Your choice of virtual wheelset significantly affects your Zwift speed, just as it does outside. And Zwift’s Drop Shop gives us access to lots of wheelsets: 60 if you include the Gravel and MTB wheels.
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 wheelsets in Zwift today. This isn’t just a stack rank of the most aero wheels in the game – we took into account how each set performs across a variety of routes.
Without further ado, let’s get to the list! Drumroll please…
The Best Wheelsets in Zwift
Princeton Carbonworks Wake 6560
685,000 Drops, must be level 32+
This wheelset is the best on Zwift if you rank all the wheels in terms of combined time saved – that is, how much time is saved over a baseline wheelset across an hour of flat riding and an hour of climbing. If you struggle on climbs in races (and that’s most of us), these are the wheels for you.
Why they’re winners: best climb-focused all-arounders.
Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 650
550,000 Drops, must be level 28+
Just a bit lighter than the DT Swiss 65’s, these hoops are also a bit cheaper and available 1 level sooner. What’s not to love?
Why they’re winners: best aero-focused all-arounders.
DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 65
650,000 Drops, must be level 29+
This wheelset is second-best when ranked by combined time saved. The DICUT 65 basically match the ENVE 8.9 as the most aero non-disc wheels, while handily outclimbing them. Great wheels for races with short, fast climbs, because they won’t slow you down at high speeds, and they’re light enough not to weigh you down significantly on short climbs.
Why they’re winners: strong aero-focused all-arounders.
HADRON Ultimate 850/Disc and DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 85/Disc
900,000 Drops, must be Level 39+ or 1,000,000 Drops, must be Level 40+
Currently the fastest wheels on Zwift, these wheelsets perform identically. They’re a bit heavy, so you wouldn’t want to use them on a race that involves much climbing. But if you’re on a flat course, these will get you to the finish line faster than anything else.
Note: disc wheels perform more strongly on TT frames than road frames, which means that, if this list was purely for TT racers, we would move these wheels up in the list. But as the vast majority of races on Zwift are road races, these wheels move down the list due to their poor performance on climbs and muted performance on road frames.
Why they’re winners: most aero wheels available (and extra fast in a time trial).
Princeton Carbonworks Alta 3532
685,000 Drops, must be Level 35+
From the fastest wheels on the flats (above), we go to the fastest wheels on a climb! The new Alta 3532 from Princeton Carbonworks is the top climbing wheelset on Zwift, beating the Wake 6560 by 1.8 seconds on an hour of Alpe climbing. I wouldn’t use these on most races, but if you’re heading up the Alpe or Ventoux, these are the hoops for you.
Why they’re winners: top climbing wheels.
Miche Deva RD 62
650,000 Drops, must be level 29+
These wheels deliver a strong performance that’s balanced nicely between speed on the flats and speed in the hills.
Why they’re winners: strong, balanced all-arounders.
ENVE SES 4.5 PRO
675,000 Drops, must be level 29+
The first wheelset in Zwift to be rated 4 stars both for aero performance and weight, these are based on the wheels Tadej Pogačar and the UAE Team Emirates XRG team race. They are basically runner-up to the Princeton Carbonworks Wake 6560 when looking at strong climb-focused all-arounders.
Why they’re winners: strong climb-focused all-arounders.
Roval Rapide Sprint CLX
650,000 Drops, must be level 29+
Another nicely balanced wheelset, these come in just a bit behind the Miche Deva RD 62 both on flats and climbs.
Why they’re winners: nicely balanced all-arounders.
Reserve 57/64
550,000 Drops, must be level 29+
Another nicely balanced all arounder wheelset.
Why they’re winners: strong balanced all-arounders.
Zipp 454
600,000 Drops, must be level 30+
The Zipp 454 used to be the top climb-focused all-arounders in Zwift, but now they’re part of the old generation, superseded by wheels like the Wake 6560 and ENVE 4.5 Pro.
Why they’re winners: strong climb-focused all-arounders.
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 wheelset 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.
Considering the difficulty in getting g them it’s high time that the Lightweight Meilensteins were either given an upgrade or replaced with a newer model
the wakes are undeniably fast, but they would be even better if there was a more symmetric graphics option, as the white decals make the rear wheel look tacoed from the 3rd person perspective.
Since the Lava Red Wake-wheels are being given away now in the Breakthrough Workouts, you could later let them take the place of the Meilensteins in the spinner on the top of the Alpe, to again make it worth it to grind for wheels on the Alpe 🙂 – aand to help all the newcomers forward on.
Hi Eric, thanks as always … question : is the performance from the PCW 6560 red (after the latest update) now 100% equal with the PCW 6560 white ?
The pcw 6560 red were listed as 4 stars aero and 3 stars weight before update just got it now they are 4 stars for both like the white ones
So if you’re after the best (1) all-arounders, (2) climbers, and (3) aero/flats/TT, the 3 wheelsets you want are the PCW Wake 6560 (white or lava), the PCW Alta 3532, and the DT Swiss 85/Disc, respectively, right? As kind of a newbie on Zwift with somewhat limited drops to spend (6M thanks to Stoneway), is there any reason I should consider any of the others on this top 10 list? At some point I’ll probably pick up a gravel wheelset, also. Note: I did get the lava 6560s from the Breakthrough event, so I’ve got a good start without having to spend any drops!
The only other wheel I use for racing is DT Swiss DICUT 65’s, though with the 6560’s I will use them less than I previously did. The 3532’s aren’t worth getting in my opinion. If just riding, are you concerned about saving 1.8 seconds on a pure climb? From a racing standpoint, no race I have participated in involves 100% climb, so definitely not worth it.
Good point, lol. Thanks for the response!
Will the Tron/Top Performers scatterplot post be receiving an update soon? Would be nice to see the other Halo bikes on there as well.
Yeah, that’s the plan! Lots of stuff to update around here… 😅
The 6560 in both colors?
Yup!
Have the red Princeton wheels had their performance corrected yet, or are they still slower due to the coding issue whatever is is?
This week’s update fixed their performance.
Nice, cheers for confirming 👍
Thank you for the GREAT job you do helping the rest of us understand Zwift. I especially like your speed test postings. I have 2 questions. Q1: It is easy to see which frames are fastest on pure Flat or pure Climbing routes. How do you decide WHEN to switch from Flat to All-‘Rounder, and from All-‘Rounder to Climbing setups? Q2: I’m not sure I grasp your concept of seconds saved over 1 hr. I understand time gap; we see that at races IRL. The leader board shows intermediate results with time gap behind the leader, based on times at a certain point, usually a timing strip on the course. For your purposes, where is the timing strip? Is it the 1hr distance of the fastest bike, 1 hr distance of the reference bike, or something else? Thanks.
So am I correct in thinking that the Lightweight Meilensteins are still the best all round wheel if you are fortunate to have gained a pair .I can’t seem to find their performance ranked against the top ten or featured in the league table.Apologies if if I’ve missed something.
Definitely not the best all around. Princeton 6560 would be that, I’d say… at the top of this list.
Definitely will be in the garage tomorrow then!!🙆♂️😂