Updated on August 18, 2022
In the past, we’ve addressed how Zwift has made Watopia’s dirt sections more difficult to roll on particular tires/wheels. The new Zwift Mountain bike, on the other hand, is designed to roll quicker in the dirt than any other bike in the game.
My sources in Zwift tell me that all wheelsets save the new mountain bike wheels are now using the same rolling resistance, which means that all road bike wheels will move very slowly on dirt.
In order to see this, you need to ride a long dirt track, such as the all-dirt Jungle Circuit. Road wheels slow riders down by 6-8 kilometres per hour compared to tarmac.
The Zwift Mountain bike was found to be significantly faster in the dirt than other road bikes, so we ran several test laps with other road settings as well as the Zwift Mountain bike.
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What We’ve Learned
The Zwift Mountain bike completed the Jungle Circuit in 13:47 at a consistent power output of 300 watts (4w/kg).
At the same power levels, the Tron bike (and other fast bikes) finish in about 15 minutes flat.
Zwift Mountain’s bike/wheelset combination for the Jungle Circuit is currently the best in the world… at least for the time being. Zwift will, of course, be launching new wheels with improved traction on simulated dirt. That’s when it’s going to get really fascinating!
Until then, though, the Zwift Mountain bike is a must-have for anyone racing on the Jungle Circuit. How to get into it.
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What Is It’s Tarmac Performance?
When tested on our Volcano Climb test route (at 300 watts, 4w/kg steady), the mountain bike had a time of 38:34, making it the slowest bike on pavement.
As a contrast, the quickest road configurations complete this distance in 35 minutes, while the slowest take a little more than 36 minutes to complete.
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On the strategy of dirt
This creates a unique race scenario in which racers may choose a quick road bike setup for the Jungle Circuit in order to get ahead of the mountain bikers before the dirt track.
Is it going to work? Possibly, dependent on the number of laps in the Jungle Circuit. The Jungle Circuit is usually completed in 1.5-2.5 laps during most races. Road bikes will have to race hard from the start to drop mountain bikers and create a significant gap before hitting the dirt track because there are only about 5 miles of asphalt going into the Jungle dirt. Afterwards, the mountain bikers will have to catch up to the roadie pack in the dirt. It’s going to be a fight!
Hey, all I am Joe Marino I love to ride bikes and teach others how to ride them. Most of my articles are about which bike is best for others. I am passionate about cycling and it shows, whether I am writing about a $25 bicycle from any random website or a $5000 Santa Cruz.
I have always been the guy who gets calls from friends while at work asking which bike they should buy. I have written about the best city bike for commuting, the best folding bike for use on public transit, and even what to keep in mind when shopping for kids’ bikes.
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