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Buying And Owning A Treadmill

Stuart Middlecoate
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3
Buying And Owning A Treadmill

Buying And Owning A Treadmill

So you’ve made that decision that you want to buy a treadmill to improve your fitness (by running on Zwift, obviously) but don’t know what the best option is.

Read this guide to learn the dos and don’ts of purchasing a treadmill and how you can get the best out of your treadmill for years to come.

A Word About Price

For many, the main purchasing consideration will be around budget.  A treadmill isn’t cheap, and a quality one is even less so.  But consider it an investment in your health.  You can’t put a price on that. 

Look for interest free options, this helps spread the cost over a few years so instead of having to find a not so insignificant sum up front you can make it into more bite sized monthly payments. 

Key Considerations Before You Buy

Motor: Look for a treadmill with a good high-powered motor.  Be careful of manufacturers who mispresent the figures, though.  There are two ratings, HP and CHP, with HP being horsepower and CHP being continuous horsepower.  Often manufacturers will quote their peak HP as this is the biggest number.

Here’s how to compare peak HP to CHP.

You own two cars.  One is your little family car and the other is a sports car.  Both are capable of driving at 90mph.  However, 90mph is the top speed of your family car whilst the sports car can go to 150mph.

So if you drive both at 90mph all the time, which one is likely to fail first?  The family car that is being driven at its maximum all the time or the sports car which is working well below its maximum?

So always look for a treadmill motor that’s the best-rated in CHP.  The higher the CHP then the less strain on the motor and the better it will be at maintaining the belt speed more smoothly. 

3.0 CHP is a must for a motor, any less and you risk the belt having a jerky feel with every foot strike and it will be less likely that the belt speed will be close to what the treadmill is displaying.

Decks: Without a doubt, the most common point of failure on a treadmill is the running deck.  You are basically bouncing away at up to 180 steps per minute in the same spot.  This generates a lot of heat, and the culminative effect is a broken deck.  It’s common that you don’t know your deck is broken.  They tend to split and bow and become spongy underfoot.  If you are running regularly you don’t tend to notice this.  I once broke a deck after 6 minutes of running and have gone through 4 in 2 years with a non-NoblePro treadmill.

Most manufacturers don’t publish the specifications of their treadmill decks.  For those who don’t know, I run a minimum of 10k every day on my NoblePro, and the deck is neither bowed nor split after over 18 months of use.  So that should offer you some reassurance.

Customer Service: Before you buy, look at reviews for the manufacturers.  This will give you an idea of what support is like should you run into an issue.  There’s nothing worse than suffering a breakdown in the middle of training for that important event and then finding out it will take weeks to arrange a repair.  This is common with many manufacturers outsourcing repairs to a 3rd party repair company.  On top of that, often parts are not kept in stock, resulting in further delays.

Connectivity: One of the most common considerations when purchasing a treadmill is whether it connects to Zwift. 

The good news is that the range of smart treadmills is on the increase, and these can be directly connected to Zwift.  No messing about with footpods or other devices, and no need to keep batteries charged or do a calibration.  Just connect the treadmill as a speed and cadence source, and away you go.  You can also connect the built-in heart rate monitor, but it may be best to use your own so you have a constant reading without holding onto the handrails.

Ongoing Maintenance Tips

Lubrication: I’ve spoken above about decks and their failure.  This can be minimized by regular lubrication.  The constant heat along with the pounding up and down on the same spot is a killer for decks.  By using a 100% silicone oil lubricant, you can significantly reduce this friction and subsequent risk of damage.  You can never really over-lubricate, and each manufacturer will have their own guide, but I personally oil the deck every 150KM.  A 1-litre bottle of silicone oil is far cheaper and less hassle than replacing a deck.  Lift the deck edges with your hands and squirt the oil into the centre of the deck.  Set the treadmill on a low speed and walk around the belt to distribute the oil for 5 minutes. 

