Zwift version 1.77 begins its phased rollout today. While not a major release, it includes some basic garage sorting, new badges for the upcoming Watopia expansion, XP bonuses for ToW workouts, a welcome update for Wahoo KICKR Bike owners, and more. Let’s dive into the details!
New Badges (for Unreleased Routes), Re-Sorted
Zwift has re-sorted the list of route badges, grouping them, it appears, by map then sorting them by release date (oldest to newest).
But the bigger news here is 7 new badges, which are attached to the Watopia expansion arriving November 12 for stage 5 of Tour of Watopia!
You can see the new route names are:
- Deca Dash
- Waisted 8
- Loopin Lava
- The Classic
- The Classic Run
- Coast to Coast
- Triple Twists
KICKR BIKE Gearing Visualization
While not mentioned in Zwift’s release notes (because the functionality has been in game for a while, just waiting for Wahoo to update firmware), today Wahoo released firmware updates for KICKR BIKE v2 (firmware version 2.2.22) and KICKR BIKE SHIFT (firmware version 1.21.18) enabling the display of your current virtual gear on the Zwift HUD.
This will be an especially welcome upgrade for KICKR BIKE SHIFT users who have no gear display on the bike itself.
And yes, we asked: Wahoo says, “this feature won’t be coming to the KICKR BIKE v1.”
Garage Auto-Sorting
When the Drop Shop was released in 2019, Zwifters did what cyclists do: we bought every bike we could afford.
Since then, the community has been asking for ways to better organize our crowded Zwift garages. Could we “favorite” are top setups? Sell used frames or wheels back? Or even just delete some we’ll never use?
This update contains the first garage sorting update ever (as far as we know). Zwift says, “Items in the Garage (frames, wheels, kit) are now automatically sorted by most recent use.”
Until now, frames and wheels have simply been sorted alphabetically. Now, they will be sorted chronologically based on last use.
In our tests, it appears that there’s no limit to how many frames or wheelsets show in this chronological list. That means for now, you’ll have the alphabetically sorted list of frames and wheels, and then as you select new frames or wheels to use, those will be moved to the top of your lists. Eventually, your frame and wheel lists will be topped by the handful of frames or wheels you use.
Friend Notifications
Zwift has always been a social platform, and this week’s update includes a small tweak to help riders connect a bit more easily. Zwift says, “Looking for a friendly wheel to join? Zwifters will now receive a notification when a friend starts Zwifting in the same world. Simply use the Teleport feature to join them.”
Here’s what the notification looks like in game:
BRAEk-fast Crits and Grits Route Opens
Scotland’s new BRAEk-fast Crits and Grits route, raced recently for the last event of ZRL Round 1, is no longer event-only. It is open to free ride whenever you’d like, and yes, there’s an achievement badge with 415 bonus XP attached.
Tour of Watopia Workouts Bonus XP
If you’ve been riding Tour of Watopia events and routes, you know there are XP bonuses available. Riders earn 2x the usual XP when riding in ToW events, and 1.5x the usual when riding a ToW route on demand.
Now, with this week’s update, if you do a workout on a ToW route, the XP you earn will be increased by 1.5x.
Learn how Zwift calculates XP for workouts >
So if you’re looking to knock out a scheduled workout, but also like the idea of earning extra XP, choose one of these routes:
- Mountain Route
- Figure 8
- Whole Lotta Lava
- Road to Sky
- Serpentine 8
- Jungle Circuit
- Eastern Eight
- Sand and Sequoias
- Tempus Fugit
- Itza Party
- Mayan 8
- Going Coastal
Beacon Bugs Begone
In the past, if you were on a group ride with a designated leader (yellow beacon) or sweeper (red beacon), things could get a bit confusing if one of the beacons left mid-ride.
This week’s update includes a tweak for PC and Mac users so the beacon will switch to an alternate designated ride leader or sweeper after 1 minute instead of the previous 10 minutes.
More Release Notes
Zwift provided notes on additional tweaks and bug fixes in this update:
- The gradient percentage shown in the dynamic elevation display now changes more smoothly during a climb.
