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
#1: 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.
#2: 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: best aero-focused all-arounders.
#3: DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 85/Disc
1,000,000 Drops, must be Level 40+
Currently the fastest wheels on Zwift, on road bikes this wheelset outperforms the Zipp 858/Disc disc (below) on the flats by ~4 seconds while essentially matching it on the climbs. These wheels are ~6.3 seconds faster than the most aero non-disc wheels on road bikes, so if you’re doing a flat race, the disc wheel is still your best option.
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).
#4: 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.
#5: 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.
#6: ENVE SES 7.8
550,000 Drops, must be level 36+
Part of the “old generation” of all-arounder wheels at this point, the ENVE 7.8 trades seconds with the Zipp 454 below, gaining around 11s on the flat, but losing around 9s on the climbs. Where do you want your advantage? How much climbing does your race entail?
Why they’re winners: strong aero all-arounders.
#7: 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.
#8: Zipp 353 NSW
600,000 Drops, must be level 24+
Formerly tied with the Lightweight Meilensteins as the best climbing wheels on Zwift (while hugely outperforming them on the flats), the 353 NSW have been bested by the Alta 3532, which outclimbs it by 4-5 seconds while essentially keeping up on the flats.
Why they’re winners: strong climbers.
#9: ENVE SES 8.9
550,000 Drops, must be level 28+
Basically tied with the DT Swiss 65 as the most aero non-disc wheels on Zwift, the ENVE 8.9 lose to the new generation of wheels by being too heavy. Still, they’re quite fast, and look super aero cool as the deepest-dish non-disc wheels on Zwift.
Why they’re winners: strong aero non-disc wheels.
#10: Zipp 858/Super9
750,000 Drops, must be Level 37+
The second-fastest wheels on Zwift, matching the DT Swiss disc above on the climbs while losing a few seconds on the flats.
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: second-most aero wheels in Zwift (and extra fast in a time trial).
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.
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