Do not use spray oils such as WD40 or GT85 as these are more water displacers rather than lubricants.

Sweat: Our sweat contains salt, which can be quite corrosive to treadmills, especially the metal parts.  Get into the habit of wiping down the treadmill using an anti-bacterial spray and cloth after use.  Not only is it hygienic but it’ll prevent rust and corrosion.  If you spill an energy drink on the treadmill during use, 100% clean it up, as these are lethal for treadmills owing to their contents which tend to be high in electrolytes.

Rollers: Each treadmill will have a front and rear roller.  At each end is a set of bearings.  These can be open for sweat to penetrate, which will lead to a squeaking noise before failure.  The rear roller can be accessed by removing the plastic housing at the end of each side.  The front roller is accessed by removing the hood at the front of the treadmill.  Use a little silicone oil around the bearings.  Careful of the bearing close to the motor belt, though, as if you drip silicone oil on the motor belt it will cause it to slip and the treadmill belt may not turn. 

Under The Hood: Get into the habit of taking the hood off and cleaning around the circuit board and motor.  This area can gather a lot of dust, which can cause failure of electrical components.  The motor belt will also shed pieces of rubber and excess lubrication can be flung into the area, so it’s well worth a periodic wipe-down. 

Wrapping It Up

Follow the tips above, and you should be able to find the perfect treadmill for your purposes… one that will last for many, many indoor miles.

Got other treadmill shopping or maintenance tips? Share below!

Tiny Race Series – December 7 Routes and Last Week’s Results

Eric Schlange
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0
Tiny Race Series – December 7 Routes and Last Week’s Results

Tiny Race Series – December 7 Routes and Last Week’s Results

See zwiftinsider.com/tiny for current Tiny Race details.

Zwift Racing League Week 5 Guide: Keith Hill After Party Points Race

Eric Schlange
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21
Zwift Racing League Week 5 Guide: Keith Hill After Party Points Race

The fifth race of Zwift Racing League 2024/25 Round 2 happens Tuesday, December 10, and we’ll be in London for our first-ever ZRL event on Keith Hill After Party. This is a course that’s quite flat… until it isn’t. So there’s much to discuss, including the challenging route, climbing bikes, and strategic options. Let’s go!

Looking at the Route: Keith Hill After Party

London’s Keith Hill After Party route has never been raced in ZRL, and with its big finishing climb, it’s definitely the Queen Stage of this round! All riders will be racing a single lap of the route for a total of 36.8km with 435m of climbing.

Let’s discuss the key parts of this route, beginning just after we blast out of the start pen:

Aero powerup at lap arch @0.6km, then rolling roads along the Thames.

Northumberland Avenue @3.6km (400 meters, 4-5% grade): when you turn a hard right away from the Thames, you’ll hit the first little climb of the race. Be ready to go hard for 30 seconds!

You’ll encounter rolling roads but no significant climbs or descents between Northumberland and The Mall Sprint Reverse. Just mind your pack position and ride smart.

The Mall Sprint Reverse @14.9 (FTS+FAL): The first points segment of the race is the flattish Mall Sprint Reverse, which is 200 meters long on a false flat of 1.1%. You’ll get a feather powerup at the arch.

After the sprint, you’ll retrace your path on the rolling roads of outer London and along the Thames, eventually returning to the lap arch, where you can get another aero powerup. Again, mind your pack position and ride smart. The test is just ahead.

Keith Hill KOM @32.5km (FTS+FAL): time for the big finish! Keith Hill is 4.3km long and averages 5%, and there’s around 800m of shallow climbing before the actual KOM segment begins. After the lead-in, Keith Hill breaks into four sections based on gradient:

  • 700m of climbing around 6.5%
  • 500m of flat/slightly downhill
  • 2.3km of steady climb around 7.5%
  • 600m of false flat to the banner

Read more about the Keith Hill After Party route >

FAL+FTS Reminder

Remember, FAL and FTS segment points as well as finishing points have changed this season for ZRL racers!

