This week’s Zwift release includes a minor configuration fix for the new Shimano DURA-ACE C36 wheelset. The C36 wheels replace the C40 wheels in the Drop Shop, which means if you already own the C40 wheels they will remain in your garage, but once you update to Zwift version 1.101+, you will not be able to purchase the C40 wheels. Which should be fine with everyone, since the C36 is a better wheelset at a better price!
Here’s what the Drop Shop says about them: “With both a lighter, wider all-carbon rim and a lighter hub, the new DURA-ACE C36 won’t shy away from a day of climbing. The new rim is 36 mm deep and still delivers a good aerodynamic efficiency despite its gossamer weight. Meanwhile the hub features an alloy freehub body and new engagement mechanism for increased rigidity.”
The wheels are now available in the Drop Shop, accessible at level 6 and above, for the low price of 150,000 Drops. They are rated 3 stars for aero and 4 for weight, which is impressive given their price and low level requirement. 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 new wheelset from Shimano…
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
Shimano’s DURA-ACE C36 wheels are on the lower end of aero performance in Zwift, although they are significantly faster than the D40 wheels they replace. While the D40 shows a 9.8-second gain over the baseline in a 1-hour flat ride, the C36 shows a 16-second gain.
As an affordable level 6 unlock, the C36 would be expected to perform in line with other lower-level unlocks. It squares up nicely against other low-level unlock wheels, performing better than all wheelsets at level 9 and below, except the Mavic Cosmic CXR60c which does very poorly on climbs.
Climb Performance
The climbs are where this wheelset really shines. It turns in the 6th-best time of any wheelset in Zwift, which doesn’t sound impressive until you remember it’s a level 6 unlock at only 150,000 Drops!
Shimano’s DURA-ACE C36 wheels put in an Alpe climb just 1.2 seconds behind the Zipp 454 wheels, less than 2.5 seconds behind the fastest wheels in the game across an hour of steep climbing. Very impressive performance for a level 6 wheelset!
Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using the Zwift Carbon frame.
Conclusions
While the new DURA-ACE C36 wheels from Shimano aren’t the top performers in Zwift, they are the best all-arounder or climbing-focused wheelset below level 18. In fact, I’d say they are actually the best climbing wheelset below level 24! Definitely a wheelset Zwift racers will want to check out early in their racing progression.
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
- Fastest Aero Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level
- Zwift Shopping Guide: What To Buy from the Drop Shop at Each Level
- 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.
I used to love my old Dura Ace CL24s.
So light it was amazing. For the time anyway. 😁 😁
Maybe I missed the explanation somewhere, but why do you measure performance impact in time and not weight or cda? It should be easy enough using various performance calculators to back out the implied weight or CDA difference between two pieces of equipment.
Also, you always use the same size rider. IRL we know that saving 100g of weight is more impactful for a 60kg rider than a 90kg rider. But does a wheel upgrade on zwift have different utility for each of these riders, or does zwift ignore physics and realism and come up with some other rule for how it affects speed?
As context, when I use performance calculators on my alpe du zwift performances, I discover that my times only make sense if my zwift bike (upgraded aethos) weighs literally 0kg and/or the surface is glass and/or I’m in a world class TT position. So I have a hard time believing that the equipment has a weight that is remotely close to reality. I would like to know the truth.
Would be cool if your google sheet data had the raw alpe du zwift times instead of the avg speed. Is the test course exactly the Strava alpe segment?