In addition, we’ve selected videos about the Zwift World Series, the Zwift Cog, and 9 Zwift tips from GCN.

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Video Summary

The Zwift Ride smart frame has an Easter egg printed on the sticker near its bottom bracket:

If you look closely at the bottom, you’ll see the Konami code printed… something anyone who ever played Contra will still remember by heart. (I still remember keying it in at the start of every Contra session back in the late 80’s: up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-B-A-Select-Start.)

Once you’re riding in game with the Zwift Ride’s controllers or Zwift Play controllers paired, just enter this sequence (which ends with a Z to make it Zwifty) on the controllers, and everyone’s heads will become huge.

Enter it again and heads return to normal size.

It’s worth noting that this “big heads view” is on your screen only, as your Konami code entry only affects your view of the game. It also doesn’t affect in-game physics. Starting a new Zwift activity will also return heads to normal size.

What Else?

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen big heads on Zwift. It first showed up in Zwift on April Fool’s Day 2017, and they brought it back in 2022.

Since this Easter egg is in the game itself, Zwift’s developers could, in theory, change it to do anything they’d like. Perhaps they’ll change it to put us in dino suits, send us to 1989, or let us enter Paperboy mode…?

Your Ideas

What could the Zwift Konami code do that hasn’t already been done in game? Comment with your ideas!

The limitation means you can directly connect, say, your smart trainer and heart rate monitor (HRM). This is surely the most common setup for Apple TV users today. But in the old days, before cadence was built into smart trainers, it meant you might only connect your cadence monitor and trainer. A rather limited setup!

Zwift’s Play Controllers are getting more popular, too, including the new controllers that ship with the Zwift Ride smart frame. These controllers use another Bluetooth connection (or two), making the Apple TV connection limit a popular topic of conversation once again.

Let’s look at workarounds for the connection limit, including one I haven’t seen discussed much among Zwifters.

Workarounds

Apple TV is a hugely popular device for running Zwift, so Zwifters have used workarounds to the 2-device limit ever since Zwift first launched on Apple TV in November 2017. Those workarounds include:

• Connecting through Zwift Companion: this is a big reason why the Companion app exists. It allows you to connect all the devices you’d like through the Companion app running on your phone, instead of connecting them directly to a connection-limited Apple TV. While many Apple TV users use the Companion app in this way, unfortunately, for various reasons, it doesn’t work reliably for some (read this post for tips on getting a reliable Companion connection).
• Pairing HRM to your smart trainer: some trainers (including Zwift Hub, Magene T600, Elite’s Justo 2, Avanti, Suito, Direto XR, TrueKinetix TrueTrainer, and the new JetBlack Victory) can be paired with a HRM. The trainer then rebroadcasts the HRM data as part of the trainer’s data stream, letting you get trainer and HRM data with just one Bluetooth connection.
• Using a Bluetooth aggregator: devices like North Pole Engineering‘s CÔRD or WYÛR can aggregate multiple Bluetooth devices into one connection, but challenges include a lack of availability and (last we checked) incompatibility with Zwift’s Play Controllers.

Play Controller Connection Note

It’s important to note that Zwift’s standalone Play Controllers, which can be added to anyone’s drop bars, require one Bluetooth connection apiece, for a total of two connections used. That means they max out the Apple TV’s limit, without connecting anything else!

The Play Controllers that ship with the Zwift Ride smart frame, however, are combined into just one Bluetooth channel, so they use just one Bluetooth connection on Apple TV.

The Networkaround

Now we get to the point of this article. One thing I haven’t seen discussed in the Zwift community is how, if you connect your smart trainer to Zwift via a network connection (hardwired or WiFi), it doesn’t count as one of Apple TV’s Bluetooth connections! Here’s a quick video walkthru to prove it works:

This demonstration was done using a Wahoo KICKR v6, but it works the same with any network-connected smart trainer. That list includes (and this may not be an exhaustive list):

• Wahoo KICKR v6, Move, and Bike 2
• Any Wahoo device compatible with the Direct Connect adapter (including KICKR v5, ROLLR, Bike Shift)
• Elite Justo 2
• Elite Avanti
• Tacx NEO 3M
• JetBlack Victory
• TrueKinetix TrueTrainer and TrueBike

If you try to connect any of these trainers using their Bluetooth profile, you’ll get this Device Limit popup once you try to connect a third device:

But if you connect using your smart trainer’s network connection, like this:

You’ll be able to connect your Zwift Ride Play controllers, HRM, and smart trainer all directly to Apple TV:

Other connection combinations are possible, of course. For example, if you have a network-connected smart trainer that acts as a bridge for your HRM, you could connect your smart trainer (with HRM signal included) plus Zwift’s standalone Play Controllers directly to Apple TV.