FAL points now go to the first 20 riders over the line (20-19-18…1 points, respectively). FTS points only go to the fastest 5 riders through the segment (10-8-6-4-2 points, respectively).

See the ZRL scoring page for more details >

PowerUp Notes

Riders will receive powerups at each arch: a feather powerup (1x) at The Mall Sprint arch and aero boost powerups at the lap arch (2x):

Aero Boost (helmet) at the lap arch: makes you more aerodynamic (reduces your CdA by 25%) for 15 seconds. Use at higher speeds (flats and descents), especially when no draft is available (although it is still useful when drafting.) Definitely needed if you’re going for points on The Mall Sprint Reverse segment.

Lightweight (feather) at The Mall sprint arch: reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds. Use on climbs, when weight matters the most. This will be very useful on the Keith Hill KOM, but you’ll need to choose whether you want to hold onto the feather or ditch it for an aero (see Strategy notes below…)

Bike Frame + Wheel Choice

There’s really just one consideration you’ll need to make when selecting a bike frame and wheelset for this race: will you be contesting The Mall Sprint Reverse for points?

If so, you’ll probably want to go with an all-arounder like the Pinarello Dogma F 2024 with ENVE 7.8 wheels or the Tron bike, because going with a pure climber will probably cost you a place or two. This will give you most of the aero advantage available, while still giving you decent climbing performance on the Keith Hill finish.

But if you aren’t contesting the sprint, a pure climbing setup is recommended.

(Side note: lots of folks like to use ZwifterBikes.web.app when choosing frame and wheels for a given course. I don’t know exactly how these course time estimates are computed, but here’s my one caution: in scratch and points races, the bike that turns in the fastest overall course time may not be the best bike for the course. This week’s race is a great example.)

The first 31km of the race are quite flat, which means the vast majority of the pack will arrive together at the base of the final climb. And it’s from the bottom of that climb to the end of the race that you’ll want a bike that gives you maximum advantage.

To get some hard numbers, I ran a few bot tests at 4 w/kg up the Keith Hill KOM segment. Here are the results, from worst to best:

  • Specialized S-Works Venge + DT Swiss Disc: 12:39.9
  • Tron: 12:37.2
  • Pinarello Dogma F 2024 + ENVE 7.8: 12:36.78
  • Pinarello Dogma F 2024 + Roval Alpinist: 12:35.18
  • Specialized Aethos + Roval Alpinist: 12:30.59

In the end, here is my top recommendation for this course:

Specialized Aethos + Roval Alpinist CLX

If you don’t have access to the Aethos and/or the Roval Alpinist or Lightweight Meilenstein wheels, check out Fastest Climbing Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level to figure out the best climbing setup you can use.

See Speed Tests: Tron Bike vs Top Performers (Scatter Plot) for more nerd-level detail on frame and wheel performance.

More Route Recons

Lots of recon events are scheduled on upcoming ZRL routes, led by various teams. See upcoming ZRL recons for this race at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon.

In the Drops

Recon notes >

John Rice

The Syco-List

Strategic Options

Points Distribution, Keith Hill After Party (1 Lap)

This chart shows the maximum points a team of 6 could earn in a race with 60 participants. You don’t see KOM FAL points because we’ve added them to the finishing points since that’s what they effectively are.

While this is technically a points race, awarding FAL at the finishing arch atop Keith Hill KOM means almost 75% of the points are effectively “first across the line” points at the finish, making this almost feel like a scratch race. Almost.

