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    RacingSpeed Tests

    Fastest TT Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level

    Eric Schlange
    By Eric Schlange
    September 22, 2021
    LAST UPDATED September 22, 2022
    11

    If you’re racing time trials on Zwift, upgrading your frame and wheels will cut some significant time off your efforts. And in the “race of truth” where there is no hiding in the draft, every bit of savings counts!

    But figuring out where to spend your hard-earned Drops can be confusing, so we’ve put together this table which lists the fastest TT frame and wheelset available at each 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 time trial 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 TT Frames

    LevelFastest Frame Time
    Savings
    1Zwift TT (Free)0s
    10Specialized Shiv (710,000) or Shiv S-Works (852,000)18s
    15Cervelo P5 (710,000)25s
    18Specialized Shiv Disc (994,000)30s
    26Canyon Speedmax CF SLX Disc (891,000)35s
    42CADEX Tri (1,029,500)39.5s

    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
    42DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT DISC (1,579,800)59.5s

    Total time savings of fastest TT frame and wheelset over stock Zwift setup (Zwift TT frame and 32mm wheels): 39.5+59.5=99 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.

    Improvement by Level

    The biggest performance gains come early in a Zwifter’s level progression, but TT setups have a slower progression than road setups. Here’s how much time you would be saving at each level if you upgraded to the recommended setups above:

    Chart by Visualizer

    You can see that by level 18, 72% 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 TT Frame Ranking Charts and Wheel Ranking Charts.

    Your Thoughts

    Hopefully this helps you select a rig for your next TT effort, 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 TT frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top TT Performers for current time trial-related 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

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      Marco NL
      Marco NL
      1 year ago

      Can’t help but wonder when we finally get to use TT bikes for TTT (draft allowed) so that we look less silly. How do the TT bike times compare to the road bikes? Just the difference between your 2 stock setups would suffice 👍.

      1
      Reply
      Jan Dvořák
      Jan Dvořák
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Marco NL

      Fastest TT frame vs fastest road frame is 1:36 difference with the stock wheelset.

      4
      Reply
      Jan Dvořák
      Jan Dvořák
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Marco NL

      Fastest TT frame vs fastest road frame is 1:36 difference with the stock wheelset.

      0
      Reply
      Paul Himes
      Paul Himes
      9 months ago
      Reply to  Marco NL

      You asked and we get to find out for real on Thursday of this week as WTRL is starting TTT races with conveyor belts and allowing TT bikes to give and receive draft benefits.

      0
      Reply
      abcd
      abcd
      1 year ago

      DT Swiss ARC 1100 paired with Canyon Speedmax CF SLX Disc for a long time, not tested even once as studying IRL, no time 4 fun

      0
      Reply
      Lincon Rodrigues
      Lincon Rodrigues
      1 year ago

      why on the fastest wheels category, is not a mention of the Zip 858/super 9? thank you Eric for all your effort and commitment with the updates!!

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

      Because they are slower than the DT Swiss disc wheels, and unlocked at a higher level.

      1
      Reply
      Bill H
      Bill H
      11 months ago

      Hi Eric, Any idea how these times compare to the Tron?

      Being a lightweight rider (57 kg) I’m wondering whether aero trumps all else for a flattish ITT, or if a slighly lighter (but still aero) bike like the Tron might be better?

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      11 months ago
      Reply to  Bill H

      A TT bike is always better in a non-drafting flattish race situation on Zwift. Even the Specialized Shiv (first TT bike on this list) is 29s faster over our ~50-minute flat test than the Tron bike. Get the fastest TT frame (Canyon Speedmax CF SLX) and you’ve trimmed 46s off!

      0
      Reply
      Bill H
      Bill H
      11 months ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      Thanks Eric, much appreciated. I’m level 35 so it looks like I’ll be opting for the Canyon Speedmax CF SLX Disc + Zipp 808/Super9 wheelset.

      0
      Reply
      Robert watkinson
      Robert watkinson
      10 months ago

      First TT on zwift this week. Im level 38. Wondered what best bike is at that level. Got plenty of drops

      0
      Reply
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