- The symbol for the distance indicator in the HUD has now been updated to provide 100% (IYKYK) clarity.
- The font size in the left section of the HUD has been increased to improve readability.
- The estimated difficulty and duration for the Navig8 and Power to the Tower routes in Watopia are now more accurate.
- Fixed an issue that could cause the Zwifters Nearby list to not be visible when fan viewing another Zwifter in an event paddock.
- Fixed an issue where the virtual shifting gear indicator was not displayed after pausing a workout.
- Fixed an issue that could potentially cause flashing orbs to appear on the Epic KOM in Watopia.
- Android: Fixed an issue that could prevent Bluetooth devices from reconnecting after a disconnection.
Discuss this update in Zwift’s forum >
Questions or Comments?
If you spotted any other changes or bugs in the update, please comment below!
Once again Wahoo leaves Kickr V5 and now Kickr Bike V1 people behind.
The reason why annoys me the most. iTs AbOuT PrOtzocOl!1! How come my phone can see what gear I am on? And other products too….
The issue as being discussed elsewhere is that Zwift chose to use a proprietary protocol (who does that in this day and age) that is too large to implement on the V4/5 and Bike V1 products. Yes, Wahoo are still working on how to code in this protocol and not break existing features. BTW, you should own a Garmin x30 device. Better hope you don’t brick it as Garmin won’t give you a discount on a newer device anymore.
And still no race mode for us Shift owners either, despite that being promised a year ago… unless I have missed it??
Don’t worry that’s coming Zoon in the next couple of Bug Dates
Didn’t know ppl actually bought these bricks.
BRAEk-fast and crits still shows as event only. When is this to change
In the first part of the article. “Began phased roll out”
You haven’t received the update yet.
Are Wahoo seriously abandoning a $2500 trainer this early? If that is really the case, why would I ever buy a new one from them, with the knowledge that they’ll drop support for purely commercial purposes at the drop of a hat. Companies may get away with this for more “consumable” items that people replace regularly, but this is shooting yourself in the foot to an extreme degree.
Hopefully this is all a misunderstanding and KICKR Bike v1 support is also included.
Excuse me, that should be $3500.
The Kickr Bike Firmware also adds some functionality to the buttons on the Shifters that is also not coming to the V1 (Braking, Select, and Ride On!)
I have a Kickr Bike V1 and although its nice to get new features you can’t really moan as you still have the great spec that you purchased. They haven’t taken anything away from you.
I can absolutely moan when a company abandons an expensive device less than 2 years after I buy it. That is just not on, and it was in fact not how Wahoo operated in the past, e.g. continuing updates for the original Wahoo ELEMNT until very recently for everything except hardware-locked features.
Why would my next trainer be a Wahoo device, if they’re just going to abandon it as soon as I have it in my hands? That gets you put straight on the “don’t give them money” list. See also their recent abysmal handling of the KICKR v5.
The V1 bike was released in 2019 so its 5 years old. How long do you expect them to support it for? It doesn’t matter if you bought it 2 years ago, its a 5 year old product. Also the V2 was released 2 years ago.
It looks like when you read the firmware notes for V2 bike that its a new “Zwift Protocol” so it may not be possible to add this from a technical standpoint.
Also if companies constantly port new features to older devices what the incentive for people to upgrade? Companies need to sell trainers and they can only do this if the new trainer has a feature that people with existing trainers find desirable. Its for this reason I personally didn’t upgrade to a V2 bike as none of its new features appealed to me over what I had with my v1.
I also don’t think these bikes are that expensive when you consider how much they get used and how long they last and how much better they are than using a turbo trainer and road bike. My road bikes don’t last as long and cost considerable more.
2019 release argument is the stupidest I read on internet today (and I already went thru my daily doom scrolling).
My 2015 Tesla still gets software updates with new releases. Yes, there was some hardware lock but if you update your HW you get some new stuff too.
It should be supported for the expected life of the device from the last product of that line sold. When it was released shouldn’t and typically isn’t relevant.
