It’s time to talk about something very serious. I’ll get right to it: Zwift, like many cyclists, has a bit of a sock problem.
First came the Fire Socks, enticing us to work toward level 50 so we could sprint to flaming glory in the next race.
But that wasn’t enough. Zwift had to up the ante and create the glorious Confetti Socks so level 100 Zwifters bring a party to any peloton.
And now we have a third pair of socks: the Lightning Socks. Which is actually two pairs of socks, although you can only own one pair at a time. Confused yet? Let’s jump in and learn everything there is to learn about the newest socks on Zwift!
Animation/Effects Details
Lightning socks include cool visual effects which are triggered as you hit certain power levels. The power levels are multipliers of your FTP, and there are four levels of animation possible, triggered when you hit 1.5x, 2.1x, 2.7x, and 3.2x your in-game FTP.
If your current power is greater than 1.5 times your FTP, the first effect, called the “sparks and tire halo” effect, will appear. This works whether you’re wearing Lightning Socks or Aero Lightning Socks.
Ramp up your power to 2.1 times your FTP and the “tire size flash” effect will be added to the effect above. This works whether you’re wearing Lightning Socks or Aero Lightning Socks.
Why stop now? Pour it on and hit 2.7 times your FTP and the “full Aero Lightning effects” will be added to the effects above. (This only applies if you’re wearing the Aero Lightning Socks.)
There’s one more level! Hit 3.2 times your FTP and the “lightning feet” effect will be added to the effects above. (This only applies if you’re wearing the Aero Lightning Socks.)
Here’s a quick video showing what these animation levels look like in action:
How to Unlock Lightning Socks
Lightning Socks and Lightning Aero Socks are unlocks for Zwift’s Factory Tour Challenge. You can click to read all about that challenge if you’d like, but to summarize:
- Lightning Socks are unlocked when you finish the first part of the challenge by completing 250 power units. (1 power unit=riding at 1 W/kg for 1 hour)
- Your Lightning Socks are upgraded to Aero Lightning Socks when you finish the hidden and much larger second part of the challenge by completing 600 additional power units!
Lightning Socks vs Aero Lightning Socks
Lightning Socks only offer two levels of animation/effects (see samples above) and do not give any performance benefit. The Aero Lightning Socks make you more aero, and offer four levels of animation/effects.
You will automatically unlock the Lightning Socks once you complete 250 units in the Factory Tour Challenge. They will be added to your garage, and your avatar can wear them whenever you’d like.
If you continue on in the Factory Tour Challenge and do another 600 power units, you will automatically unlock the Aero Lightning Socks. These will replace your “basic” Lightning Socks, automatically upgrading them to aero socks with more effects.
Speed Tests
So, just how much faster do the Aero Lightning Socks make you?
We ran a test with and without the socks, using our standard bot (75kg, 183cm tall) at 300 watts. The Aero Lightning Socks made our bot approximately 12 seconds faster across an hour of riding on flat roads.
Questions or Comments?
Are you working on completing the Factory Tour Challenge? What do you think of the Lightning Socks as a reward? Share below!
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