All About Zwift’s New Reserve 25 GR and CADEX AR 35 Gravel Wheelsets

Zwift’s March 2022 game update included two new gravel wheelsets, making a total of five gravel wheelsets available. This month’s new gravel wheels are:

• Reserve 25 GT (11,400 Drops, no level requirement, rated 3 for aero, 1 for weight)
• CADEX AR 35 (21,300 Drops, no level requirement, rated 3 for aero, 1 for weight)

Let’s look at how these wheels perform in game…

Speed Test Results

Both wheelsets perform identically in our tests, and their times match last month’s new wheelsets (the ENVE G23 and Roval Terra CLX). To put it simply: these two new gravel wheelsets precisely match the performance of last month’s wheelsets. So none of the new gravel wheelsets offers any advantage over the other, but they are significantly faster than the stock Zwift Gravel wheels on dirt thanks to their lower Crr (see below). Jungle Circuit times using Zwift Gravel frame:

• Reserve 25 GR wheels: 13:56
• CADEX AR 35 wheels: 13:56
• Zwift Gravel wheels: 14:15

So the dirt is where these wheels really shine. Pair them with a faster gravel bike like the Canyon Grail and you’ve got a rig that’s a few seconds faster than any mountain bike on a lap of the Jungle Circuit.

In our tests on flat pavement they essentially matched the existing Zwift Gravel wheelset (just 1/2 second faster over 50 minutes). And on the Alpe du Zwift climb test they were just 2-3 seconds faster than the Zwift Gravel wheels.

So on pavement, these wheels don’t offer any substantial performance advantage. But on dirt, it’s another story!

Custom Dirt Crr

Like last month’s new ENVE G23 and Roval Terra CLX wheels, the Reserve 25 GR and CADEX AR 35 have a lower rolling resistance on dirt than the stock Zwift Gravel wheels.

The Zwift Mountain wheels have a Crr of .014 in dirt, while the Zwift Gravel wheels have a dirt Crr of .018. These new gravel wheelsets have a dirt Crr of .016. And this makes them much faster than the stock Zwift Gravel wheels on dirt.

Based on our calculations, the difference between a Crr of .018 and .016 works out to a watt savings of around 15W if you’re a 75kg rider traveling at 40kph. Heavier riders or higher speeds could increase that power savings to ~25W.

High Availability

These new gravel wheelsets have no level requirement, and they’re very affordable. Zwift is clearly saying, “We want all Zwifters to have access to these wheels.” But we’re not entirely sure why, because Zwift’s biggest upcoming gravel event (Tour of Watopia stage 4) will supposedly be placing everyone on the stock Zwift Gravel frame and wheels.

Zwift could make it much more interesting by letting riders pick their wheels for this stage. We aren’t sure why that’s not happening. But clearly Zwift is putting more emphasis on gravel these days, which makes sense given its huge popularity, especially in the USA.

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