All About the New Zipp 303 XPLR SW Gravel Wheels in Zwift

Zipp has a long history of cool IRL wheelsets being brought into Zwift, but until the latest game update, there were no Zipp gravel wheels in game.

But that’s all changed: the Zipp 303 XPLR SW wheels have arrived, and with them, boosted gravel bike performance in Zwift dirt!

Here’s how these wheels are described in the Drop Shop: “Wide, aero, and unapologetically quick. The 303 XPLR SW pairs a broad rim profile with gravel-tuned efficiency to smooth chatter and hold speed where others stall. It feels planted in corners and eager when you hit the gas. Built for riders who don’t just survive gravel, they press it.”

The wheels are now available in the Drop Shop, accessible at level 35 and above, for 550,000 Drops. Notably, they are rated 3 stars for aero and 2 for weight, the only gravel wheelset in game with such a high rating, which should indicate that they’ll perform better than any other gravel wheels in Zwift. Since Zwift’s 4-star rating system isn’t precise enough for our taste, we ran these wheels through our standard battery of tests to determine exactly how they perform in Zwift and stack up against other gravel wheelsets.

It’s worth noting that when Zwift adjusted equipment performance approximately 1 year ago, they made all existing gravel wheelsets perform identically. Since that time, no new gravel wheels have been added to the game. But that all changes with Zwift’s latest release: these new wheels are the latest in gravel tech, and as such, they outperform gravel wheels in game that are several years old.

Let’s dive in and learn all about the performance of Zipp’s first gravel wheelset in Zwift!

Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance

Zipp’s 303 XPLR wheels are the most aero gravel wheelset in Zwift, turning in an hour flat test approximately 13 seconds faster than the other gravel wheels.

Climb Performance

The 303 XPLR wheels also outclimb all the other gravel wheelsets in game, but not by much: they beat the other wheelsets by just 1.5-2 seconds across an hour of climbing.

Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using the Zwift Gravel frame.

Jungle (Dirt) Performance

The aero advantage and slight climbing advantage shown in our pavement tests translate into improved performance for the Zipp 303 XPLR wheels in our Jungle Circuit test. While these wheels have the same Crr in dirt as Zwift’s other gravel wheels, they’re more aero and slightly lighter, resulting in a 15-second advantage across an hour of dirt riding.

Conclusions

The Zipp 303 XPLR SW are Zwift’s new top gravel wheels, so if you’re racing in the dirt, you’ll want to pick up a set.

Note, though, that there are rumors of fresh dirt roads coming to Zwift, and probably more gravel frames and wheels coming to the game shortly. It’s possible that even faster gravel wheels will be added to the Drop Shop soon, so unless you’ve got a dirt race coming up, you might wait a few weeks to make your purchase.

These wheels have been, or will soon be, added to the following posts:

• Master Zwift Wheels List (added)
• Zwift Shopping Guide: What To Buy from the Drop Shop at Each Level (added)
• Zwift Speed Tests Public Data (Google Sheet) (added)

Questions or comments?

Share 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.

All About the New Canyon Grail SLX Gravel Frame on Zwift

Zwift’s latest update includes a new gravel frame from Canyon. Simply named the “Canyon Grail SLX” in game, based on the colorway, it appears to be Zwift’s version of the Canyon Grail CF SLX 8:

On Zwift, you’ll need to be updated to game version 1.110+ to see this bike in the Drop Shop. You’ll also need to be at level 10+ with 800,000 Drops to buy it. Here’s how it’s described in the Drop Shop:

“Light, balanced, and built to move. Be it long days on mixed surfaces or quick rips on your local doubletrack, the Grail SLX is rapid where you want it and rugged when you need it.”

See our master list of all frames in Zwift >

It’s rated 2 stars for aero, 3 stars for weight, and before this week’s update, only one gravel bike had such a high rating (the Cervelo Aspero). One would expect this bike to perform well against existing in-game gravel bikes, but since Zwift’s 4-star system isn’t the most granular of performance measurements, we ran this frame through our precise tests to measure performance at nerd-level detail. Let’s dive in!

Note: test results below are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using Zwift’s stock gravel wheelset on the un-upgraded version of the frame.

Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance

Canyon’s Grail SLX turns in a strong performance on the flats, beating all existing gravel bikes on tarmac apart from the new Cannondale SuperX LAB71.

For comparison, the stock Zwift Gravel frame loses 145.4 seconds to our baseline Zwift Carbon frame across an hour of flat tarmac, while the (former) fastest gravel bike, the Cervelo Aspero, loses 115.2 seconds. The Grail SLX only loses 113.2 seconds.

Climb Performance

The Canyon Grail SLX is a strong climber compared to the game’s older gravel frames, essentially tying with the older Canyon Grail in the Drop Shop while coming just short of the Specialized Crux and even further short of the new Cannondale SuperX LAB71.

