He could give indieVelo a try: https://indievelo.com/
This whole move is really awkward.
I got the same message too. I get that Zwift want to change their business model if this is costing them more than they want it to, however switching it off without an alternative - family membership etc. is pretty irritating.
My 2 kids are on a cycling team, riding track, CX, and road and use Zwift throughout the year. My 9 year old has ridden AdZ in 53min, has a 4.1ftp and races Cat C competitively. Is that the kind of person you want to kick off the platform? If Zwift is now making U16 accounts pay, I can sort of understand that. If you are blocking all U16 users, our family of 4, including myself, level 88 having ridden 57000km, will leave Zwift forever and actively speak against it with those we know. That decision would be complete rubbish. I’m hoping something else is going on and I’ve gotten myself all worked up over nothing. It wouldn’t be the first time.
@Andy_Linquist if your kids already have accounts then nothing is changing… “There are currently no changes to existing accounts.”
Thanks. While that’s great for my kids, they’ve got teammates they’ve been encouraging to join who can’t and that seems crazy. Hopefully there’s a new way of handling things coming up such as family accounts.
Their reply to me was similar. I’ve also connected with a couple other larger voices in the industry who were awesome enough to respond to me and they’re apparently going to be writing about this soon. Hopefully the story has a happier ending than what’s presently being communicated.
Hi Andy,
Thanks for getting in contact with us. This is Camilo, an Account Specialist from Zwift.
I appreciate the information provided, and thanks for the details provided regarding your concern with the U16 accounts, let me provide you with some important information.
As you may know, we are no longer accepting consent form requests for U16 child accounts. We understand this news may be disappointing for our community but we hope that the children of the community can find alternative ways to continue pursuing the joys of riding a bike.
I would also like to confirm that if your kids already had a U16 account, their accounts will still be renewed with normality until they turn 16, I would also like to thank you for the feedback you have provided and I will make sure to pass it along to the appropriate team, so we can continue enhancing our platform.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts about our recent decision, and if you have any other concerns or questions, feel free to add them.
Have a wonderful day!
Camilo O.
Member Experience Agent
Zwift
This is truly disappointing. Just wanted to register my 2nd child…
I realize as well that it comes around the same time that Zwift increased the prices by 25%.
Me and my wife already pay ~€40/month, and now we should add another €20 and hope that Zwift will not change again rules and make also the already registered child pay (“There are currently no changes to existing accounts”). Worst case I pay €80 for a piece of Software which is great in any case, technically however not close to the complexity of a sophisticated computer game where I would pay a fragment of the price?
Means yet another purely commercial driven decision, maximising profits on a large customer base without real advantages for them.
Zwift has approx 1M active users, calculate for yourself the revenue per month/year… Kids for sure are a very small minority, too bad they also want to squeeze out those last bucks…
Dear founders Jon Mayfield, Eric Min, Scott Barger, Alarik Myrin, is this inline with the vision you had when you founded Zwift 10 years ago?
The answer to that is probably yes, as the vision would have been to make as much money as possible. in the meantime there are other options out there at a price of 0, think what you could do with an extra 80 euro a month
Hello, I just tried to go for a ride and it is asking me to sign up. I am 15yo and have had a free junior account for a few years. I don’t turn 16 until March of 2025. How do I reinstate my free account? I plan on upgrading my account when I’m old enough.
Thanks,
Haley Cline
HEC - Health Education Cycling
Send an email to support@zwift.com and make it clear that you are trying to renew an existing account. (The changes mentioned earlier in the thread only apply to creating a new account, so account renewal is not a problem).
Note: Zwift doesn’t handle any account-related queries in the public forum in order to ensure privacy.
I’m heartbroken by this news, I don’t like their business decision making at all. It’s pretty cold.
… and lie about your kid’s age. This is terrible from Zwift…