Zwift Chat

[CXRAndy]

It would be totally self-defeating of Zwift to come up with all these new incentives for people to level up and then switch them off when you need them. Even Zwift aren't that stupid. (Famous last words )

I think you're over estimating Zwift's shoot oneself in the foot policy.

Introduce steering, then allow it to be disabled. If choosing the right bike or wheels or tyres gives an competitive edge over others and you've earned/bought them- good for that competitor.

Its exactly the same in real world racing, more aero bike/helmet, wheels, dropper posts, skinsuits, the advantages shouldn't be blocked.

 

[mjd1988]

I think you're over estimating Zwift's shoot oneself in the foot policy.

Introduce steering, then allow it to be disabled. If choosing the right bike or wheels or tyres gives an competitive edge over others and you've earned/bought them- good for that competitor.

Its exactly the same in real world racing, more aero bike/helmet, wheels, dropper posts, skinsuits, the advantages shouldn't be blocked.

Yeah I think it's fair enough as long as it isn't ridiculously advantageous to the point of putting off the rider just starting out. It's fun having a bit of a jump on people, I was in a climbing race and everyone was on trons whilst I was on my sl8 and definitely felt nice seeing them work harder!

 

[CXRAndy]

Maybe they could offer a 'Brucey' bonus to the newbies to give them a taste of what can be achieved with better kit

 

[bridgy]

There's definitely a balance to be struck isn't there? I agree you don't want RIDICULOUS performance advantages from certain upgraded bike, but on the other hand it's a fantastic way of incentivising people to both stay with Zwift and ride on it more, with the carrot of getting those upgrades! And at least they haven't (yet!) brought in a pay to upgrade model, but instead this is a way of rewarding loyalty and hard work!

Hopefully the way they've designed it, the differences will be similar at the end of the day to the ones we already have between equipment and are used to now.

 

[Whorty]

Yeah I think it's fair enough as long as it isn't ridiculously advantageous to the point of putting off the rider just starting out. It's fun having a bit of a jump on people, I was in a climbing race and everyone was on trons whilst I was on my sl8 and definitely felt nice seeing them work harder!

I’m not normally one to support ZRS (really? I hear people say haha) but this is where ZRS has an advantage over the CE cats.

In the old worth, pushing say 3 w/kg and winning easily just because the kit was substantially better than someone else pushing the same relative power would have been frustrating … but under ZRS it should push that rider up through the groups. Resulting in them (hopefully) racing against similarly fast riders, whether they are fast due to power or kit.

I’d like to think Zwift planned this, but I feel it’s a happy coincidence 🤣🤣

 

[mjd1988]

I’m not normally one to support ZRS (really? I hear people say haha) but this is where ZRS has an advantage over the CE cats.

In the old worth, pushing say 3 w/kg and winning easily just because the kit was substantially better than someone else pushing the same relative power would have been frustrating … but under ZRS it should push that rider up through the groups. Resulting in them (hopefully) racing against similarly fast riders, whether they are fast due to power or kit.

I’d like to think Zwift planned this, but I feel it’s a happy coincidence 🤣🤣

Yeah I did get promoted to be fair 😂

 

[alex_cycles]

Yeah I think it's fair enough as long as it isn't ridiculously advantageous to the point of putting off the rider just starting out. It's fun having a bit of a jump on people, I was in a climbing race and everyone was on trons whilst I was on my sl8 and definitely felt nice seeing them work harder!

Who cares about NOOBs? I'm level 86. I'm glad to see Zwift starting to give a damn about those of us who have been around for a few years and paid for Eric Min's 25 IRL bikes ("some of which I've never used").
I don't remember thinking after my first race on a Zwift Carbon (oh hell I'm giving up because I don't have a Tron).

Quite the opposite. I foolishly chose a 23 minute crit and became and insta-B for being EXACTLY on the limit.
My next race was horrible. I got lapped by the Bs on volcano circuit. But then I was allowed back in C because the power average came back down.

Shortly after that I could afford the Canyon Aeroad. I don't think beginners are quite the Pussies all the concern trolls in the forum would make them out to be. And, frankly, if they are, they probably aren't psychologically suited to racing anyway.

 

[alex_cycles]

Maybe they could offer a 'Brucey' bonus to the newbies to give them a taste of what can be achieved with better kit

Yeah instead of neutralised races - give EVERYONE the best bike for certain series.

 

[CXRAndy]

I've just dumped some drops on the SL8. Do I need to keep using the bike to gain upgrades?

 

[alex_cycles]

I've just dumped some drops on the SL8. Do I need to keep using the bike to gain upgrades?

Yes. 200km to unlock level 1 upgrade for the SL8 (and then you pay 100k drop to buy it)
But the nice thing is, if that happens in the middle of a ride or race, you keep accumulating km towards the next level even if you don't stop to make the purchase).

 

[mjd1988]

That dirt course was brutal. Actually kind of enjoyed it

 

[alex_cycles]

That dirt course was brutal. Actually kind of enjoyed it

I found it ok until the grade. I had all my fun on the FALs

 

[Peter Salt]

I've just dumped some drops on the SL8. Do I need to keep using the bike to gain upgrades?

Yeah, did the first upgrade to a bike earlier today. Looks like to do it you need to hit a certain goal depending what frame it is - distance for normal bikes, elevation for climbing bikes, and riding time for TT bikes - and then you need to pay a few drops too. First level for the 2024 Dogma was 200km and second is 260km. I think only the first three upgrades affect performance and the last two increase XP and drop accumulation so you can just ignore them. So all in all it looks to me like a very fast process. As Alex pointed out: If you do one very long ride you can unlock all stages at once.

I think there's also some new exclusive bikes for 10M drops or something?

 

[CXRAndy]

Why cant we have some upgrades for the Tron. I like the Tron, garish colours, aggressive position.

Maybe some extra psychedelic colours, not bothered performance all about the looks these

 

[bridgy]

Yeah, did the first upgrade to a bike earlier today. Looks like to do it you need to hit a certain goal depending what frame it is - distance for normal bikes, elevation for climbing bikes, and riding time for TT bikes - and then you need to pay a few drops too. First level for the 2024 Dogma was 200km and second is 260km. I think only the first three upgrades affect performance and the last two increase XP and drop accumulation so you can just ignore them. So all in all it looks to me like a very fast process. As Alex pointed out: If you do one very long ride you can unlock all stages at once.

I think there's also some new exclusive bikes for 10M drops or something?

Whether you get extra XP or drops in the later stages of upgrades depends on the level of the bike - they only apply to entry level and mid-level bikes. The Pinarello Dogma F 2024 is "High End" so you get performance upgrades at each of the 4 levels (1. Aero; 2. Weight; 3. Drivetrain; 4. Aero; 5. Weight).

Seeing as a High End bike reqiures 1,600km to fully upgrade to level 5 that would be a VERY long ride to upgrade all stages at once!

The bikes you can unlock for 10m drops are the Halo Bikes (The Tron is also considered a Halo Bike but obviously is unique in being unlocked via the Everest challenge). But as well as costing 10m drops, you also first have to FULLY upgrade 3 bikes of that brand - and then the mileage for upgrading the Halo bikes themselves is much higher at each stage too