Here are some strategies we’ll see on Tuesday:

  • All-In For the Sprint: pure sprinters who don’t fancy their chances at a highly-placed finish on Keith Hill may go all-in with aero bike choice and a massive effort to grab points on The Mall Sprint Reverse.
  • Start Sag: while the pack will already be somewhat strung out by the time it hits the Keith Hill KOM start line, strong climbers may sag near the back so they can push hard during the segment and grab FTS points.
  • Aero Boosted Finish: strong climbers who are confident in their ability to hang with the front up Keith Hill might burn their feather powerup in order to grab an aero boost at the lap arch to use in the 600m false flat final sprint.
  • Survival Mode: many riders will just be sitting in the peloton and conserving for the first 31km, then giving their all for the highest placement possible atop Keith Hill.

Your Thoughts

Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!

FasCat Coaching Announces CoachCat + Zwift Training API Integration

Eric Schlange
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7
FasCat Coaching Announces CoachCat + Zwift Training API Integration

FasCat Coaching Announces CoachCat + Zwift Training API Integration

FasCat Coaching and Zwift recently announced a new level of integration via Zwift’s new Training API, making it easier than ever to execute the workouts found in FasCat’s CoachCat app directly in Zwift, while also automatically sending your Zwift activities back to CoachCat for processing.

Read about CoachCat + Zwift integration >

Manual Push… For Now

For now, CoachCat’s training calendar is not auto-syncing to Zwift. This is a temporary situation, much like when TriDot launched the first iteration of their Training API integration. FasCat tells me they’re shooting for auto-sync to be live by the end of the year.

This is worth mentioning up front since auto-sync is a big part of what makes these Training API integrations so handy. If I can just boot up Zwift and see my workout for the day, right on the homescreen, that’s a win. The fewer steps, the better.

So while your Zwift activities will automatically pop over to CoachCat once saved, allowing CoachCat to adapt your training based on what you just did in Zwift, getting your CoachCat workout into Zwift currently requires a simple button tap. I’ll cover that below, but first…

About FasCat Coaching

Frank Overton founded FasCat Coaching in 2002, and it’s been his full-time gig since 2004. A former pro-level cyclist, Frank was working with Andy Coggan and other sports scientists in 2003, back before Training Peaks or WKO existed. This group was looking for better ways to set optimal training targets and quantify training stress, and it was in this environment, while training for the Colorado State Time Trial, that Frank invented and formalized the concept of sweet spot training.

(He and this group of scientists would go on to create mainstays of cycling training like TSS, the Performance Management Chart, and normalized power. So if you’re looking for an impressive sports science palmarès, Frank’s got one.)

I sat down with Frank to learn more about his story, and what makes FasCat special. There’s a lot we could talk about here, but in the interest of keeping this post short, I’ll just say that Frank says people want three simple things from their coach:

  1. Tell me what to do
  2. Tell me if I’m improving
  3. Tell me what to do next

Frank and his team have been doing this for over 20 years, but things got really interesting when they built the AI-powered CoachCat app, which launched in March 2024. This app was trained on a proprietary data set made up of over 1 million hand-written power file analyses FasCat has performed over the years, as well as FasCat’s blog posts and YouTube videos. Because of this, Franks says, “CoachCat does what human coaches do, but faster, smarter, cheaper.”

Your CoachCat subscription gets you access to tons of training tools, including a library of training plans and workouts which can be easily customized using the natural-language text chat with CoachCat in the app. If you have questions or want to change an upcoming workout, just chat with CoachCat via the app:

If you are worried that the human touch is being lost with all this AI stuff, FasCat also seems to do a really good job of providing human interaction where needed. You can chat with a coach online via their website, anyone who creates an account also gets a 30-minute consultation with a real coach, and you can sign up for 1:1 coaching plans if you’d like.

Pricing and Signup

You can sign up for a 30-day free trial here, no credit card required. Ongoing subscriptions are $34.99/mo, discounted to $240 if paying annually. Or you can get access to the stripped-down “CoachCat Basic” plan for just $3.99/mo.