I’m sorry, but that is such a dumb argument. My Android TV is older than 2 years and still gets updates as does the software in my car. People buying this product would certainly expect it to last more than 2 years and most would expect it to last more than 5. I have definitely had my bikes for 5 years and my Tacx trainer is now more than 5 years old. It is absolutely ridiculous to expect someone to shell out another $3,500 to replace a product that works just to get virtual shift to display when a solution exists and they just won’t implement it.
And in answer to your question what incentive is there to upgrade, well you need to improve the product to such a degree to get existing owners to part with another $3,500. This is not it. All it does is piss people off, as evidenced by all the green thumbs on the other comments. Including mine and I don’t even own one, but I certainly agree with what Jonas is saying.
Important to point out that there’s not exactly much difference between the V1 and V2 Bike core functionality So I guess a lot of people would have bought V1 bikes second hand until recently (albeit with some Wahoo first gen risk) . They would also be highly hacked off , that its not being supported anymore. I had a V1 during Covid and actually had a free replacement in March 22 due to some rust bubbles (also had new Controllers but thats another story) , so wahoo quite happy to replace then rather than support them, (which I guess they knew at the time with the V2 released 9months later).
Completely agree. This absolutely stinks.
Bit of an odd take in my opinion. V1 is still not a small cash outlay. To each his own I guess?!
Why are you automatically assuming this is on Wahoo & not Zwift? indieVelo (and other platforms) show gear selection for v1 bikes, so it’s possible from a technology standpoint. I’m thinking it has more to do with how Zwift is setup… and perhaps it’s more complicated than you think.
Official message from Wahoo:
ICKR BIKE v2 Firmware v2.2.22 / Wi-Fi 1.0.16 – 29 October, 2024
But takes two to tango ofc..
I have to agree that high end trainers like kickr bike v1 are still recent enough to get a firmware update that allows for better functionality, especially considering that it was provided to its sister product. I seriously doubt it is not possible, and they should be attempting to look after their customers so the remain their customers.
Wahoo´s masterpiece => the v1 Bike is still part of the sales portfolio, refurbished and incl. 1 year warranty
for only $5.299 (Australia) or €3.099 (Europe) or $3.099 (US) you get an discontinued Smart Bike without any further app support (official statement on wahoos´s customers service website) – that´s what i called after sales customer support at ist best
With the update of showing kickr bike gear selection, it would be nice to see them add the same functionality to di2 and sram electronic shifting. Both broadcast some sort of signal to allow you to display your current gear on a wahoo head unit, why not do this in zwift. Then you can have cool metrics like number of shifts per ride. IRL rides, I’m always amazed at how many shifts I do during our week races at a racetrack that has mild elevation
I’d love this feature, seeing it in Zwift isn’t of interest to me but being able to record on my Garmin would be of interest as I have all the data for my outdoor rides but can’t do the same analysis for indoor which is a shame.
You can already record your Di2 shifts on Garmin (and see the gearing on the head unit), as long as Di2 is connected (through D-fly). Then this data is recorded in your FIT file. I’ve done that for about 3 years. The challenge is how to show this data in Garmin Connect, intervals.icu, Golden Cheetah, etc.
Golden Cheetah displays gear ratio from Di2 as a metric if the fit file has gear data in XDATA (it’s possible to see the XDATA (Details tab / Raw Data and then XDATA is at the right) – you should see GEARS under xData and FRONT REAR FRONT-NUM REAR-NUM under Data series – at the bottom of the Raw Data screen should be ‘Basic data’ and ‘Gears’ and you should see your gear changes as a table against both distance and time stamps. FRONT and REAR are the cog sizes, e.g 34 17 and the -num version are the relative positions.
To do more with it than see gear ratio, you probably have to delve into creating your own charts with user-defined formulas etc. There was a site called di2stats.com that would be a good place to start for the kind of charts you might do (they allow uploading of fit files with gear data and will show various stats)
Note that golden cheetah attempts to work out the gear ratio if the data isn’t present (albeit not very accurately) but if you look in the source code for it you can see he’s been using real gear data if it’s in the fit file for quite some time now.
