Fastest Zwift Road Bike/Wheel Test: Tron Bike vs Cervelo S5 vs Giant Propel

[@danjo1967]

its good that they are close. we can use our fav bike without feeling like its unfair. (i still use the tron racing) :P

[@dudewhereismyfitness]

Good video Shane, we were just talking about this y'day morning. My opinion: ride whatever you like up the Alpe, your day to day form matters more than bike selection at this point in Zwift :)

[@chills996]

Would be nice to see the times against the stock (slowest) bike & wheel combo. The difference between these three is marginal but maybe against the slowest it makes a significant difference? Cheers though, great vid as always. :)

[@mrskeltal3281]

There is a significant difference when comparing all the bikes. I think Zwift Insider did a comparison a while ago although without the disc wheel - zwiftinsider.com/test-lap-data/

[@BrianRouse]

Was thinking the exact same thing.

[@chills996]

@@mrskeltal3281 Ah perfect, thanks for that. I didn't know about the test lap data. Just checked and there is almost 2 minutes difference over a 300W full lap. Crikey.

[@vedhed21]

Thanks for the vid. Would already have the Tron bike if it weren't always so lovely here in California. Rough life.

[@gplama]

I'm sitting in Long Beach at the moment... and it's chilly! :)

[@birkhansen8210]

I'll like to see a climbing test. Lightest bikes/wheels up the Alpe

[@dcrunicycles]

Posting the kilos of zwift bikes would be an answer to this question and rolling resistance of zwift wheel sets ; )

[@thenerdycanadian7172]

i'd be curious to see them compared to the base bike just to see how big of a difference it makes

[@tjn0110]

At some point I want to try Dr.Ferrari's poor-man's wind tunnel test in game: ride a descent at 0w (they would hold the aero position to be tested) and note time between checkpoints and/or distance travelled before stopping, ie. Alp KOM end -> beginning, or tower -> castle. etc. I would think a test of varying wattages would be interesting, how the bikes respond to +-acceleration, but combined with terrain differences would produce muddy results, that's where I think the descent test could possibly show something being equal terrain and physics power imposed on the bike, or they may just be essentially the same as shown here.

[@simonagnew9699]

Very interesting and thorough video. Well done.

[@ivancajka732]

Shane please so the same test with the Tron bike vs starter bike and wheels so us newbies know what we are missing out :D

[@davidkopman5710]

Great video! Would love to see a similar run comparing Tron bike verse a few ultra lightweight climbing bikes up the epic KOP or ADZ. Thanks.

[@peebee1357]

From a racing point of view I switched from tron to cervelo , only reason was that when you are taking a rest in the draught or sitting for a bit the cervelo avatar clearly sits up , where the tron not so much . Helped me save precious energy when blowing a bit 👍🏻

[@peterwilson1831]

if the cervelo rider sits up, surely it increases drag and would use more energy to maintain position - being more aerodynamic saves more energy, even in a draft scenario.. That is assuming rider position makes any difference in the draft in the zwift algorithm.

[@peebee1357]

My understanding is that the sitting up is an indication that you are in the draft . When you hit the front or lose the draft your avatar drops back down. For me this makes it easier when racing .

[@keithrobertson3713]

@@peterwilson1831 The act of sitting up in Zwift is showing you that your rider is in the draft, if your rider is not sitting up you are doing more work.

[@kiverrussell8369]

Like real life then for the leisure rider - choose a bike on looks, that'll get you "out" riding! Interesting to see the head to head, thanks.

[@RodrigoDeJaneiro]

How about the TT bike with 808+Super 9 combo? That should be the fastest bike/wheels combo

[@geoffsearle2778]

Thanks, Shane :)

[@steviesteve750]

Interested to see how the Scott foil compares to the cervelo, given that real world testing puts it in the top 2-3 aero frames available

[@marty197666]

Just spent all my drops on a canyon ultimate, canyon speedmax and the disc 808. I’ll still probably use the tron like 99% of the time tho 😬

[@maxclark1216]

Interested in what would be the best hill climb bike now?