Connecting CoachCat + Zwift

All of your interaction with CoachCat is done via the CoachCat app (in Apple or Play stores). Install the app, create your account, then connect it to Zwift via Profile>Connected Devices:

Choosing Your Training Plan/Workout

Once you’re signed up and connected, you just need to get some workouts on your calendar! Tap “Library” to browse CoachCat’s huge list of training plans and workouts. You can have the app suggest a plan based on some minimal input from you. There are also two Zwift-specific plans on the list: “Zwift Training with Outdoor Rides” and “Zwift Racing Plan”.

Sending Workouts to Zwift

Once your calendar has some workouts on it, just tap a workout and tap “Send to Zwift” to send it over to your Zwift account:

Your workout will be available on your homescreen, and also under Workouts>Custom>CoachCat:

(Again, this manual step will be removed soon, so your scheduled workouts will automatically pop into Zwift each day.)

Complete List of Training API Partners

FasCat is just the latest service to be added to the list of Training API partners at Zwift. Here’s the complete list, which will be updated as new partners are added:

Questions or Comments?

Have you trained using FasCat’s CoachCat app? If so, what did you think? Share any related comments or questions below…

Zwift Spinback Unveiled: Celebrating Your Zwift Achievements

Eric Schlange
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32
Zwift Spinback Unveiled: Celebrating Your Zwift Achievements

Zwift Spinback Unveiled: Celebrating Your Zwift Achievements

Today, Zwift wrapped up their 10th anniversary celebrations by launching Spinback, a personalized email review that showcases Zwifters’ career achievements. Each Zwifter who has opted in to receive emails from Zwift will receive a message highlighting key statistics including:

  • Kilometers ridden
  • Meters climbed
  • Busiest day
  • Favorite route
  • Ride Ons received
  • Workouts/races completed
  • Number of badges earned
  • Pizza slices burned.

Every Zwifter is also be matched to one of four Spinback Profiles — Fitness Fiend, Speed Demon, Social Butterfly, or World Explorer — based on your activity history.

Big Zwift Stats

To coincide with Spinback, Zwift revealed some fun stats celebrating what the Zwift community has accomplished over 10 years:

  • 9,074,894,166 total kilometers ridden – equivalent to traveling to the moon and back 11,809 times. UK Zwifters have contributed to over 14% of that total distance alone, racking up 1,313,005,577km over the last decade, which equates to 1,707 return trips to the moon. 
  • 84,787,581,568 meters total elevation climbed – enough to summit Mount Everest 9.5 million times. Zwifters from UK have ascended the height of the world’s highest peak no less than 1,376,363 times (climbing 12,180,207,402m in total).
  • 564,406,976 pizza slices burned – enough energy to power the International Space Station for 237 years, with UK Zwifters being able to fuel it for 35 years alone (they have burned through 82,171,749 pizza slices).

Here’s an Insta post I made to share my Spinback stats:

Sources in Zwift tell me the Spinback idea may be used annually moving forward, to deliver a review of each Zwifter’s past year activities, much like Strava’s popular “Year in sport” summaries.

Questions or Comments

What is the most striking stats in your Spinback? And is the profile Zwift picked for you accurate, in your opinion? Share below!

Zwift Update Version 1.79 (136993) Released

Eric Schlange
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36
Zwift Update Version 1.79 (136993) Released

Zwift version 1.79 begins its phased rollout today. It’s a minor update as far as we can see from the release notes, but there is one interesting change related to FTP detection. Read more below!

“The Grade” FTP Detection Now Gamewide

The most interesting line in Zwift’s release notes is this: Improved FTP calculation that mirrors how FTP is determined when completing The Grade.

Since the early days, Zwift has used a simple algorithm to detect your FTP in the game based on your 20-minute power. That is, Zwift would look at your best 20-minute power average at the end of each activity, and if 95% of that number exceeded your current FTP setting, you would get an FTP increase popup – the most shared screen in all of Zwift!

