Zwift’s July update included the latest version of Switzerland-based Scott’s Foil frame. Dubbed the “Scott Foil 2023” in Zwift, it’s based on Scott’s newest Foil RC, which Scott says is “the fastest road bike Scott has ever produced.”
Here’s how it’s described in the Drop Shop, where it is priced at 816,500 Drops and level-locked at 22+:
Aero, Lightweight or Comfort – choose three. Welcome to the next evolution of aero bikes with the all-new Foil RC. Designed to meet the demands of WorldTour sprinters, attackers and breakaway riders, this is the fastest road bike Scott has ever produced.
This frame is rated 3 stars for aero and 3 for weight. We ran it through our normal tests to learn exactly how it performs.
Here’s everything you need to know about the performance of the new Scott Foil 2023 frame in Zwift.
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
The updated Foil is a significant improvement over the older model on Zwift, cutting 6.5 seconds off its test time. A solid performance, placing it in the 83rd percentile along with the Giant Propel Advanced SL Disc and original Canyon Aeroad.
Its test time of 51:21.5 is 4.5 seconds slower than the current fastest road frames on our test course, which is two laps of Tempus Fugit totaling 34.6km.
Climb Performance
The new Foil’s climbing performance essentially matches that of the older Scott Foil in Zwift, coming in just a half second faster in our tests. This places it in the 46% percentile along with the Trek Madone.
The new Foil turns in an Alpe time of 49:12. The fastest overall climber in game (Specialized Aethos) completes the test 24 seconds faster.
Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using Zwift’s stock 32mm carbon wheelset.
Conclusions
The new Scott Foil delivers a sensible boost in aero performance over the older model, so if you’re a Foil lover IRL you’ll want to upgrade to the 2023. As a bonus, it’s got a really sweet paint job, even if there’s no way to change the color:
In the overall universe of Zwift frames, the Scott Foil 2023 isn’t a standout performer. If you’re a Scott fan looking for a fast Zwift race bike, go with the Scott Addict RC instead! It handily outperforms the Foil 2023 both on flats and climbs (which is a bit odd, since Scott says the new Foil is the “fastest road bike Scott has ever produced.”) In fact, the Addict RC is the best all-arounder in game, apart from the Tron bike.
The Scott Foil 2023 will be added to the following posts, and it can also be found on our Master Zwift Frames List:
Questions or Comments?
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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.
I still don’t understand how Zwift sets the performance of each bike – there just doesn’t seem to be any transparency in how it’s done which can only lead to suspicion.
I certainty wouldn’t be very comfortable as a bike manufacturer submitting a bike to Zwift – it could make a brand look bad.
Eric, any chance on getting Zwift to comment on how they come to their frame ratings?
There is an in game asset Czar that sets the value of the bike realistic or not according to how he would like to arrange his portfolio. If you comb the Zwift forums you can see where I have gotten into the terrible ranking system and he explained how he does what he wants, realistic or not. I fear product placement money keeps some higher on the list than. It could/should be, or vice versa.
if I was Scott releasing the fastest ever bike they’ve made and probably paying to get it into Zwift shortly after it goes public…yeah I’d be pissed that they assign it a middle of the road average joe that disagrees with the brands marketing (maybe white paper too?) claims.
Well the aforementioned employee has since been let go but I tracked it down for you. The topic is on the Chapter 2 Toa getting nerfed.
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Your passion for this issue is appreciated, I honestly wish all the 100+ bikes in the game had similar consistent and verifiable data, then my job would be a bit easier.�
?v=12 Sadly that’s not the situation and a single in-game bike cannot be tuned and balanced in a bubble.
**For me, the core issue is less about exact real-life performance values vs. the in-game values, and more about how do bikes get balanced across the portfolio of bikes offered in game and how does that balance impact key aspects of the experience and progression systems.
I completely understand that people are upset when things get nerfed. I play games, I invest time and effort to get things in games and am annoyed and frustrated when they change. However, this bike was out of balance across the in-game portfolio and this change corrected that error.**
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Maybe now with him gone, someone more qualified and that cares about the performance of the real bikes instead of their in game portfolio, can manage this?
That guy sounds like what is wrong with Zwift overall. He must have just been doing what he was told. Zwift seems so arrogant sometimes – they just do what they want, never listening to their paying customers.
This exactly!
It’s definitely about same as “pay for play” deals within radio, if you ask me.
There are manufacturers completely absent from Zwift, others who appear but only with now obsolete products, and others which are strangley over-represented relative to real world interest. This observation alone calls into question motivations behind an item’s appearance in Zwift.
Early days, it was probably Zwift approaching manufacturers asking if they could bring a product into Wattopia. Today, I expect manufacturers are still pursued but it’s now considered advertising — you pay for placement. However, the nuance of where your product falls in comparsion to a competitors is obviously a tempting and natural area for cash incentives.
Of course, if we had wide-scale standardised and independent testing, product performance ranking would probably be made outside of this virtualisation process. Without it, we’re stuck with what is essentially arbitrary game mechanics.
💯 frame characteristics seem to be semi-random nonsense, and you can’t trust that a given frame’s characteristics will remain constant over time, so you have no idea what you’re actually “buying”
I’d be interested in how some of the bikes compare at different rider weights to see whether the differences between bikes still stacked up in favour of one over another. Just picking an Arbitrary weight of say 85.4kg would be really interesting I’m certain to literally everyone.
We’ve done lots of testing at various weights. Basically, it doesn’t change frame performance… the most aero frame for a 50kg rider is the most aero from for a 100kg rider, too. Same with climbing frames.
You might like this post: https://zwiftinsider.com/rider-weight-speed/
Let’s just face it, Zwift just isn’t what it was. Attention to detail appears to be of no concern to them anymore. They really do seem to have taken their eye off the ball lately. This is surprising with so many new alternative training platforms emerging, you would think that they would want to stay way ahead of the crowd. I’ve been loyal to Zwift for 48 levels & will be there for the full 50, will it be Game Over after that?? Only the guys at Zwift HQ can determine that. Come on guys show us what you can really do!! See you on the Coco ride Eric. Ride on, Cheers Steve
Our only hope is that RGT makes some improvement to become a more competitive offering and that slaps Zwift back awake.
My thoughts are that Zwift should set the top performing IRL aero and climbing etc equal so that people will ride a variety of cool looking bikes. Perhaps have obscure bikes or custom bikes like the Lance Armstrong Butterfly bike be the things that are level locked super high. Like put the Lotus Track bike at Level 44 or something.
I like how they just rebranded the SRAM red shifters as Dura-Ace.
Probably thought, ugh, close enough, who will notice.