Zwift released a significant update today which includes new bikes in the Drop Shop, more training plans, a new world (Crit City), added achievement badges, and more.
The update is currently available on PC, Mac, and Android. (Like most updates, because of how Apple approves releases, Zwift can’t say when it will arrive on iOS or AppleTV. It should be any day now!)
Here’s what else we know…
New Dirt Bikes
More bikes in the Drop Shop is always exciting! With Zwift increasing the rolling resistance of dirt in recent updates, we knew they would be coming out with some dirt-specific bikes soon. And that’s exactly what they’ve done!
We have four new Gravel/Cross bikes:
Canyon Inflite Cervelo Aspero Canyon Grail Zwift Gravel
All four bikes come with one wheelset, called “Zwift Gravel”, which cannot be swapped out. This wheelset has its own rolling resistance numbers for each type of road surface in Zwift–our testing will determine those numbers and help you decide which bike is best for you.
The update also includes three new mountain bikes:
Canyon Lux Scott Spark RC Specialized Epic S-Works
These all use the same “Zwift Mountain” wheel that the Zwift Mountain Bike uses–and the wheel cannot be swapped out at this time.
We’re testing these bikes to see how they perform. Watch this space!
Zwift Mountain Bike Tweaks
The Zwift Mountain bike was also updated in this release: it’s been taken from 3 stars for aero to 1 star, and the Zwift Mountain wheelset went from 3/4 stars to 1/1. It’s also showed up in everyone’s garage, so you don’t have to perform well on Repack Ridge to unlock it anymore!
More Route Achievement Badges
Route achievement badges were added in the Oct 1 update, but only 25 of Zwift’s routes got badges. Now they’ve added badges for all open routes, bringing the grand total to 67!
Runners also have achievement badges for each of the dedicated running routes (as well as all the mixed-use routes):
These badges are perfect carrots to get Zwifters exploring new routes and on Zwift more often. Hip hip hurray!
New Training Plans
Three new dirt-focused Flexible Training Plans have been added.
- Pebble Pounder: gear up and get read for an all-road adventure
Beginner level, 5-6 weeks, 4 hours/week - Gravel Grinder: dominate the dirt roads and prepare for any adventure.
Intermediate level, 7-12 weeks, 5 hours/week
This plan was already in game, but we listed it here to show how it fits with the other dirt plans. - Dirt Destroyer: build massive pedal torque to crush it offroad.
Intermediate level, 4-6 weeks, 6 hours/week
Crit City Course
This new map has been teased out by Zwift in the past week, and it’s officially live now. But since it’s an event-only map, you can only ride it by joining an event held in Crit City!
My guess is we’ll see events there beginning in the next day or two. We’ll just have to be patient until then…
New Mission(s)
The December mission(s) have something for runners and riders. Read all the details here >
And More
Additional changes in this update include:
- BETA ANT+ Heartrate strap support on Android (more device support to come in next update)
- Fixed pedaling animation bug when riders were warming up in an event paddock
- Female riders see female leaderboards first now
- Fixed bug where event distance estimations were wrong (note: reports from users are saying distance bugs are still present)
- Hammer H3 spin down support over ANT+ added
- Neo 2T road feel fixed over ANT+
- Is it just us, or is the sloth more animated now?
Note: several hours after the update to version 1.0.43645 rolled out, another one dropped which takes us to 1.043784. Presumably, this fixed a bug that popped up in the first release.
Up Next
Jon included this in the release notes:
As for hints of what is coming in the very near future – our new menu system is coming along nicely and should hopefully make its first appearance on Apple TV next month, and later make its way to all versions of Zwift. A little something is coming for runners soon too, and we’ve also been playing with some new ways to steer bikes within Zwift. Stay tuned.
You can now choose a gravel bike though.
When you think you’re done it ….. keep going a bit further
News bikes is always a win.
It will be interesting to see how fast the new mountain bikes are on the tarmac stretches as well as gravel, and how they compare to the new gravel bikes.
Yeah, more route badges – completed the last lot and now have a lot more to do. Still would like to see a secret carrot when you get them all
Too bad the Surrey Hills route is still bugged… Painful and disappointing 32miles!
Seems like they almost exactly copied the list of routes from the veloviewer zwift challenge thing. A couple routes are included in both forward and reverse direction, seems to be the same ones in both: knicker bocker, figure 8.
Well, there’s only one list of routes.
Our Veloviewer list shows all the free-ridable routes… and that’s the same list as the badges!
Yes more route badges!!!!!
I did the gravel grinder training plan last winter, was it revised and updated or is this the same one?
I know some of the plans were revised/updated in this update. Not sure if Gravel Grinder is one of those.
This update is ridiculously slow, I’ve been waiting for hours for it to download and apply. Guess zwift isn’t a fan of me riding today. Tried to use the android app, erg mode wouldn’t work.
Also just found new Zwift bikes in my garage, not the drop shop. Zwift steel and the Zwift mountain bike were both added. I never was able to unlock the MTB on repack ridge so did they give it to everyone?
Zwift Steel you’ve probably had for a long time. But the MTB was given to everyone with this update.
I just managed to get all the (old) route badges this week, so I’m fine with some new targets
Gotta catch’em all 
Did it today with no problems. (iPad). Got the badge on top of fox hill.
