How Fast Are Zwift’s Newest Bike Frames?

May 1, 2020

LAST UPDATED May 10, 2020

Zwift added two new frames at the end of March (the Parlee RZ7 and Pinarello Dogma F12). And their latest update adds two more: the Factor One and Ridley Noah Fast 2019. All of these frames are rated 3 stars for weight and aero – the same ratings given to those frames which made it onto our “fastest frames” list.

So how fast are these new frames, really? There’s only one way to find out: by testing!

We ran each frame through our standard tests: two laps of the flat Tempus Fugit route, giving us ~50 minutes of flat. And one time up Alpe du Zwift, giving us ~50 minutes of pretty steady climbing. All tests are run using our “standard” setup: Zwift 32mm carbon wheels, a 75 kg rider, at 300 watts steady.

Flat Performance

Here are the raw performance numbers on our flat tests, as well as a percentile ranking showing how the frame lines up with all other “standard” frames available on Zwift. (A “standard” frame is a normal road racing frame – not a TT, MTB, or cross/gravel frame.) A lower number of seconds is better, a higher percentile is better.

Pinarello Dogma F12: 3083 seconds, 85th percentile
Factor One: 3084 seconds, 81st percentile
Ridley Noah Fast 2019: 3085 seconds, 75th percentile
Parlee RZ7: 3087 seconds, 69th percentile

Climb Performance

Here are the raw performance numbers on our climb tests, as well as a percentile ranking.

Pinarello Dogma F12: 2950 seconds, 63rd percentile
Parlee RZ7: 2962 seconds, 35th percentile
Ridley Noah Fast 2019: 2966 seconds, 25th percentile
Factor One: 2967 seconds, 21st percentile

Solid Beginner Options

The Ridley and Factor frames are both quite affordable, and have very low level locks:

Ridley Noah Fast 2019: 426,000 Drops, level 9 required
Factor One: 426,000 Drops, level 8 required

Comparing them to other frames available for beginning Zwifters, they actually rank quite high in performance! So we’ve added them to our “Fastest Frames and Wheels for Level 15 and Below” list. The Factor is ranked at #2, the Ridley at #3. We’ve also highlighted both frames in our Zwift Shopping Guide: What To Buy At Each Level.

Dogma F12: a Solid All-Arounder

It’s also worth mentioning that the Pinarello Dogma F12 is a solid choice in terms of all-around performance. Looking at our combined percentile ranking chart, we can see the F12 is ranked 6th overall when we combine the climbing and flat performance performance rankings of all frames.

It’s quite fast in terms of aero performance, too: If we were to expand our “fastest frames” list to include just one more frame, this would be it, at the bottom of the list. So this is a solid choice if you’re looking for a good aero bike that climbs decently well.

Conclusion

None of these frames made it into our “short lists” for fastest aero frames and fastest climbing frames, but if you’re a beginning Zwifter or someone with a taste for Italian who is looking for a solid all-around performer, there are some good options in Zwift’s latest additions.

To see how the performance of these frames compares to other bikes in Zwift, check out our Frame Ranking Charts.