Then Zwift released The Grade in June 2024, and with it a new way of detecting your FTP based on your average power and time on this particular KOM segment. Here’s more info, taken from my review of The Grade:

…Zwift looks at your average power and time up The Grade, then computes your FTP estimate based on those two figures. Zwift says they can do this with reasonable accuracy because they’ve analyzed the results of over 700,000 FTP tests on the platform and computed a curve which, when combined with an average power number and time value, lets them compute your FTP.

Basically, Zwift has built a lookup curve so any time you set a new power PB in the 8-60 minute range, they can look up that timespan on the curve to get a percentage factor. The game then multiplies your average power from that timespan by the percentage factor, and if it results in a higher FTP than your current setting, you’ll get the FTP increase popup.

Zwift isn’t revealing what this lookup curve looks like, exactly, but it’s not hard to figure it out with some test rides. Here’s our approximation of Zwift’s FTP lookup curve based on today’s tests (the actual curve is surely much smoother – ours is a bit lumpy since FTP increases in our in-game tests were rounded to the nearest whole watt):

Example: if you averaged 250 watts for 15 minutes, Zwift’s system would calculate your FTP as 250*.893=223 watts. If your current FTP setting was less than 223 watts you would get an FTP increase notice when ending your activity.

If this all feels too technical for you, the good news is you don’t need to know how it works. It’s automatic! What’s important for Zwifters is that the new FTP detection algorithm is more flexible than the old one, as it considers efforts from as little as 8 minutes all the way to 60 minutes in length. And this should result in a more accurate automatic FTP setting for more Zwifters, which can only be a good thing.

Note: as before, Zwift’s automated FTP detection will only ever increase your FTP, not decrease it.

To learn more about FTP, read How (And Why) to Take an FTP Test on Zwift >

Release Notes

Zwift provided notes on additional tweaks and bug fixes in this update:

  • Fixed an issue that could cause Zwifters riding with RoboPacers to have their Drops multipliers unexpectedly reset.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the edges of some gravel roads to end abruptly.
  • Fixed an issue where virtual shifting may not return to the default gear when switching between ERG and SIM modes during a workout.
  • Improved connection reliability for the Elite Sterzo Smart steering device.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause your avatar to not be centered in the Garage preview when selecting head gear, glasses, or customizing facial characteristics.
  • The elevation shown in the home screen is now more accurate for the routes Sleepless City in Makuri Islands and Wandering Flats in Watopia.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the Repack Rush progress bar to not reset after restarting the course.
  • Fixed an issue that could show an incorrect lap count when late-joining an event after the first lap had already been completed.
  • Fixed a crash that could potentially occur when joining an event via Zwift Companion.
  • Android
    • Fixed an issue that could result in missing ground textures at the top of the Temple KOM in Makuri Islands.
    • Fixed a crash that could occur when browsing the Garage.
  • iOS, Apple TV
    • Fixed an issue that could result in missing ground textures at the top of the Temple KOM in Makuri Islands.
    • Fixed a crash that could occur when browsing the Garage.

Discuss this update in Zwift’s forum >

Questions or Comments?

If you spotted any other changes or bugs in the update, please comment below!

“Power to the Portal” Route Details

Eric Schlange
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0
“Power to the Portal” Route Details

“Power to the Portal” Route Details

See zwiftinsider.com/route/power-to-the-portal/

Christmas Gift Ideas (and Cyber Monday Deals) for Zwifters

Eric Schlange
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4
Christmas Gift Ideas (and Cyber Monday Deals) for Zwifters

There’s nothing better than new Zwifty goodness under the Christmas tree, and there are piles of good deals right now on the things Zwifters love most.

Here’s a list of items I use and love daily on Zwift. Most are on sale currently! (Bonus: purchasing items through this page’s links helps support the Zwift Insider site.)

Small Pain Cave Upgrades

Affordable gadgets to improve your Zwift setup

WiFi Smart
Power Strip

Plugging your trainer and fan into this beauty lets you turn everything on from your phone. Simples!