When will it appear on iOS and Apple TV. Do we know?
Do we know if this on iOS and apple tv soon
Any day now!
They changed how power ups work: if you go through an arch with a power up already the power up gets converted to xp and you lose the power up. Perhaps they did it in an earlier update and I just noticed?
Woah, really? That would be an interesting change… hmmm… gonna test it! Thanks.
Did you went all the way up to Fox Hill? You should have climbed the first climb twice. At the KOM banner I got the achievemnt
Can’t explain that … ran the update on my tatty, clanky old laptop this morning and it took less than 5 minutes from start to finish.
Can anyone explain why my comments never appear on this site when I make them in reply to another post. This one will appear because I have simply used the main reply box at the foot of the page, but the one I made a few minutes ago in reply to the comment about the slow update hasn’t appeared at all.
I see your previous comment, but it shows as just an overall reply. Sometimes the most recent overall reply doesn’t immediately show up, some sort of theme bug. Make sure you hit “reply” below the comment you want to reply to, then fill out that reply box, if you want to reply to someone specific.
It’s still frustrating that you can’t pick a route or add another route once you enter the main screen. You have to know what route badges are missing before booting up Zwift. And if you finish one, you need to restart to do another one.
The ability to pick routes on the fly would be great.
Jon Mansfield release notes are now posted on the Zwift Forums for those interested in reading them.
Linked to the post, thanks!
i want to get the route badge for “dust in the wind”, did the whole route, no badge, added 2km to the 54.7km but nothing happened !? thats annoying
It is not bugged. There is a long lead in for this route (route starts & ends at the top of the hill banner) therefore is way longer than 32 miles.
Took about 3 minutes for mine to update.
The return on my Zwift investment keeps paying back with all these updates, additions, and improvements. Can’t wait for the update to load on appleTV- haven’t checked yet today but am looking forward to exploring the new Crit City map when it does. Also very much looking forward to the menu update for us poor appleTV remote users. There are sections of the menu that I just give up on when trying to use that swipe control, particularly with damp fingers. An update of some sort will be well-appreciated indeed.
ah ok, thats annoying, but thanks !
The jungle is still to slow even with the gravel bikes…
The ability to change routes or worlds is a pretty reasonable one, and hopefully will be part of their revised menu/GUI.
Just got the new badge for “Lutscher” – as expected it ends the second time you reach the top of the climb. 270 XP.
Re power ups. They might have just changed how they work for TT bikes, or maybe they’ve had that behaviour for a while? I forgot that I was on a TT bike last ride.
Gravel bikes are definately faster on gravel! But on tarmac it takes a big toll…used bike switch in Kiss 100 today, works great and shaves of 30s of the jungle loop even with switching bikes takes about 10s for a switch
Also slow update for me. Already 30 minutes in, and the screen tells me 36 minutes more to go 😑
It looks like there is a gravel/MTN course at the top of the alpe. I saw a trail of checkpoints on a yellow line map briefly on my way down.
I’ve seen that! No idea what it is.
Do the new route badges come with XP bonus points or is that still limited to certain route badges?
They all award XP–approximately 20XP per km.
It isn’t bugged. The route only registers as complete when you go under a start/finish arch. That means Surrey Hills won’t register as complete until you have done the Fox Hill climb a second time.
I did it last night, and got the achievement as I went through the KOM finish arch. Total distance was 29 miles … because you can’t finish at the top of Fox Hill and deny yourself the descent now, can you?
Nice to go into Zwift after updating yesterday and find that they have (presumably) gifted everyone with the Zwift MTB. Also the Zwift Gravel is a nice low price in Drops. Might have to give the Jungle circuit another whirl!
With these new bikes it becomes a pain to switch them i.e. frame, wheels, kit, etc. Zwift need to give us a way to define a few bikes+kit setups that we can easily switch between depending on the ride. Otherwise this whole flexibility is not usable. Too much trouble
I’ve properly done Surrey Hills twice: 48km/1000m. I climbed Fox. Leith. Box. Keith. Fox. No achievement. Very frustrating.
Looking forward to seeing how much XP each new route segment has available.
Very disappointing about the MTB. I worked for weeks to earn the MTB on Repack Ridge. Finally earned it and had it for less than a week before Zwift HQ decided to give it away to everyone for nothing! What’s the point in making us work hard to earn something only to give it away to everyone for no effort at all. In real life what you earn is for REAL, not this fake BS where earning something means nothing. What’s next – will Zwift be giving the Tron bike away to everyone? Socialist welfare for the masses…
yes I did this route last night, thought I could do a quick 8.5 miles but found out you had to climb the hill again so did that and came down the other side to get it completed and the XP points, took about twice as long as I first thought
Wonder when the IOS version will be pushed, 4 days later and still no news update.
Did a quick test of the Cervelo Aspire gravel bike vs the Tron on the Jungle Loop (loop only) @ 2.1 watts in ERG, and found the Aspire to be almost exactly 2 minutes faster at that low power output. Haven’t checked them on pavement yet. Can’t wait to see what the scientific tests show.
This is all about fun dud, not bragging rights.
Anyone else having issues with the update not uploading to strava? No issues before the latest update and my last two rides won’t sync. Loads to Garmin connect no problem. Running it on Apple TV. Already tried disconnecting and reconnecting the accounts and that didn’t work.