All About the New Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate Disc Wheelset in Zwift

This week’s game update includes two new wheelsets from Swiss Side, long-term collaborators with DT Swiss, whose in-game wheels are familiar to any Zwift racer since they’re fast! Swiss Side helps optimize the aerodynamics of DT Swiss’ high-end wheel lines, while DT Swiss provides manufacturing capabilities and hubs for Swiss Side.

Swiss Side has also partnered with Van Rysel to optimize the aerodynamics of their bike frames, so it’s no coincidence these new wheels dropped at the same time as three new Van Rysel frames arrived in Zwift’s Drop Shop.

Here’s how the Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate Disc wheelset is described in the Drop Shop: “Maximum aero, no distractions. The 850 front and rear disc are designed for pure efficiency, minimizing drag and stabilizing airflow at race speed. Developed with Swiss precision and real-world testing, this setup is all about sustained power and straight-line speed.”

The wheels are now available in the Drop Shop, accessible at level 39 and above, for 900,000 Drops. They are rated 4 stars for aero and 1 for weight, just like other top disc wheelsets. But how do they compare? Since Zwift’s 4-star rating system isn’t precise enough for our tastes, we ran these wheels through our standard battery of tests to determine exactly how they perform in Zwift and stack up against other wheelsets.

Let’s dive in and learn all about the in-game performance of Swiss Side’s first disc wheelset in Zwift!

Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance

Swiss Side’s HADRON Ultimate Disc wheelset matches the DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 85/Disc in terms of performance. And this makes sense, since they’re the same wheelset IRL, with different branding. Because of that, their weight and CdA settings in Zwift are identical to the DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 85/Disc.

The DT Swiss disc is the fastest disc wheelset in Zwift, which means the new Swiss Side disc is also the fastest wheelset in game! Both wheelsets outpace our stock 32mm carbon wheelset on the flats by ~69 seconds across an hour on a TT bike, and ~50 seconds on a road bike.

Climb Performance

The Swiss Side disc matches the DT Swiss disc on our climb tests as well, although of course, disc wheels don’t exactly shine on climbing tests due to their high weight!

Both wheelsets lose ~20 seconds per hour of climbing compared to the stock 32mm carbon hoops, whether you’re on a TT frame or road frame.

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

Conclusions

Swiss Side’s HADRON Ultimate Disc is now tied with the DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 85/Disc as the top disc wheelset in Zwift. But reflecting real-world pricing and the cachet of the DT Swiss brand, the Swiss Side disc costs 100,000 Drops less, and is unlocked one level earlier!

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

• Master Zwift Wheels List (added)
• Fastest Aero Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level
• The Top 10 Wheelsets in Zwift
• Zwift Speed Tests: Wheel Ranking Charts
• 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!