Your choice of virtual bike frame influences your Zwift speed significantly. And Zwift’s Drop Shop gives us access to a pile of bikes: over 125 if you include the Tron, TT, Gravel, and mountain bikes!
At Zwift Insider, we’ve tested every Zwift frame and wheelset using an accurate, repeatable procedure to determine how it performs in game.
Based on those speed tests, we’ve chosen the 10 best overall road bike frames in Zwift today. This isn’t just a stack rank of the most aero bikes in the game – we took into account how each frame performs across a variety of routes, and how they perform in their un-upgraded vs fully-upgraded states (read more about upgrades here).
Without further ado, let’s get to the list! Drumroll please…
The Best Road Bike Frames in Zwift
Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9
1,900,000 Drops, must be level 40+
The best climbing all-arounder in game, the SL9 manages to be both super aero and super light. It’s the “do everything” bike for Zwift road racing.
Why it’s a winner: top un-upgraded climbing frame coupled with very strong aero performance.
Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8
1,750,000 Drops, must be level 40+
The S-Works SL8 is only bested by the SL9 in all-around performance, even then, it’s not by much. (Only two bikes, the Aethos below and the Trek Emonda, clearly outclimb the S-Works SL8 when comparing fully-upgraded versions of the frames.)
Why it’s a winner: former top un-upgraded climbing frame coupled with very strong aero performance.
Cannondale SuperSix EVO LAB71 Team
1,750,000 Drops, must be level 40+
This frame does everything the non-team edition does, but better. It’s a bit more aero, it’s a bit lighter.
Why it’s a winner: strong all-arounder bested on the climbs by only the S-Works Tarmacs
Cannondale SuperSix Evo LAB71
1,750,000 Drops, must be level 40+
Coming in just a hair slower on the flats and a few seconds slower on the climbs than the S-Works Tarmacs, Cannondale’s top offering is ridden by the pros outdoors and many Zwifters indoors for good reason. It performs well, and looks sick!
Why it’s a winner: very strong all-around performance with a distinctive look.
Pinarello Dogma F 2024
1,750,000 Drops, must be level 40+
The 2024 version of Pinarello’s flagship race bike slightly outperforms the S-Works SL8 and SuperSix Evo LAB71 on the flats, but loses several seconds on the climbs. Still, it’s a strong “aero all-rounder” that deserves a spot on this list.
Why it’s a winner: most slippery of the top all-arounders, plus an eye-catching colorway if you finished all the Pinarello Powered races in September 2024.
Specialized Aethos S-Works
966,300 Drops, must be Level 30+
While not in the same aero performance league as the other bikes on this list, the S-Works Aethos earns its spot because it outclimbs every frame but the S-Works Tarmacs when not upgraded, and outclimbs every frame when fully upgraded. If you’re looking for a climbing weapon, this is it.
Why it’s a winner: best climbing bike in Zwift when fully upgraded.
Giant TCR Advanced SL 2025
1,100,000 Drops, must be Level 25+
The TCR Advanced SL from Giant is very comparable to the Aeroad 2024 (below). It just loses a bit on the flats, but performs a bit better on the climbs. It’s a strong all-arounder, but definitely on a second tier below the top all-arounder frames.
Why it’s a winner: strong all-arounder performance.
Canyon Aeroad CFR Alpecin Premier-Tech
1,750,000 Drops, must be Level 30+
This team edition improves just slightly on the Canyon Aeroad 2024, so it’s featured here. But if you’re a newer Zwifter looking for a fast bike, get the the Aeroad 2024 (available at level 10) and don’t look back.
Why it’s a winner: very strong aero performance
Zwift Concept 1 (Tron)
Cannot be purchased, must be unlocked
The Tron bike is popular because of its distinctive look and strong aero performance. In fact, it’s faster than any road frame and wheelset on flat ground (but only by a second or two over an hour!) Just keep in mind that it’s not the best climber, so if your race includes longer climbs, an all-arounder may be the better choice.
Why it’s a winner: distinctive look (including multicolored lights), chart-topping aero performance.
Cervelo S5
1,800,000 Drops, must be Level 40+
This is the most aero bike on Zwift, but it’s also the slowest climber on this list. If you want a weapon for flat road races, though, you’ve found it.
Why it’s a winner: most aero frame on Zwift
Halo Bikes
We didn’t include the new Halo Bikes in the list above, for two reasons:
- They don’t perform well on climbs, meaning they’re really only useful in flatter races
- These bikes require a lot of work to acquire – more than any of the standard road frames
You can learn more about Halo Bikes, including their speed test results, here.
Dig Deeper
Want to dig deeper into the precise speeds of various frames and wheels? Check out our ranking charts and public test data. You may also like our Concept Z1 (Tron) Bike vs Top Performers chart which compares precise times of top frames and wheelsets with the Tron bike.
Share Your Thoughts
We hope all you riders/racers found this post useful. Think there’s a frame we should have included in the top 10 but didn’t? Got other 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.
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