Questions or Comments?

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The CORE’s base, it turns out, can be a bit annoying in certain situations. Its two steel legs have slip-on rubber caps for feet, meaning:

• You can’t adjust the left/right tilt of the trainer by adjusting the feet, as you can on higher-end trainers like the Wahoo KICKR
• The rubber caps can work their way off the legs in certain scenarios, tilting your setup and possibly marring your floor

The ability to adjust the trainer’s left/right tilt is underrated, in my opinion. Not only can it compensate for uneven floors, it can also compensate for a less-than-perfectly built trainer! As it turns out, welding a trainer so your bike mounts at a perfect 90 degrees isn’t as easy as it may sound. In fact, it may surprise you to learn that one thing Zwift measures for Zwift Ready certification is how close to perfectly vertical a bike mounts on each test unit!

With tens of thousands of KICKR COREs set up in training spaces around the world, I’m sure there are a fair number of Zwifters who have had to place shims under one side of their trainer, or pop the rubber foot back into place. And with the KICKR CORE shipping with the Zwift Ride smart frame, even more of these trainers are landing in homes.

So when Zwifter Heath Brockett from New Zealand emailed me with a handy KICKR CORE hack, I knew I had to share it with the rest of you! Here are his pics:

As you can see, Heath has upgraded his KICKR CORE to effectively have the foot setup of a standard KICKR.

Parts List and Tools Required

• Steel M10 rivet nuts (4): Heath says, “not aluminum and not stainless steel as the steel ones are easier to set.” Here’s an Amazon link to a 50-pack, but you’ll save money picking these up at your local hardware store.
• Steel M10 half nuts (4): these are used to lock the threads in whatever position you want. Half nuts are used so the stack height is as low as possible. Probably best to pick these up at your local hardware store, too.
• Round Plastic Caps (4): Heath used these 42mm caps made for 3-5mm wall thickness. That’s a New Zealand-based website, though, and I wanted to source parts on Amazon. My measurements show the legs to be 40mm across with 2mm walls, meaning a 40mm cap like these from Amazon would do the job.
• Feet (4): Heath splurged and bought two sets of KICKR AXIS feet from Wahoo, as you can see from the pictures above. These are definitely the premium option, and they even add a bit of left/right sway to the setup! You could also buy a generic, heavy-duty foot like these on Amazon for a much lower price. Just make sure the foot is heavy duty enough to support the load, and the M10 bolt is short enough to fit inside the leg.

The only tool you’ll need that most folks don’t already own is a rivet nut tool. Here’s one on Amazon for $36 which also comes with the steel rivet nuts listed above.

You’ll also need a drill to bore out the hole for the rivet nut.

Wrapping It Up

With the four feet installed, you have the ability to adjust each one independently for a perfectly dialed-in setup. Of course, you’ll probably want to raise the front of your bike to compensate for the added foot height.

Hopefully this helps a Zwifter or two!

If it helped you out, or you have a question or comments, post below.

Since then, five key Climb Portal changes have happened:

1. Zwift changed the powerup mix in August, cutting in half the number of large bonuses we get
2. Climb scaling was added in December, allowing you to ride a less-steep version of a climb while still hitting the same number of powerup arches
3. You can no longer flip a u-turn and ride back through an arch in the middle of your descent in order to grab an extra powerup
4. More climbs were added (see list)
5. The Climb Portal schedule has been modified

With the Climb Portal working very differently from when it was first launched, I decided it was time for a refresh on the Climb Portal XP Farming topic. Let’s dive in!

Gaming the Portal

To game the Climb Portal for maximum XP, follow three rules…

Rule #1: Ride a Climbing Bike (and Not a TT Frame)

If you ride a TT frame, you’ll always get the small bonus powerup at every arch (+10XP). This may seem like a good thing, but it’s not, if you’re playing the numbers!

You’ll want to ride a standard road frame so you have the possibility of getting the large bonus (+250XP). Additionally, road frames climb faster than heavy TT frames, and also draft others, so you’ll be able to ride through more arches in less time. Read Fastest Climbing Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level to learn which frame and wheels to use.

Rule #2: Choose the Shortest, Flattest Climbs

Zwift places 10 powerup arches on every Portal climb, so if you want to hit as many arches as possible in order to get as much XP as possible, you need to hit as many arches as possible during your ride.

As of today, by far the shortest Portal climbs are Cote de Pike (2.17km, 9%) and Cote de Domancy (2.97km, 7.9%). You can see the full list of climbs here.