[@WowRixter]

Lama does science 👍again

[@zedsprocket3673]

Great vid 👍. How will the ‘safety’ bike and ‘safety’ wheel combo compare🧐

[@KentArnsbarger]

I'm sure the Madone would be VERY close as well. I've been just riding the Madone with the disc wheel for fun!!

[@BringasTekergo]

Nice t-shirt :)

[@КаквоНаучихДнес]

Thank you

[@joshuagraves9379]

What is the fastest bike on the flattest courses (Richmond Flat / Volcano Flat)? Is there a difference between the TT bikes? This would be handy for people looking to do solo/workout rides and rack up some EXP.

[@kaveac]

Cool analysis. Kinda wish the Tron that I worked hard for was a little better than the rest 😀 . No idea how to spend my drops yet...

[@dudewhereismyfitness]

Spend your drops on the most eye candy bike you like ;) I've bought the old Spec Shiv the other day. There is no reason behind it - except that it matches my black 100 miles kit ;)

[@pascalbocherel7785]

@@dudewhereismyfitness I did exactly the same to match with my RL bikes, Shiv and Tarmac, eye candies to me ;)

[@zeekryder7735]

@@dudewhereismyfitness and kaveac I bought the Buffalo ...what a bargain, then the Bolide TT and Disc wheel. Waiting for the Trike bike.

[@dudewhereismyfitness]

Zee Kryder yup,Buffalo bike is the next purchase for me too 😁👍

[@hrconsult]

Awesome!

[@jordywilliams]

Bought the s3 disk for the white bar tape and saddle

[@cicirunner]

Wonder how far behind a normal road bike would be in this test

[@robbchastain3036]

I'll save up all of my points for the fastest cartoon bike in all the land, the Road Runner, beep beep.

[@The_mortenator]

I would have been interested to see this test done on the Volcano Flat course, and then up alpe du zwift, to get a better idea of the flat and climbing ability of the different setups, the watopia hilly isent really flat at all, it's always either uphill or down hill, the rolling terrain, or uphill sections, seems to fit the concept bike better

[@gplama]

I’ll leave the legwork to ZwiftInsider. This blew my Saturday night and Sunday as it was.

[@The_mortenator]

Fair enough, I'll probably lean towards the concept bike, I'm on the heavy side, all the help I can get going uphill is welcome, haha

[@EricAbbottTri]

I would love to see a pure climbing bike run this test as well. Would its ability on the climb make up for it being slower on the flats?

[@madmonkeycycling9098]

Tron it is then :) They've played around with the wheel ratings, the 808/super9 combo is now rated 4 for aero, 1 for weight. Where as the zipp 454 is now the overall best rated wheelset. Back to the lab, lama! (?) :))

[@matthewk3233]

Yah even though it shows 4 for some people like Shane going by the results it must be a 1 since it is slower going up the hill but seems to gain time on other spots vs the tron.

[@gordonmckenzie9453]

Bought the Canyon Ultimate via Zwift on iPhone, but it had disappeared the next day. Tried again, but it vanished again, putting me on the Zwift Carbon both times. It’s taken the price in drops twice though! Some early bugs it seems...

[@dcrunicycles]

Inch as good as a mile. If you win by 3/10 of a second, it's a big deal to 1st and 2nd place ; ) especially if you paid > 5k$ for your advantage. ; )

[@sebastianlar2701]

Great way to earn some drops :D leave it on over night at 300W and happy shopping in the morning

[@gplama]

Then get booted because they detected you using a bot. (it's against the Terms and Conditions you agreed to)

[@rcuadro]

How long before you can buy your favorite bike you figure? Even if it is through codes from manufacturers. Like, ride a Trek Speed Concept on Zwift with bike purchase!

[@hillseason]

Can you provide a baseline with the most default level 1 bike with zero upgrades?

[@Dennis4523]

I really wanted to know the disc wheel performance

[@Dennis4523]

L. traveler he did it first

[@vCyclingNews]

Has anyone tested the effect of helmets on speed?

[@andreimirica1927]

Like your tshirt..from where you bought it?

[@roilev]

Take them, with the ant+ sim, on the Alp d'Zwift

[@maldickerson]

Tron bike all the way… bloody ought to be as it was hard work getting it 🤣

[@averydaboy]

im lvl 12 & cant buy anything in the drop shop

[@Ryan2020]

How did you hold the exact power of 250w?