The stock Zwift Gravel frame loses 161.8 seconds to our baseline Zwift Carbon frame across an hour of Alpe du Zwift climbing, while the new Cannondale SuperX LAB71 loses 118.7 seconds. The Grail SLX loses 124.8 seconds, putting it in 4th place among the gravel frames in our climbing test.

Jungle Performance

Of course, nobody really cares about how well a gravel frame performs on pavement, which is where we do our aero and climb testing (above). While those flat and climb tests help us tease out a frame’s aerodynamic capabilities and weight, when it comes to gravel bikes, people really want to know how fast they are on Zwift’s virtual dirt!

In that regard, the Canyon Grail SLX turns in a strong performance, second only to the new Cannondale SuperX Lab71, losing just 1.3 seconds across an hour of Jungle Circuit riding to the SuperX.

Upgrading Your Canyon Grail SLX

Like all frames in Zwift, Canyon’s Grail SLX can be upgraded in five stages. As a high-end race bike, each of the five stages results in a performance improvement. The Canyon Grail SLX upgrade stages are as follows:

1. Ride 200km, pay 100,000 Drops for an aero upgrade
2. Ride 260km, pay 200,000 Drops for a weight reduction
3. Ride 320km, pay 350,000 Drops for a drivetrain efficiency improvement
4. Ride 380km, pay 500,000 Drops for an aero upgrade
5. Ride 440km, pay 750,000 Drops for a weight reduction

You can expect a fully-upgraded Canyon Grail SLX to be approximately 28 seconds faster on a flat hour and 36 seconds faster on an hour-long climb vs a “stock” (un-upgraded) Canyon Grail SLX.

Conclusions

Canyon’s new Grail SLX beats every gravel bike in Zwift, apart from the new Cannondale SuperX Lab71. But it’s also available at just level 10, vs level 28 for the SuperX… and it’s a big more affordable! That makes the new Grail a great choice for beginning Zwifters looking for a fast gravel setup.

With that said, it may make sense to wait before you purchase the new Grail on Zwift, because there are fresh dirt roads coming to Zwift, and more gravel frames and wheels will be added to the game shortly.

We’ll be adding this bike to the following posts soon:

• Speed Tests: Gravel, MTB, and Road Frames on Zwift Dirt
• Zwift Shopping Guide: What To Buy from the Drop Shop at Each Level (added)

Questions or comments?

What do you think of Canyon’s new Grail in Zwift? Share 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.

All About the New Princeton Carbonworks Alta 3532 Wheels in Zwift

Princeton Carbonworks arrived in Zwift last week, with three wheelsets released to the game: the Alta 3532, the Wake 6560 White, and the Mach TSV2/Blur Disc. Today, we’re looking at the Alta 3532 wheels, which are ultra-lightweight climbing wheels.

Here’s what the Drop Shop says about them: “Float up the climbs. Flow through the corners. A light-on-your-feet feeling with instant acceleration, effortless rhythm, and the kind of ride that makes every effort feel smoother.”

The wheels are now available in the Drop Shop, accessible at level 35 and above, for 685,000 Drops. They are rated 3 stars for aero and 4 for weight, so we expected them to climb quite well. But since Zwift’s 4-star rating system isn’t precise enough for our taste, we ran these wheels through our standard battery of tests to determine exactly how they perform in Zwift and stack up against other wheelsets in game.

Let’s dive in and learn all about the performance of this wheelset from Princeton Carbonworks…

Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance

Princeton’s Alta 3532 wheels deliver “midpack” aero performance, which isn’t surprising considering their profile.

They are 26.8 seconds faster across an hour of flat riding compared to our baseline 32mm wheels. This puts them effectively neck and neck with the Zipp 353 NSW wheels, the top climbing wheels in the game. For comparison, the most aero non-disc hoops in game (ENVE SES 8.9) put 46.7 seconds into the baseline wheels across an hour.

Climb Performance

When the road tilts upward steeply, the Alta 3532 really shine! They outclimb every other wheelset in the game, and by a significant margin.

Princeton’s Alta 3532 wheels gain 14.1 seconds over our baseline wheels in an hour of climbing, beating the current top climbers (Zipp 353 NSW and Lightweight Meilenstein) by 4.3 seconds.

Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using the Zwift Carbon frame.

Conclusions

The Alta 3532 wheels from Princeton are Zwift’s new top climbing wheels, edging out the handful of wheelsets which were effectively tied for the top spot.

Their aero performance is rather lackluster, though, so racers may want to look at one of the all-arounder wheelsets for all but the steepest and longest race climbs.

(Speaking of all-arounders, look for a post on Princeton’s new Wake 6560 wheels to drop soon. Their performance on the flats and climbs is second to none!)