You’re at the mercy of Zwift’s Climb Portal schedule, though – you can’t just choose to ride these short climbs whenever you’d like. So you have to check out that schedule and plan your XP farming days.

Lastly, to get through as many arches as possible, choose the 50% scaling option when you select your climb. That will trim off a lot of time! For example, Cote de Domany takes about 15 minutes to complete at 100% at 3 W/kg. But if you scale it to 50%, 3 W/kg gets you to the top in just 9 minutes!

Rule #3: Burn the Feathers

The game can give you a powerup as you ride through each arch. But if you’re currently holding a powerup, you won’t get a fresh one!

So if you enter the portal with a powerup, or you get a Feather powerup during your climb, be sure to use it before the next arch, so you can get a fresh powerup when you pass through.

How Much XP Can You Earn?

Zwift says the current breakdown of Portal powerup probabilities is:

• Feather: 25%
• Small Bonus: 65%
• Large Bonus: 10%

So how much XP could you earn per hour if you follow the rules above and ride the shortest possible climb (Cote de Pike)? Riding the 50% scaled version of Cote de Pike at 3 W/kg, you’ll finish the climb in around 8 minutes.

• Average XP per section: (250*.1) + (10*.65)=31.5XP
• Average time to complete each section: (8 minutes climbing + 2 minutes descending)/10 sections=1 minute per section, or 60 sections completed for each hour of hill repeats
• Bonus XP per hour: (60 minutes/1 minute)*31.5XP=1890XP
• Distance-Based XP per hour: (2.17km*2)*(60 minutes/10 minutes)*20XP=520XP
• Total XP per hour: 2410XP

Note: the original version of the Climb Portal returned 2587XP per hour per my calculations on this post.

One Gotcha

The only gotcha to the approach above is that your scaled-down climbing won’t be visible on Strava leaderboards. In fact, your entire ride is flagged as “gamified” and not matched against Strava segments, because doing so would break the leaderboards entirely!

Wrapping Up

The Climb Portal feature has evolved a bit since it originally launched, and that has impacted XP farming strategies. Thanks to the climb scaling feature, though, the overall amount of XP you can expect to earn hasn’t decreased significantly. Zwifters can still earn a lot of XP if they follow the simple rules above.

In fact, I don’t know of a more effective way to earn XP in Zwift today than using the strategies above, apart from joining a double XP event. It’s not even a close contest! Here’s a comparison:

• Riding with Coco RoboPacer: 820XP/hour
• Shane Miller’s Alpe du Zwift XP Farming Workout: 1406XP per hour
• Cote de Pike Climb Portal: 2410XP per hour

Questions or Comments?

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We’ve also selected a Zwift Big Spin hack, zone 3 training, an Alpe du Zwift personal record attempt, and a race finale recap.

Got a Great Zwift Video?

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The great Mike Hanney, creator of Zwiftalizer, has dropped another helpful video packed full of tips to avoid data dropouts on Zwift. Watch it below, or read our summary below that!

Tip #1: Use Wahoo Direct Connect

Owners of certain Wahoo hardware can eliminate the need for Bluetooth or ANT+ altogether by purchasing the $100 KICKR Direct Connect module from Wahoo. KICKR Direct Connect is compatible with KICKR MOVE, KICKR v5, KICKR V6, KICKR ROLLR, KICKR BIKE SHIFT, and KICKR BIKE V2.

Note: I would expand this tip by suggesting you use your Wahoo device’s built-in WiFi connection if available. KICKR V6, KICKR Move, KICKR BIKE SHIFT, and KICKR BIKE V2 all support WiFi connections.

Tip #2: Use Ethernet

One of the best ways to reduce or eliminate interference from WiFi is to not use WiFi! Hardwire your Zwift device (PC/Mac/AppleTV) into your network.

Tip #3: Use 5.0 GHz WiFi

Using only 5.0 GHz WiFi instead of 2.4 eliminates the interference 2.4 may have with ANT+ signals.

Tip #4: On 2.4 GHz WiFi, Avoid Channel 10

Channel 10 uses the exact same frequency as ANT+ (2.457 GHz) and will thus interfere with those signals. If you must use 2.4 GHz WiFi, use channels 1-5, and do not use the auto channel selection feature on your WiFi router.

Tip #5: Remove Physical Obstacles

Low-power radio signals do not travel through objects well, so remove obstacles between your trainer and Zwift device.

Tip #6: Turn Off Other WiFi Devices

Lots of devices in the home use 2.4 GHz WiFi, which could interfere with ANT+. Turn them off, or force them to use 5.0 GHz.

Tip #7: Use USB 2 Ports

Use the black USB 2 ports on your computer, not the (usually blue) USB 3 ones. USB 3 is an interference generator – Intel wrote this white paper all about it.