Which really suggests another thing that zwift should be doing – they should be adding the gear information to the fit file for people using virtual gearing.
I’d suggest the more people who had fit files with gear data in, the bigger motivation for all these sites and programs that analyze fit files to do something with the data.
Garage sorting has arrived? How dare you not call this a major release! As Zwift always listens to its community and has been well aware that everybody wanted garage sorting, I’m sure they have been developing this apparently incredibly complex feature for the past 5 years and they have already managed to complete it today, faster than anybody could imagine. Hats of to them. Bravo. Amazing.
Made me laugh 😁
2 months since last big update which was the HUD launch.I am starting to think that Zwift is going backwards in terms of development.Last year almost all months had some big things or at least every month but this season development seems poor.
They fired 1/3 of their workers not long ago… It seems hard to develop anything when you have less workers…
Garage sorting IS major and any minute now (read: ToW#5) we get new roads in Watopia. Interesting times to be on zwift! =)
In garage sorting, do the wheels “stick” to each last used frames, or will the last used TT wheels show up on my climbing bike as usual?
I think you know. Imagine what would be the best, smartest, most useful way to set it up. Then imagine the opposite. There’s your answer. Because Zwift.
I get excited every time Zwift announces layoffs, hoping that the people making terrible software decisions are gone, and then come to find out they are still there, probably promoted and running the show.
I’m thankful for the platform, I’m amused by how terrible the software continues to be. However, as I have spent 1.07% of my entire life on it (I’m 40), as terribly as it is designed and tested, I continue to use it as I am constantly reminded that I was a gamer before I was a cyclist.
Well there’s been no great pressure for them to be better, faster, bigger or stronger – and they thought they were a hardware company during covid.
Equally though – presumably the people who threw hundreds of millions at zwift and zwift both expected indoor cycling to become a much bigger thing than it has (at least so far)
I’ve basically decided to cycle indoors for a year and not outside at all. I’ve got to be relatively rare species though – and to that end I bought a trainer that came with a year of zwift – so they kind of already won – at least until that year runs out.
The question is, after a year of cycling maybe I’ll do another sport, maybe I’ll think that I’m so fit I want to ride outside again or maybe I stay with zwift or use another product.
But I don’t see another product that’s putting any meaningful pressure on zwift – most of them won’t even work with my current set up.
Perhaps that will change if TrainingPeaks has good ideas for indievelo? I’ve looked at iv and most of the features sound like attempts to make indoor cycling like outdoor i.e braking / steering / falling off – almost like it’s going to be like sim racing
The problem I think is that the controllers and hardware for this steering / braking / gear changing is all cheap plastic tat. I have di2 on my bike and I power wash the bike every week and 5 years later it’s all working perfectly. How many would power wash their bike with a zwift click or play controllers on it?
But, you know if this is a piece of software that most people only subscribe to for 3 or 4 months in the winter it’s all going to slow to a trickle anyway – we saw a surge in these products and investment in them because of a idea ‘indoor cycling’ was going be a big thing – and covid lockdowns fooled a few of these companies that it was happening. It’s certainly always going to be a niche thing – cyclists in the off season – and maybe some of the on season are going to sit and do intervals and so on on a trainer and they want the kind of ‘sufferfest’ or trainingpeaks data, but they probably also want to look at something while they’re doing it – but are there enough of them to pay for tons of software development and content creation?
How I ride inside or out generally has no correlation with weather, but rather when/where I need to be. I use my bicycles as my primary form of transportation, so outside is a year-around thing for me. I also work remotely, and working out happens around active working times, so inside training is a year-around thing for me. In my office bike commuting days, I had Zwift set up, but only made it over 9 levels from January 2016 to the end of 2019. Fascinatingly, I use Zwift because I happen to use Zwift, not due to a particular platform “loyalty”. It’s certainly not for the epic quality of software. However, going back to it, “I was a gamer before I was a cyclist”, those unlocks and things keep me playing most. It’s not competition, but “completion”, for me. Any training app that has tasks has more likelihood to engage me than one which doesn’t.
