf kazmi
      yousuf kazmi
      1 year ago

      I’ve got the Specialized Venge S-Works with DT Swiss ARC 1100 discsetup,
      but the Tron just looks nice and the with the added bonus of letting you know if you are getting intermittant drop outs by losing it’s glow.
      The Venge could almost be any bike (with a 9.5sec advantage 🙂 ).

      0
      Reply
      ShakeNBakeUK
      ShakeNBakeUK(@bakeuk_2)
      1 year ago

      so wheel choice now has 4x the impact of frame choice hmmmMMMmmm

      1
      Reply
      chris benten
      chris benten(@chris-benten)
      1 year ago

      I got my fat a$$ up the hills for the Tron…so I am riding it until…forever…or until some other torment comes around for the Tron II

      3
      Reply
      Luciano
      Luciano(@luciano-pollastri)
      1 year ago

      Super study as always. Thanks! I have to tell you something fun though. As I was reading it on the mobile phone, my wife approached and asked what was happening. I said “nothing”. She insisted that my face was showing an extreme degree of concentration on what I was reading. Anything new on Afghan situation? Worsening of pandemic in Madrid?” She has been trying to guess what was making me so focused… Imagine her face when I told her I was reading an article comparing the speed of virtual Zwift wheels and frames 🤣🤣🤣🤣

      5
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Luciano

      LOL. She should know by now, if you’re really concentrating… it’s Zwift.

      5
      Reply
      abcd
      abcd
      1 year ago

      i remember the chart from ur website shows Pinarello Dogma F is faster tham vange Dis now…

      0
      Reply
      abcd
      abcd
      1 year ago
      Reply to  abcd

      oh,
      I made a mistake,Pinarello Dogma F is better than Canyon aeroad 2021 in charts

      0
      Reply
      Tony Applewhite
      Tony Applewhite
      1 year ago

      Great work Eric, many thanks👍

      0
      Reply
      Hansel
      Hansel
      1 year ago

      Are you guys taking a look at the climbers as well (like the Canyon Ultimate CFR)?

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

      We’ve got this post (which needs to be revised): https://zwiftinsider.com/fastest-climbing-by-level/

      New Ultimate CFR will be tested once Zwift updates it in the next release. It’s currently buggy…

      2
      Reply
      rdcyclist (Mark Crane)
      rdcyclist (Mark Crane)(@rdcyclist)
      1 year ago

      Today’s 1.16.1 update changed the Aero and Weight of some bikes and a set of wheels. The Canyon Ultimate, Cervelo S5 and the Scott Addict RC. Probably will have some effect on these results.

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  rdcyclist (Mark Crane)

      Yup. Testing the new frames now. The Cervelo S5 2020 is FAST.

      1
      Reply
      temps 09
      temps 09
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      Thanks Eric for all the testing you do. Zwift should hire or at least pay you something for all that you do. Saving for the dogma F and a fast non disc wheel set. Soon it looks like I have choose between the Pin. Dogma F or one of the new frames for the fast non tron frame when needed.

      -1
      Reply
      Mathieu Bonnet
      Mathieu Bonnet(@mathieu_bonnet)
      1 year ago

      Hi Eric,
      aren’t the Zipp 858 worth mentioning when Disc wheels are not permitted ?
      BR

      1
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Mathieu Bonnet

      Good idea! Done.

      0
      Reply
      Mathieu Bonnet
      Mathieu Bonnet(@mathieu_bonnet)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      👌🏻Tx !

      0
      Reply
      Paul
      Paul
      1 year ago

      I know it might not be that sensible, but I just can’t bring myself to use disc wheels on anything other than a TT bike. Maybe I’ll give it a try one day.

      2
      Reply
      Sam Cates
      Sam Cates(@sam_cates)
      1 year ago

      Hey Eric – I’m keen to know if you’re planning on arranging any more badge/route collecting rides – I need to nail the über pretzel still!!

      0
      Reply
      Kim
      Kim
      1 year ago

      Hi Eric, I don’t race. Would these frame recommandations be equally good for group rides and workouts or do you have a list of the best “all rounders”? Thks!! Keep up the amazing work!!

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

      Bike selection doesn’t really matter for group workouts, since you’re rubber-banded together and will go the same speed as the rest of the group. But choosing your bike for your group ride matters, sure!

      Sometimes I’ll choose a slower bike, if the group ride is a slower/fun one… just for the fun of it. Something like the Buffalo or Safety Bike. Or I’ll choose a fast race bike if it’s a challenging group ride.

      1
      Reply
      Mute Legs
      Mute Legs
      1 year ago

      Is there a fastest TT bikes at each level also?

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

      Post coming out tomorrow morning!

      0
      Reply
      Luke Meers
      Luke Meers
      1 year ago

      Hi Eric,
      I’ve been think about fast frames/wheels, particularly in regards to racing. Most flattish races end in a sprint, with riders drafting for most or all of the race. In this case the aero advantage of the bikes in really only in the last 15secs but possibly at 70kph. Have you thought about doing something like a 30sec test starting at 50kph and at 800w or similar. Could pick a relevant sprint segment in which to test. Differences would be in the millisecond range but might be much more relevant as these are where races and won and lost.

      2
      Reply
      Janice Eastman
      Janice Eastman
      1 year ago

      I purchased the Caynon Aero 2021 with my level and the required points. I raced on it a couple of times, but it has now disappeared from my “garage” !!!!?????

      0
      Reply
      Dan
      Dan
      1 year ago

      Just hit level 35 and I have the tron. Would the Cervelo S5 2020 plus Super 9s be faster than Tron?

      0
      Reply
      Dan
      Dan
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Dan

      Just hit Level 36! 🙂

      0
      Reply
      Kanan
      Kanan
      1 year ago

      I have read a few times recently they the Cannondale Evo is actually faster than the Canyon Aeroad? Any truth to this at all ? I’m just about to get one

      Last edited 1 year ago by Kanan
      0
      Reply
      Joe W.
      Joe W.
      11 months ago

      I am rather new on Zwift, a level 14. I went to the drop shop to buy some Zipp 808’s and they are not listed. Anybody know why?

      0
      Reply
      Thomas
      Thomas
      11 months ago

      Hi Eric

      any chance of updating this for the February 2022 update?

      to me, it appears the Chapter2 TOA is better than the Tron, from your scatter plots. At least when coupled with the correct wheels

      0
      Reply
      Driver 89
      Driver 89
      10 months ago

      The Canyon Speedmax CF SLX didn’t even make the list? Do the stars in the ratings in-app mean anything at all?

      0
      Reply
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