Tip #8: Enable High Performance Power Plan

If your power plan in Windows is set to “balanced” or “power saver”, set it to “High Performance” as this will increase the performance of your PC for gaming.

Tip #9: Disable USB Selective Suspend

Windows 10 includes the “USB Selective Suspend” feature which puts USB devices into a very low-power state when not in use. This may cause dropouts when Windows thinks your ANT+ dongle’s USB port isn’t in use when it actually is.

Tip #10: Use USB 2 Extension Cable

Use a simple USB 2 extension cable to move your dongle away from your computer’s WiFi card and into unobstructed proximity to your trainer setup.

Tip #11: Always Plug In Your Laptop

If you run Zwift on your laptop on battery power, you’ll never get good performance since the CPU will be throttled down to save power.

Tip #12: Disable Old ANT+ Protocols

On the Tacx Neo, disable the old ANT+ protocols to “clean up” the signal. See this video from GPLama with more info >

Tip #13: Disable Garmin Connect

Stop the Garmin ANT agent if it’s running in your system tray so it doesn’t try to take over control of your ANT dongle from Zwift.

Tip #14: Don’t Put the Dongle Too Close

If you place the receiver too close to the transmitter, the signal can get distorted and lead to corrupted data.

Tip #15: Update Firmware

Update your trainer/power meter firmware if possible. Newer firmware may improve device pairing, support updated ANT or Bluetooth profiles, or include options for turning off old profiles.

Tip #16: Avoid Sweat

Sweat kills electronics. Put your dongle in a small plastic bag and seal it with a cable tie.

Tip #17: Change Your Batteries

A regular dropout pattern in Zwiftalizer is a sure sign that the battery in your heart rate monitor or power meter is dying.

Tip #18: Line of Sight Positioning

Ensure that your ANT+ and Bluetooth devices have line of sight to your ANT+ or Bluetooth receivers, and those lines of sight don’t overlap with the line between your WiFi router and receiver.

Wrapping It Up

Thanks for the great video, Mike. Be sure to support his work over at Zwiftalizer.com if you found these tips useful!

Questions or Comments?

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Win your next Zwift race (as a non-sprinter)

In a recent Zwift Racing League event, Ed Laverack put in a massive race-winning attack near the end of the race. Watch as Ed breaks down his race, explaining how he won without being a sprinter.

Can I Finish Repack Rush Without Pedaling?

Zwift Game Updates v1.57 // Peak Zwift 2024 RESULTS // Willunga Climb Portal

Wahoo KICKR Run Hands-On

Wahoo has just announced its latest innovation – the Wahoo KICKR Run. Chase the Summit unpacks all of the details of this new treadmill.

Teaser: Chasing Down a Dream | Zwift Academy 2023

With the Zwift Academy Finalists recently announced, it’s time for the final stages of selection for the 2023 Zwift Academy. Get a preview of this year’s finals!

Got a Great Zwift Video?

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Watopia is always available, and the other two worlds (Makuri Islands and New York in the screenshot above) rotate on a set schedule that changes monthly (see the Zwift course calendar).

Zwift restricts the available worlds to keep roads feeling “busy” since the social side of fitness is part of Zwift’s special sauce. But what if you are more concerned with riding a particular route than having other Zwifters nearby? Maybe you’re chasing route badges, or trying to finish a tough workout, and you have a particular route you’d like to ride that is in a world that isn’t on today’s schedule.

The good news is, it’s pretty easy to access the route you want. Here are four ways to do it…

Method #1: Fake Workouts

This is going to be the easiest method for most people.

Simply choose any workout from the homescreen, click “Start Ride”, and the game will pop up a window asking you to select a world and route. This gives you access to all the free-ridable routes in the 10 open worlds (so no Bologna or Crit City).

Once you’re on your chosen route, you can get out of your workout by tabbing through the intervals or skipping them using the Companion app. (Tip: if you use this trick regularly, you might consider creating a simple, short, custom workout that is just a minute of free riding, so you don’t even need to skip the interval.)

Method #2: Meetups

Meetups are perhaps the next easiest way to access the 10 open worlds. When you create a Meetup, you select which world and route it’s on, and you have access to all the open worlds and routes, just like the Fake Workouts hack delivers.

There are two hassles with the Meetup method, though:

1. You must invite a friend to the Meetup. This has to be someone who follows you. Some people have created second trial Zwift account for just this purpose!
2. You must give the Meetup a start time/date. That means you can’t just pop into your desired map… you may need to wait a few minutes.