KICKR Bike V1 not included is not cool. Unlike other trainers less people will change out/upgrade $5k machines. A Certified Reconditioned – KICKR BIKE v1 in Canada is still $4,299 on the Wahoo site! Not a great strategy in my view coming from someone on the entire Wahoo ecosystem, including the upcoming Elemnt computer.
Not a big fan of the garage change. I currently use my steamdeck buttons (essentially keyboard macros) to swap bikes on my pc. I could make that work because I knew where each bike was in the garage. Now I will never know where the bikes or the wheels are so my current solution to changing bikes won’t work. Hopefully they will add an option to freeze the garage in its current state.
Is there any way to force an update on PC? I’ve tried check for updates via the system tray. I’d like to do a workout today and get the extra 1.5x XP. I always get the updates on Wednesday.
There is not, unfortunately.
Last update there was a hint that something bigger was coming soon in that update. Did I miss that?
Linked to last event in theTour as always.
I think you’re talking about my reference to Wahoo firmware updates, which happened this week. ZI post dropping about them in… 5 minutes!
Thank you for another detailed update Eric. Whenever I comment, I try really hard to be positive, that’s normally easy since I’m rather layed back. But today, I share the disappointment felt by others who have commented regarding the Kickr Bike v1. This is a Wahoo premium product. I’ve had mine for a few years now, but I wouldn’t say it’s old.
Did Wahoo try to provide v1 owners the update and found it they were unable to, or are they uninterested in customers who spent a lot of money helping them build their Kickr Bike brand?
Sorry to moan Eric, promise to be back to my happy self again next time.
Yeah, I get it Darren. I knew the first question people would have would be about the V1 bike, since there are a LOT out there. It’s a bummer Wahoo made the call this way, IMO.
Annoying that Kickr V4 didnt get virtual shifting…even though it works fine through QDomyos app…
Came for flashing orb jokes. #disappointed
I see flashing orbs at the end of that ride every time.
Unless the hardware makes it impossible – and I’m guessing it doesn’t – it makes zero sense not to include the Kickr Bike V1 in the update for onscreen gearing. No one who has a V1 is going to pay $4000 plus to upgrade their hardware for that feature anyway so it’s not like they’re losing sales. And by not providing the feature, they are basically giving the middle finger to V1 owners and making the customer base angry. Not a good strategy.
…
Would still be great to see a drafting percentage bar as part of the new HUD. What gear you are in doesn’t always display using a WattBike, it should be present no matter what really as you spend far more time looking at the graphics on your monitor than a tablet.
Do you think Zwift will ever tell us what event or workout our friends are doing (or about to do), in case we want to join in?
Disregard my question. Zwift already does this.
I have Kickrbike V2 + Zwift Play controller. , I have a big issue that can not select two type controller at the same time after this gear displaly upgrade.
Please confirm/report your issue here: https://forums.zwift.com/t/new-wahoo-bike-firmware-broke-zwift-controller-bike-controller-october-2024/637767/3
It looks like it is a problem and the more of us that report, the better – Zwift need to issue a fix.
I just got the update and I see 5 new route badges! Maybe as part of whatever is rising from Watopia?
Hmmm… are you sure they’re new? I think Zwift re-sorted the badges in this update. But I didn’t see any new ones. What are they called on your screen?
Deca Dash, Waisted 8, Loopin Lava, The Classic, Coast to Coast, Triple Twists. At least they show up as new badges in my Zwift after the Handful of Gravel badge.
They’ve cropped up in the companion app as well now so you can get an idea of length/where they go based on segments (they all have at least one of the new “Mystery 01,02 or 03 segments”). “The classic” is the shortest at 5.6mi (I’m guessing just a loop of the Island), Looping’ Lava is 11.4 (and includes the volcano), Triple Twist is 15.2 and gets out to the classic sprint and KOM, Coast to coast is 16.6 and has the three new segments plus the Woodland sprint on the coastal road, Waisted 8 includes Reverse Fuego and Hilly Loop at 19.2mi, and Deca Dash is the longest at 32.7 but somehow only has the new mystery segments and nothing else – so is a bit of a mystery.