Another
Fan

I’m a big fan fan. Because you can never have too many fans! Here’s why >

Adjustable
Riser Block

Neck hurting because your screen is too high? Want to raise your front wheel, but not sure how much? Quick fix here!

Sweat
Net

Sweat is corrosive. Protect that beautiful bike of yours with this affordable sweat net from Rock Bros.

Universal Phone
Adapter

Stick this guy on your phone case and voilà! – your phone can be attached to your Garmin mount, so the Companion app is nearby.

Garmin
Mount

If you buy the Universal Phone Adapter you’ll need a handlebar mount for it too. They come in loads of colors…

Play Controllers 50% Off

Take your Zwift experience to the next level with the Play controllers. Steering, virtual shifting with compatible trainers, easy access to Ride-Ons and powerups, and more. Currently just $49.99US!

Wireless Keyboard
with Touchpad

Zwifting from a PC? Get quick access to all of Zwift’s keyboard shortcuts with the compact, durable K400 keyboard from Logitech. Mine is still going strong after 8 years of sweat sessions!

Wearables

Look good, alone in your garage!

Heart Rate
Monitor

Get a chest strap from Polar, or this armband from Scosche!

Sweatband
Set

Keep the extra sweat out of your eyes AND rock the 80s look! An essential for “unhaired” men like myself…

Wireless Bluetooth
Earbuds

Chill tunes or podcasts for recovery rides. Up-tempo stuff for races. And of course, Discord. Serious Zwifters need serious earbuds, and I’ve used and love both the Apple Airpods Pro 2 and Jaybird Vista 2.

Bigger Pain Cave Upgrades

It’s time to level up!

Discounted Direct Drives

Still using a wheel-on trainer or an outdated direct drive trainer? There has literally never been a better time to upgrade to a new direct drive trainer, because prices have dropped crazy low while features are the best they’ve ever been.

Our top three recommendations right now are the Wahoo KICKR CORE Zwift One + Play bundle (a great deal with the Play Controllers thrown in), the JetBlack Victory (the new leader for price/performance, even if you have to pre-order for later delivery) and the Wahoo KICKR Move (Wahoo’s top trainer on sale for $999)!

Wahoo KICKR CORE Zwift One with Play Controllers
Jetblack Victory
WAHOO KICKR MOVE

Zwift Ride Smart Bike 20% Off!

Of course, the biggest news in indoor cycling hardware in the past year is the new Zwift Ride Smart Bike, thanks to its killer combination of features and affordability. If you’re tired of putting your bike on and off the trainer, or want a single setup you can share with your partner, this may be the solution for you. (The frame is also available as a standalone item.)

Use code cyclingride20 to get 20% off your Zwift Ride purchase.

JBL Bluetooth
Speaker

This speaker from JBL fits perfectly into your bike’s bottle cage and puts out impressive sound. Useful indoors and out, plus it’s waterproof (or better yet: sweatproof)!

Big TV
Screen

If you’re still Zwifting on an iPad or laptop, it’s time to upgrade. Big, beautiful TVs are more affordable than ever, including this 55″ beauty from Insignia for only $209. Pair it with Apple TV 4K (3rd Generation) and you’ve got a simple, solid Zwift setup.

Adjustable Indoor
Cycling Desk

This desk is similar to Wahoo’s offering, but 1/3 the price.

Rocker Plate

Rocker plates make your Zwift experience more comfortable and realistic. I’ve been loving the full-motion Velocity Rocker (read review), but there are plenty of others including KOM Cycling’s rocker on Amazon (read review).

Wahoo Headwind
Bluetooth Fan

There are fans and then there are FANS! The Headwind is smart, able to change speed based on your heart rate or speed.

Custom Indoor
Training Mat

Make your Zwift station your own with a sturdy, beautiful, custom mat from VeloMats. (Use discount code ZWIFTINSIDER for 10% off!)