Learn all about Meetups on Zwift >

Method #3: Club Events

While Clubs are meant to be gathering places for groups of Zwifters, anyone can create a Club and host events from it.

Club events give you access to the same 10 open worlds as the two methods above, but also (somewhat oddly) let you create events on Crit City’s “The Bell Lap” route (but not Downtown Dolphin).

There are two hassles with the Club Events method:

• Creating your Club takes a few minutes: you only have to set your Club up once, but it takes a few minutes to set the various options.
• You must give the event a start time/date. Like Meetups, this means you can’t just pop into your desired map… you may need to wait a few minutes.

Learn how to create Club events on Zwift >

Method #4: <world> Tag Hack

The <world> tag hack is perhaps the most common hack used by Zwifters over the years. Nowadays the ease of the Fake Workouts method has diminished its use, but it still holds a special place in the hearts of many.

So how does it work?

You have a prefs.xml file in your Zwift user directory (which is in your Documents/Zwift directory on PC/Mac). Before starting up Zwift, open this file in a text editor like Wordpad and simply add one of the following tags to force Zwift to place you in your desired world.

To ride Watopia, add: <WORLD>1</WORLD>
To ride Richmond, add: <WORLD>2</WORLD>
To ride London, add:<WORLD>3</WORLD>
To ride New York, add:<WORLD>4</WORLD>
To ride Innsbruck, add: <WORLD>5</WORLD>
To ride Yorkshire, add: <WORLD>7</WORLD>
To ride Makuri Islands, add <WORLD>9</WORLD>
To ride France, add: <WORLD>10</WORLD>
To ride Paris, add: <WORLD>11</WORLD>
To ride Scotland, add: <WORLD>13</WORLD>

This text should go just after the opening <ZWIFT> tag near the top of the file. (If you place it inside of a section like “<DEVICES>” then it will not work.)

Important: Do not insert bogus values into your preferences file! Invalid values will just make Zwift behave unpredictably or even crash. Follow the instructions above carefully and you’ll be safe.

Using Zwift iOS? This method can still be used, but it’s more of a hassle. Here’s how to accomplish this same hack on your iDevice.

Using Apple TV? You’re out of luck when it comes to <world> tag hacking.

Sample

Here is a sample prefs.xml file which forces Zwift to always allow Richmond access (added text is bold):

<ZWIFT>
  <WORLD>2</WORLD>
  <DEVICES>
     <LASTCADENCEDEVICE>720996</LASTCADENCEDEVICE>
     <LASTPOWERDEVICE>720996</LASTPOWERDEVICE>
  </DEVICES>
  <CONFIG>
     <RICHMOND_BRANCH_PREFERENCE>0</RICHMOND_BRANCH_PREFERENCE>
     <BRANCH_PREFERENCE>4</BRANCH_PREFERENCE>
  </CONFIG>
  <WORKOUTS>
     <USE_ERG>1</USE_ERG>
  </WORKOUTS>
</ZWIFT>

Shoutout to ZwiftHacks

If you’d rather not edit your prefs.xml file directly, you can also use the handy ZwiftPref (for MacOS) or Zwift-Preferences (for Windows) tools from ZwiftHacks to accomplish the task via a simple user interface. (These tools let you tweak other Zwift settings as well.)

One Final Caveat

The title of this post says “(Almost) Any Zwift Course” because the methods above only give you access to Zwift’s “open” worlds. Bologna and Crit City are considered event-only worlds, so you can’t hack your way into them using these methods (although Club events will get you into Crit City).

Additionally, the methods above may still not get you into certain “event-only” routes like Watopia’s 2022 Gran Fondo or France’s France Classic Fondo. (Some methods, like Club events, will get you access to certain event-only routes. It may be best to do a bit of experimenting if you have a particular event-only route in mind.)

Questions or Comments?

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2024 USA Cycling Esports National Championships

USA Cycling held their Esports Nats on Zwift last week, and Zwift Community Live provided commentary for the men’s and women’s races. Great broadcast, great competition, deserving winners!

Unlock The Tron Bike FASTER With These Tricks

Humbled In My First Ever Zwift Race

Live Race Walk Through – Taking a good win against a huge quality field

Ryan Dummer races the B category of stage 1 in the ZRacing Flat Is Fast series. And somehow, he manages to provide insightful commentary as he rides… and takes the win!

My Best Sprint +3600XP in 45 minutes! Zwift Level 70

Like Ryan above, Erik from Don’t Get Dropped Cycling recently took on Stage 1 of the ZRacing Flat Is Fast series. Thanks to the big XP powerups and a level up he managed 3600XP in just 45 minutes! (Check out his well-timed steering that helped grab him 2nd place on the day…)

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