Comments on: All About Zwift’s Baseline Wheels

By: Zee Kryder

Zee Kryder — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 15:09:36 +0000

Red rim wheels would be nice.

By: Eric Schlange

Eric Schlange — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 17:17:14 +0000

In reply to Vic.

Yup. Want more data? Here you go:
https://zwiftinsider.com/charts-wheels
https://zwiftinsider.com/charts-frames

By: Vic

Vic — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 07:56:53 +0000

Is this for real? I’ve stumbled across this article on my Google news timeline & having dabbled in various other cycling apps thought I’d give it a read. I was under the impression that all the bikes, wheels & apparel were just for show, as an indicator of how long or how much the rider had achieved on the app. Now I find that, on Zwift at least, the choice actually makes a difference.

By: WTF

WTF — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 00:30:58 +0000

In reply to Torben Fries. The crank length on the Zwift ride is 170mm, no? That is a normal crank length. Nonetheless, the effect of a crank length difference is very similar to the effect of a gear ratio change in terms of cadence, pedaling torque, and power output. It would likely feel a tiny little bit different than a mere gear ratio change because of the smaller circle that your feet are swinging through. If you are a fussy fiddler with seat height (as Eddy Merckx was said to be) getting used to a different crank length might require some seat height adjustments. On the order of 1/2 of the difference in crank lengths. I'm not sure what crank length you are used to, but if it is 175mm (the most common) then the difference between a 170 and a 175 is about 2.5%. This is easily covered by a gear ratio change.

By: Eric Schlange

Eric Schlange — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 18:21:24 +0000

In reply to Jeff. Upgrades for drops (and effort) is coming... my best guess is early January.

By: Markus

Markus — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 16:53:37 +0000

In reply to Torben Fries. GCN did a video on shorter pedal arms and why pros are using them. Worth watching. Admittedly it doesn’t solve your problem though.

By: Markus

Markus — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 16:52:08 +0000

In reply to NASA. I know!!!

By: Jeff

Jeff — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 16:49:39 +0000

Love and appreciate all the work you do, Eric. But Zwift needs to completely revamp the equipment system in the game. There is so much variety in brands and looks in the game, yet people are all riding the same 3-5 bikes and the same 3-5 wheelsets.

They should simplify everything and make the stars MEAN something. All 3-star aero frames should behave the same on flats. All 4-star weight bikes should weigh the same. This would allow us to pick the bikes and wheels that look how we want our avatars to look without sacrificing (much) performance.

I am so tired of all these cool-looking unlocks that perform so abysmally. Also, where are the upgrades-for-drops that we were promised months ago? Maybe that could help bridge some of these gaps.

By: Torben Fries

Torben Fries — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 12:55:35 +0000

I know this is not relevant to the current discussion but I just wanted to ask what is the purpose of the zwift ride having a very short pedal arm? Is this intended for climbs only? I suspect you would need a much higher cadence to get the same wattage as a regular sized pedal arm. Is that a sought-for feature? I recently purchased the zwift ride but haven’t tried it yet as I want to upgrade the pedals first, but this made me wonder if I am going to lose power as compared to my old solution with a road carbon bike and the Direto XR?

By: NASA

NASA — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 08:03:49 +0000

As I suspected. Now all I want is that Baseline one-piece glasses.