Withings
Smart Scale

The Body from Withings is perfect for those pre-race weigh-ins, even if auto-updating is currently broken on Zwift (but here’s a hack to make it work.)

Training Aids

Because we all need a little help these days!

Sweat/Snot
Hand Towels

These are well-made, soft towels at a great price. We’ve used and washed ours many times and they’re still going strong!

Pro tip: buy a color you don’t already use at home so you don’t mix them up with other towels.

Caffeinated
Gum

Chew this before your ride; easier on the tummy than coffee!

Foam
Roller

Because the local masseuse isn’t always around when you need to roll out your legs!

PR
Lotion

I use this before every Zwift race or hard workout – because it works! (Currently 25% off, or use discount code ZWIFTINSIDER for 15% off.)

Decoration/Inspiration

A little something to cover that hole in the wall of your garage

Watopia Map
Poster

Easiest way to see where you’ve been and where you’re going! (Doesn’t yet include the just-released Jarvis Island, though.)

Suffer
Poster

Suffering has never felt so good! Inspirational!

“Take the Risk or Lose
the Chance” Poster

Attack, or sit in? Always attack.

Zwift Merch

Zwift’s online shop includes smart trainers and lots of apparel and accessories, and lots are on sale right now. (Unfortunately, lots of the good stuff is also sold out!) Here are a few favorites that I use regularly…

Core Bottle Set

Most cyclists have lots of bidons rattling around their cupboards… but it sure is nice to get a clean, matching pair.

Core Color Block Socks

If you don’t love new socks, are you even a cyclist? Zwift’s Core socks come in 4 colors, and the custom-dyed yarn woven with silver ions reduces odor while being moisture-wicking and breathable!

All About Zwift’s Baseline Wheels

Eric Schlange
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11
All About Zwift’s Baseline Wheels

All About Zwift’s Baseline Wheels

The new Zwift Camp: Baseline program includes three different unlocks as you progress through the workouts. The final unlock? A sparkly set of “Zwift Baseline Wheels”.

Here’s how Zwift describes them in the Drop Shop:

The Zwift Baseline Wheelset trims weight while maximizing the advantages of modern design, featuring variable rim depths in the front and rear for enhanced performance. Versatile and built for any terrain, this wheelset is your go-to choice for all-around riding.

The Baseline wheels in action

These wheels are rated 2 stars for aero and 3 for weight, indicating that their climbing performance would be decent (but not great) while their aero performance would be rather poor. But as with any new piece of Zwift equipment, we ran them through our normal tests to learn exactly how they perform.

Here’s everything you need to know about the performance of the new Zwift Baseline Wheels.

Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance

The Baseline’s aero performance precisely matches the Zwift 32mm Carbon wheels which we use as our baseline wheelset when comparing performance between different wheels. You read that right: the Zwift Baseline Wheels perform like baseline wheels.

This places them around the 13th percentile for aero performance. Ouch.

Their test time of 51:25 is precisely 60 seconds slower than the current fastest road wheels (DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT DISC) on our test course, which is two laps of Tempus Fugit totaling 34.6km.

Climb Performance

The Baseline’s climbing performance puts them just behind the Zipp 404’s, placing it around the 53rd percentile overall.

These wheels turn in an Alpe time of 49:25. The fastest overall climbers in game (Lightweight Meilensteins and Roval Alpinist CLX) complete the test 11 seconds faster.

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

Conclusions

The Zwift Baseline Wheels are a fun unlock for the fresh Zwift Camp: Baseline program, but their performance, like other Zwift-branded wheelsets in game, doesn’t stand out from the crowd. Use them if you like the look or want to show you’ve completed the training program, but don’t use them if you’re wanting top-tier race performance.

This wheelset will be added to the following posts, and it can also be found on our Master Zwift Wheels List:

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.

“Triple Twist” Route Details

Eric Schlange
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0
“Triple Twist” Route Details

“Triple Twist” Route Details

See zwiftinsider.com/route/triple-twist/

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