[@zeekryder7735]

On the flat, the Cervelo was half second faster. But one second slower on climb

[@nebukanezer73]

I cannot see the Zipp 808/disc combo in the drop shop. Is there a lvl req? (Im 29) (Edit: It wasn't on Android, but I logged on via ATV and bought it there!)

[@scottheitmanmarinesurvey3557]

it was only for beta testers. very not fair. tears

[@nebukanezer73]

@@scottheitmanmarinesurvey3557 actually it was available via ios after the drop shop opened. I bought it and still have it. I was never a beta tester 😊

[@carltontattoo]

Great video! How do you keep the watts at exactly 250?

[@sonivex]

Joshua Carlton ERG mode

[@carltontattoo]

Ivson Passos Jr i don’t see anywhere to set an exact wattage unless it’s a custom workout. Am I missing something?

[@sonivex]

Joshua Carlton yep, you can create a custom workout that sets your watts at a specific number for as long as you want. I'm pretty sure that is what he did there.

[@carltontattoo]

Ivson Passos Jr thanks but I don’t think so ,because Zwift would tell you to pedal at a certain amount of watts this seems different. Maybe it’s through the wahoo app or something?

[@peterwilson1831]

Guys, theres no way anyone could pedal that consistently in erg mode or in any type of workout. It's an ANT+ simulator that sends the correct signal for 250 W to zwift, essentially fooling it into thinking its receiving the signal from a power meter or smart trainer.

[@mtuckeruk]

Would be nice to see if the Trek Emonda/Mellenstein combo can make up time on the hilly sections??

[@gplama]

It would. My Drops are all gone.... so I'm shagged.

[@mtuckeruk]

Or Emonda frameset with 808/Super 9

[@qwerty261]

The timer showed each of the previous fastest laps and koms for the last 30 days. For the cervelo and z1, so we knew the result before the finish 😉

[@gplama]

The results are also in the video description. I’m here to save people time. :)

[@qwerty261]

@@gplama oh nice, you have thought of everything. Keep it up!

[@Fidasaind]

I'm sure Zwift Insider is working it, but did you happen to try out the TT bikes with 808/disc vs Tron on mostly flat courses? Obviously not a good idea in group events when you miss out on drafting. But riding alone I'd be curious. Especially since the Mrs is going for an imperial century in the morning and I was thinking "I may want to get my black jersey on Zwift while she's gone". Trying to decide between Tron vs Shiv/808+disc if I did say Watopia Volcano flat and will probably not be actively trying to draft other riders (unless some happened to be near me).

[@NikeonaBike]

according to the ZI data the cervelo P5x with disc is the current fastest no draft bike in game

[@ambat_]

Sworks venge with super nine has been found to be the fastest bike on flat beating out the concept bike.

[@dh7314]

I always use the tron, because I'm proud to have achieved it, but I really dislike the way the rider doesn't get out the saddle to climb.

[@musicandbikes6689]

After 50000 m of climbing they are probably fairly confident there is not much you can not achieve seated.

[@roddyeskew3909]

You should try this with the basic bikes to see how much slower they are!

[@gplama]

Let's see how ZwiftInsider go with their listings of performance.

[@alantaylorfarnes]

Thanks for this. What’s the fastest bike / wheel combo for alpe du zwift? (K, probably second fastest since I don’t have the tron bike)

[@davidpotts5567]

Alan Taylor Farnes Trek Emonda zipp 202

[@alantaylorfarnes]

David Potts that’s what I’ve been using. Wondering if there’s anything faster. Wondering if emonda + 808 will be faster. I know that doesn’t work in the real world but maybe in zwift

[@VitekHolubovsky]

Emonda (the one you get for climbing 8848m) + Lightweight Meilenstein wheelset (which you can get as a prize at the top of AdZ) is the fastest, period.

[@davidpotts5567]

K4m1k4z3 if u can unlock the things..I’ve done the alpe about a dozen times and still a load of gloves and the crappy helmet😂

[@musicandbikes6689]

I don't have the disc available and already have the 808. Is there a challenge I need to do to have available?

