Jungle loop is slower?

Thanks for the support Tim! I think there are many who agree with us but so far it doesn’t seem like Zwift is listening. Unfortunate and not stellar customer experience…

4 Likes

Agreed. I’ve only been cycling for a little over a year and just started using Zwift. I’ve just unlocked the level for the Jungle Loop. Rode it 3 times but quit once, Zwift just zaps the fun out of it. Unless it changes I’ll most likely avoid it.

3 Likes

I have added a MTB to my ‘garage’ and if the jungle is on my route I will now always just stop and switch to it, unless I’m doing a workout. It’s a bit of a pain, but makes riding the jungle much more tolerable.

Where the Dirt starts, I stopped, bought the Cervelo Aspero and rode on.
Next time I’ll buy a MTB and test that :smiley:

1 Like

Go for it! IIRC, the Zwift Insider tests showed that the MTBs are faster than the gravel bikes (and, of course, the road bikes) through the dirt. So on a long dirt section like the Jungle the MTB at least brings the rolling resistance issue to a minimum.

The only thing i would like to see is an asphalt road to the beginning of the Alpe du Zwift. Maybe a tunnel that gets you there, that would be cool. It is kinda annoying to ride on a dirt road with a racing bike, putting out huge watts to see a mountain bike cruise past you ;).

3 Likes

I noticed this as well. My past performances in the Jungle loop used to be much better than the current ones until I came back this fall. I used to be able to climb to the bridge in 6 minutes (or slightly less) which isn’t all that impressive actually but it was a benchmark for me. Now I’m at least 2 minutes (or more) slower on that climb and I know that my power isn’t different, if anything it’s improved.

What’s missing here is that these rides post to Strava just like any rides, and your performance in Strava is analyzed based on the ride, so when Zwift changes things that impact the way people show performance they can’t keep track of their training and if this gets out of hand (which it looks like it might) then people will not want to participate in Zwift all that much.

Isn’t there something else that people have been wanting that you could do rather than F everyone up by changing (now years later) just how riders performance is tabulated? And futher why did it even matter? You had a stable product and no one was ever going to confuse it with the outdoors anyway, why did you have to go and make adjustments that now ruin all the benchmarks that people have out there? I will never set a new PR for the Jungle Loop now, I hope you are happy with that.

Why don’t you just leave things like this alone, you have to know that’s it’s just going to create a lot of animosity because now the training history is all worthless. If you were going to do something like this it should have been done before the product was ever launched and not now years later.

Really Zwift, this takes the cake for stupid.

3 Likes

I haven’t ridden the Jungle since the change. It’s dead to me.

7 Likes

I am sure you performance is the same, it is only your speed that has changed.
Things will change, there will come new routes old routs may change, Zwift algorithm may change, bike dynamics may change, wind direction.

Just Like IRL, the roads will get new pavement or more potholes, a added stop. You may get a new bike. Wind direction, drafting.

Things change and this give a new dimension to Zwift.

1 Like

You know I am in the same boat pretty much. I am working hard to get the tron bike. So I do venture out to AdZ several times a week. Every time i really dislike the dirt to get to the base of the climb. I constantly think to myself that the wasted time in slower dirt could have been spent gaining elevation. Other than that I stay on the pavement in Zwift.

3 Likes

LOL

How much time 1 minute. :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

i used to select jungle route and go straight up the Epic KOM and then reps of the radio tower. Got my Tron before ADZ was in game, but I always wonder whether this is a more efficient method than doing ADZ. Think I used to get about 1000m in an hour. ADZ has more but think you’d need to go about 1hr 20 to get the 1100. So not sure what the amount per hour is including the jungle.

1 Like

Have you tried riding it on one of the new mountain bikes in game? They are now the fastest bikes for the dirt sections and you should be able to match your old speed/time/performance.

1 Like

:persevere:

2 Likes

Or you can do the Watopia KOM.

I did not count the number of times he went up. :scream:
The elevation was over 5,000m

1 Like

I just finished the Absa Cape Epic ride in the Jungle and PR’d the first lap and then beat it by 7 seconds on the 2nd lap. My 3rd fastest time was almost exactly a year ago, March 20, 2019, just before they changed the rolling resistance. I rode the Scott mountain bike.

2 Likes

Couldn’t agree with you more. I’ve only been doing Zwift for 5 months and only cycling for about 1.5 years. I’m not the type of person that really cares about the x’s and o’s of my ride. I much rather ride outdoors and my thoughts of using Zwift during the winter months might help me when warmer weather gets here. Zwift purposely slowing you down while riding through the Jungle Loop is absolutely STUPID! WTF. I now find myself avoiding the Jungle Loop which is a shame because I like the different routes. I know I’m a slow rider but why in the world would you want to purposely slow me down, discouraging me from even using Zwift. I know some people are going to say, switch to a mountain bike while riding the Jungle Loop but who in the world wants to stop their ride, go to their garage and switch bikes. Just plain stupid!!

6 Likes

I may just get that MTB, to set some PR’s in the jungle.

So looking at the zwift insider test.

The faster road bikes complete a jungle lap in around 15:00 minutes flat and the MTB 13:54 so the MTB is 1 min faster. So about 7.5 seconds per km

1 Like

I have relied on this where AdZ climb is most efficient but you are correct that radio tower is right behind. I do other climbs as well so as to not make it completely boring for myself but roughly 3 of 4 rides are AdZ excluding races.

My strava data from Jan 2019 was 13:xx on jungle circuit now with changes i rode 17:xx last night. Im in better shape as i hit my best time this week on Volcano KOM. I dont mind changes, but the old data in Strava (zwiftpower) shouldn’t be compared to new when we have a whole different set of circumstances now. :slightly_frowning_face: