Zwift’s newest update includes a new bike frame – the first Lauf to show up in Zwift, ever! It’s the True Grit gravel bike, which is described in the Drop Shop like this:
The True Grit is a versatile gravel and endurance race horse, with nerves of carbon. Blast through gravel, sweep the singletracks, float on asphalt or open your recovery beverage of choice. At the core of True Grit is the Lauf Grit SL, with its 30mm of front suspension – the thing that changed how gravel riding is perceived, now taken to the next level.
Of course, experienced Zwifters know that real-world performance doesn’t necessarily translate to Zwift performance. So at Zwift Insider we run frames and wheelsets through a battery of tests to figure out just how well they perform in Zwift’s virtual world.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Lauf True Grit in Zwift…
Frame Basics
The Lauf True Grit is available at level 11, for a cost of 297,500 Drops. It is rated 2 stars for aero, 2 stars for weight.
The frame only comes in one colorway.
Aero Performance
The True Grit is only rated 2 aero stars, like most of the gravel bikes in game. That poor aero rating is reflected in flat course performance in our tests. In fact, this frame is one of the slowest in terms of aero performance, turning in the same time as the Canyon Inflite and Zwift Gravel.
The True Grit turned in a time of 53:53 on our test course (two laps of Tempus Fugit). The fastest gravel frame (Cervelo Aspero) turned in a time of 53:47, while the Canyon Inflite and Zwift Gravel frames turned in essentially the same times as the True Grit.
By comparison, the fastest road frame in game (Specialized Venge S-Works) turned in a time of 51:18 using Zwift’s stock wheelset, the 32mm carbon. That’s why, if you choose any gravel frame for a road race, you will be suffering!
Climb Performance
The True Grit doesn’t climb well, either. It turns in the slowest Alpe climb of any gravel rig.
The Lauf True Grit turned in an Alpe du Zwift time of 51:58. The fastest gravel climber (Canyon Grail) climbed the Alpe in 51:25, while the next-slowest gravel climber (Zwift Gravel) turned in a time of 51:56.
By comparison, the fastest climbing frame in game (Specialized Tarmac Pro) turned in a time of 48:57 (using Zwift’s stock wheelset, the 32mm carbon).
Final Comments
Apart from the super-funky True Grit SL gravel suspension fork, there’s really nothing special about this bike’s performance in Zwift. In fact, it has three strikes against it:
- Poor aero performance: even compared to other gravel bikes in Zwift, the True Grit is quite slow
- Worst-in-class climbing: gravel bikes in Zwift don’t climb really well anyway. But the True Grit is the slowest of the bunch.
- It’s a gravel bike: unfortunately, the way Zwift has set up its Crr and gravel bikes means they’re not the best choice on any route. Road bikes outperform them on tarmac, and mountain bikes fly past them on dirt roads.
Until Zwift changes the way their gravel bikes perform, gravel frames will remain quite unpopular in Zwift. Which is a shame, given how popular gravel has become outdoors! And while Lauf lovers may use the frame because they’re fans, given its lackluster performance, we highly doubt we’ll be seeing many Zwifters on the True Grit anytime soon.
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