[@TheConfusedCyclist]

Where can you buy the disc, ive looked all over and still dont see it!

[@whitestuff10]

This will sound ridiculous but is there any handling benefit given to any of the bikes? I think not, but in races it seems like the Concept takes a better line in a small group cornering (London) or am I looking for something that isn't there... If I'd assign a benefit I'd say the TCR would be the best handling bike, TT for flat all out straight line speed, Concept somewhere in the middle. Then you've got to think a little about the course you're racing on.

[@gplama]

Not something they factor in.... yet.

[@peloz8065]

Hi Shane, I am level 18, which wheels do you recommend to combine with the specialized venge for the crit city race?

[@gplama]

Keep aiming for the Tron. Zwift Insider has a ton of testing of all the recent additions in-game.

[@roxic1212]

🤯

[@scottheitmanmarinesurvey3557]

cant buy the 808 disc

[@jacobmarx8184]

Does anyone know why Zwift pulled the disc/808 from the drop shop so soon? I held off buying it to see the test results first........Should have just dived in :D Hopefully it comes back as level 36 is a wee while away for me to get the 858's

[@gplama]

Released in there by mistake was all we’ve heard.

[@Ramoonus]

between frame 2 and 3 you lost 1.6 M drops

[@gplama]

Yes.... there's a support ticket in about that. Almost four years on Zwift... and I get one frame. #fuming

[@davemaynard3826]

Shane. How do you lock the watts and cadence? Was it a workout?

[@paul3562]

Im pretty sure its a new feature/add on to zwift for certain people to run simulations, some other YT's have started doing the same and only on some of the recent updates its prob come along. At this point im sure if it was usable for the masses we'd all know about it. It must have the option to either run multiple sims at a time, which would suggest starting point on all, cadence, power etc to be the same sim, or each sim is on its own with variations changed and screen recorded of some type. As shane is on the ball with responses, im sure its a little hush hush at the moment, or a future video will be made...

[@gplama]

It's an ANT+ simulator. It's also a tool that is against the Zwift usage terms and conditions.... so I do it all offline (wifi is disconnected, and rides are discarded so nothing is uploaded to their servers indicating I using a tool/bot).

[@gplama]

Google. It’s going to open a whole shitshow of people start pissing about in Zwift events with it.

[@zwiftalizer]

@@gplama I thought about using an ANT+ simulator and controlled conditions to get more accurate benchmarks for each graphics card, but I would have to tell people how to do it and break the T&Cs since I don't have all the cards. I figured a big enough data set would all average out in the end. Unrelated - did you run the same bike multiple times to compare with itself? You'd expect it to be constant ,right? but I've heard rumors that the in-game clock is a little bit inaccurate.

[@gplama]

@@zwiftalizer One run each. I don't have the time (or attention span) to run a number of identical tests. If someone wants to take it to that level, awesome. (I'll be out riding my bike) :)

[@liambarber9036]

The real question is, how fast is the Safety Bike 😂?

[@jonasp8866]

Any idea on the fastest TT bikes in Zwift?

[@gplama]

They're faster, solo. I don't have the Drops to buy them.... Let's see if ZwiftInsider can get a hold of them for some quality testing.

[@jonasp8866]

@@gplamaI had Nothing to do so I thought I just test my new S-WORKS Shiv TT against the Zwift TT... The S-Works was 2.1 seconds faster than the Zwift TT on the Volcano CCW Circuit... Quite impressive imo

[@DJAsh-Lee]

I am still relatively new to Zwift. Is the disc wheel something that had to be unlocked via a challenge? I can't seem to see it in the garage...

[@gplama]

It was a Level 13 unlock in beta days... and appeared in the Drop Shop for a day or so before they removed it.

[@DJAsh-Lee]

@@gplama Damn it! I am always late to the party :( . Cheers Shane! Ride on...

[@sireevessireeves5072]

Can you do the TT bike equivalent?

[@gplama]

Nope. I’m all out of Drops. I can’t buy the frames.

[@batsenses5572]

Is the giant propel or Tcr giant have CHANGEABLE COLOURS ?

[@tolopo99]

yes

[@jbkltc4469]

could you repeat that with 400 watt, please?

[@gplama]

Nope :)

[@iam.mike82]

Hi Shane.. I´m currently in level 27 but can't buy the Zipp 808.. Any idea why they aren't in shop for me?

[@gplama]

It was mistakenly put up for sale for 24hrs.... rumour has it that if you're quick.. it's still in the IOS store. QUICK!!!!!! ;)

[@iam.mike82]

Thanks, you're right - just dowloaded it on my iPhone.. ;-) @@gplama

[@iam.mike82]

Drops gone, Wheels were there but few hours later gone again.. wrote to the support, hoping at least to get the drops back!!

[@cibo23]

How do you keep it at 250watt so stable?

[@gplama]

ANT+ Simulator.

[@tommyyeezy7538]

Kom was 2:03 and Ur Best was 1:59 why didn’t you get the kom.

[@gplama]

In-game KOM lasts 60 minutes only.

[@bazcurtis178]

I’m not a Zwifter, but I would have thought it would all be about the rider and not the bike your could build in Zwift. Ok, you can build different one to make them look cool or be like your real bike, but for me this is about the ride v ride, not the fake bike you can build that makes me go faster than you.

[@SimoneChiaretta]

What about the new shiv disc? Is it slower than the giant and S5?

[@gplama]

That's not a road bike. Let's hold out for the ZwiftInsider numbers.

[@simonech74]

@@gplama btw, how do you emulate a constant watt rider? I'd love to do my own tests

[@SimoneChiaretta]

@@gplama How do you do these constat-watt tests? I'd love to make some tests on my own.

[@gplama]

@@SimoneChiaretta With a simulator. I'm not going to go into the details. Their use is prohibited in the Zwift Terms and Conditions, the last thing I need is to be banned from Zwift.

[@keithrobertson3713]

why no Trek Madone??

[@gplama]

Why didn’t I test it, or buy it?

[@keithrobertson3713]

​@@gplama thought you might test it, although I imagine it's similar to the Giant but as I'm only at level 22 it's the best option at the moment with newly bought disc & seems to work pretty well even on short hills.....it's only 4000m until I get the tron bike though 🚵‍♂️🤨. I'm looking forward to seeing how the TT bikes stack up, lots of different options now & can't decide whether to just buy one or wait??

[@guidodevries5477]

Is the Cannondale Systemsix not supposed to be the fastest UCI leagal bike irl? Shouldn't that mean it also has an edge on the S5 and propel in zwift?

[@gplama]

"Fastest" as in marketing, or real data? It'll also depend on the Zwift implementation. Maybe they didn't make it the fastest.

[@kenny347]

I just use the bike same with my real Life .

[@dcrunicycles]

Shane, thank you for the test. Would you gift me a gazillion miles because at the rate I'm going I'm 3yrs from getting any of the elite upgrades ; )

[@Dexxyh]

Maybe I've missed the discussion about this, but I think it's very strange you can opt to ride without a helmet in zwift..

[@gplama]

I used to ride with one... not sure when it fell off? Maybe in the update. My EPIC MANHAIR will protect my virtual head in the meantime. #manhair #fakenewshair

[@adaycj]

You can opt to ride without one IRL too. One is more advisable than the other ...

[@GoldenGaze1985]

What’s even worse is people riding without socks 🤢

[@thomasgiallo5899]

First

[@gplama]

🥈

[@craigm5713]

This is ridiculos

[@gplama]

In what way?

[@craigm5713]

@@gplama the fact that we are even talking virtual bikes and asking which one is faster. There should be no difference between any virual bike on zwift

[@gplama]

@@craigm5713 Could you imagine the issues normalising all equipment would cause? It doesn't happen in the real world, nor in any other 'game'. And from a business perspective, there'd be less of an incentive for companies to get their equipment in-game.

[@craigm5713]

@@gplama if there turns out to be a large difference between make-believe bikes on zwift its a disincentive for me to use zwift. No you cant create a perfect level playing field. Some people have better computers, internet connections, trainers...genetics. But really do we have to add make believe bikes to the list? It seems so ridicolous and childish to me. Sorry.