These wheels have been, or will soon be, added to the following posts:

• Master Zwift Wheels List (added)
• Zwift Speed Tests: Wheel Ranking Charts
• Fastest Climbing Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level (added)
• Zwift Shopping Guide: What To Buy from the Drop Shop at Each Level (added)
• Zwift Speed Tests Public Data (Google Sheet) (added)

Questions or comments?

Share 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.

All About the New Cannondale SuperX LAB71 Gravel Frame on Zwift

Zwift’s latest update includes a new gravel frame from Cannondale, the company’s first gravel frame in game. Named the “Cannondale SuperX Lab71”, the frame in this colorway is currently only available as a standalone frameset from Cannondale:

On Zwift, you’ll need to be updated to game version 1.110+ to see this bike in the Drop Shop. You’ll also need to be at level 28+ with 1,000,000 Drops to buy it. Here’s how it’s described in the Drop Shop:

“Made to absolutely smash gravel races. Simple as that. This is full-gas road race performance engineered for the full thrash world of gravel. Elbows out, head down, get off the front and don’t look back. SuperX only has one destination – the top step.”

See our master list of all frames in Zwift >

It’s rated 2 stars for aero, 3 stars for weight, and before this week’s update, only one gravel bike (the Cervelo Aspero) had such high ratings. One would expect this bike to perform well against existing in-game gravel bikes, but since Zwift’s 4-star system isn’t the most granular of performance measurements, we ran this frame through our precise tests to measure performance at nerd-level detail. Let’s dive in!

Note: test results below are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using Zwift’s stock gravel wheelset on the un-upgraded version of the frame.

Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance

Cannondale’s SuperX Lab71 turns in a strong performance on the flats, beating all existing gravel bikes on tarmac. It’s even a bit faster than the new Canyon Grail SLX which was also released this week!

For comparison, the stock Zwift Gravel frame loses 145.4 seconds to our baseline Zwift Carbon frame across an hour of flat tarmac, while the (former) fastest gravel bike, the Cervelo Aspero, loses 115.2 seconds. The SuperX Lab71 only loses 112.4 seconds.

Climb Performance

The Cannondale SuperX Lab71 is a strong climber compared to the game’s older gravel frames, and also beats the new Canyon Grail SLX.

The stock Zwift Gravel frame loses 161.8 seconds to our baseline Zwift Carbon frame across an hour of Alpe du Zwift climbing, while the (former) fastest climbing gravel bike, the Specialized Crux, loses 122 seconds. The SuperX Lab71 only loses 118.7 seconds.

Jungle (Dirt) Performance

Of course, nobody really cares about how well a gravel frame performs on pavement, which is where we do our aero and climb testing (above). While those flat and climb tests help us tease out a frame’s aerodynamic capabilities and weight, when it comes to gravel bikes, people really want to know how fast they are on Zwift’s virtual dirt!

In that regard, the SuperX Lab71 performs quite nicely.

In fact, the Cannondale SuperX Lab71 is the new “king of the jungle” in our tests, putting 5.2 seconds into the previous leader, the Cervelo Aspero, across 1 hour of Jungle Circuit riding.

Upgrading Your Cannondale SuperX Lab71

Like all frames in Zwift, Cannondale’s SuperX Lab71 can be upgraded in five stages. As a high-end race bike, each of the five stages results in a performance improvement. The SuperX Lab71 upgrade stages are as follows:

1. Ride 200km, pay 100,000 Drops for an aero upgrade
2. Ride 260km, pay 200,000 Drops for a weight reduction
3. Ride 320km, pay 350,000 Drops for a drivetrain efficiency improvement
4. Ride 380km, pay 500,000 Drops for an aero upgrade
5. Ride 440km, pay 750,000 Drops for a weight reduction

You can expect a fully-upgraded Cannondale SuperX Lab71 to be approximately 28 seconds faster on a flat hour and 36 seconds faster on an hour-long climb vs the “stock” Cannondale SuperX Lab71.

Conclusions

Cannondale’s SuperX Lab71 beats every other gravel bike in Zwift, making it the new go-to frame for races involving a significant amount of dirt.

Where gravel riders formerly had to choose between the Cervelo Aspero (more aero) and the Specialized Crux (lighter weight), the SuperX Lab71 is king on flats and climbs, making the choice an easy one.

Should you rush to the Drop Shop and buy the SuperX today? Maybe. I might do it myself, because it looks pretty sweet. But with rumors of fresh dirt roads coming to Zwift, my guess is we’ll see more gravel frames and wheels added to the game shortly. So it may make sense to wait, if you don’t have a key gravel race coming up.

We’ll be adding this bike to the following posts soon:

• Speed Tests: Gravel, MTB, and Road Frames on Zwift Dirt
• Zwift Shopping Guide: What To Buy from the Drop Shop at Each Level (added)

Questions or comments?

What do you think of Cannondale’s first gravel frame in Zwift? Share 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.