Same. Jarvis Island confirmed then.
6 new routes, it appears! I just checked with Zwift and they confirmed these are in fact routes for the new expansion. Nice catch, Nakoosa! I had noticed the badges had been re-sorted, but hadn’t seen the new routes in the list…
There is even a 7th because my total badges is now 260? Maybe 1 for running?
Yeah, I also see an increase of 7 badges, not sure what the 7th is. Hopefully we figure it out.
The 7th new badge is “The Classic Run”, which makes sense since they have “Stage 5: To be revealed” for the runners as well as the cyclists
General cycling/running = 12
Running: 11 running achievements, 2 Extra credit (hidden until achieved), 28 route badges = 41
Cycling: 21 cycling achievements, 11 Extra credit (hidden until achieved), 175 route badges = 207
Total of 260 as of 31. okt. 2024
my zwift controller for gears no longer works
Hi, Since the new patch update Zwift is no longer working normal.
Very ingame lagging even with the lowest resolution.
Last week everything was working perfect……
Does anybody knows how to fix it?
This happened to me this morning, unusuable really. The screen takes takes 2-3 seconds to respond to anything, play buttons, keyboard mouse. My second test ride couldn’t even be saved in the normal way.
I uninstalled, reinstalled and still have the same problem. I also lowered the resolution to no avail.
No other programs are running.
same issue. Did not change anything. Super laggy after a couple of seconds ingame
I, like many other users of laptop displays (or smaller!), was pleased to see this. But the font size has remained the same for me in 1.77. No change at all. The metrics are exactly the same pixel height.
I wish the units that add clutter now they’re below the numbers (the reason why the font dramatically shrank) could be (re)moved.
I’m looking for the “open Workoutslist” to offer for Clubs. That’d be a big Win for the Clubs. Wait for the next Update 👍
Since this release my pc video has stopped working with very stuttery updates and elements like riders going missing. It was working perfectly upto this release
Warum gibt es für Zwift Portal Strecken keine XP- Punkte ?
Ever since I did the update I don’t get my average speed uploaded to my garmin connect, shows my speed when riding just not overall average at end of ride
Same for me. It seems to wrongly transmit the total ride distance as km instead of m. Hence the average speed and NP are 0.
It was a bug, Zwift released an update yesterday.
Eric, it was noted in a comment thread but I figured maybe something a little more direct: there’s a seventh route badge. It’s “The Classic Run” for runners only. May want to add that to the update news!
Already in the list above!
Interesting point about the wahoo firmware stuff from dcrainmaker
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2024/11/wahoo-teases-new-cycling-gps-also-expands-kickr-bike-features.html
Zwift protocol taking up too much space is the claimed reason why wahoo can’t add it. So if zwift had instead made an open standard for virtual shifting within ant+ and/or ble then it would have fit into the memory of these older wahoo units.
So zwifts monopoly power play (“zwift protocol”) once again is bad for consumers.
There are badges given for different types of activities such as workouts, climb portal, etc. But there is nothing related to RoboPacers. Why is that? Forgotten?
It would be logical to make a badge when reaching x2.5 with any of them.
I also think it’s strange to be too lazy to make a unique badge with confetti. Just copy the old one.
‘Hi Eric, since the weekend I haven’t been able to see my ‘previous lap’ and ‘best lap ghost riders’ listed on the riders near-by table. I can still see the ghosts if I’m near them but not on the table. Is this a deliberate change or a glitch please?
SInce the release, friends are not highlighted anymore on the minimap on the top right corner. They still show on the Companion app
Has the auto sorting been disabled again? I had it for two days but now it’s gone again.
Sounds like it’s been disabled on some platforms due to some stability issues. I’m sure it’ll be back soon!