Some folks are getting bans for the shortcuts finally. I came across a streamer who publicly shared the AdZ downhill repeats and a few days later she got a ban in the live stream too 
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Instead of giving them shadow ban or whatever they do with these individuals, how cool would that be if Zwift just gave them a shadow anvil 
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Itâs a safe bet that the people cheating to upgrade bikes are also not people racing.
They just want the âblingâ factor.
Rather, they all are unlikely to be consistent racers anyway; maybe ZRL at most.
Which, as mentioned earlier, I think if anyone sees anyone cheating, you should inform them that majority of racing series will be using neutral bikes, and what theyâre doing servers virtually zero purpose.
Because as it still stands, the only purpose upgrades serve right now are to make you faster in a group ride, alter your segment times from historical comparisons, and give you some benefit on the Zwift Monthly races when they arenât completely broken.
Iâm willing to bet of majority of these min-maxers (thatâs what theyâre called in the gaming world I think), if you look up the last time they raced, excluding ZRL, probably not once for this whole year so far.
As for the commentary about someone going up to âCat Aâ this is really why it doesnât matter; because these people donât race.
Public racing in Cat A on Zwift is 25% actual cheaters anyway, so even âweâ donât really enjoy the racing either.
I can disprove that - Iâm looking at an elite esports racer (well known) who has done 78.6km of ADZ descents in just over an hour, 38 watts max power and 0 watts average.
With 158 thumbs up for the effort.. 
Of the bans I know about, including the 2 that you are responding to⌠all are racers. There are two bans related to verified / âproâ racers. TTT âchampionsâ. Several race teams.
what the heck 
why bother ?
Sadly, banning a few popular cheesing streamers does not solve the issue, and there are probably hundreds of others that will reap the benefits of the exploit without consequence.
Is there a list of bikes that have the XP/Drops upgrades? In general the fastest frames will not have the aero/drops upgrade, but Iâm not sure how to tell ahead of actually upgrading them.
So, if my goal is not the fastest TT/aero/climbing bike, but instead to get the fastest TT/aero/climbing bike with an XP/drops upgrade which ones would I go for?
There is a pattern to it, All About Zwiftâs New âBike Upgradesâ Functionality | Zwift Insider
Correct, as I mentioned I am aware that âhigher level bikes donât unlock drops or XP bonusesâ.
What Iâm wondering is if there is any way to know which specific bikes do unlock drops and XP bonuses ahead of upgrading them - to then figure out which of those happens to be the fastest TT, Aero, Climbing bikes (within that subsest of bikes).
Edit: To put it another way⌠If your goal is to upgrade the best TT/Aero/Climbing and all-arounder that will have an XP and drops boost⌠Which bikes are those?
Zwiftâs recent introduction of a bike leveling systemâwhere bikes become more performant the more a rider uses themâmay initially seem like an engaging way to reward loyalty and encourage longer rides. However, this change introduces fundamental issues of fairness, competitive balance, and player retention that risk undermining the community-driven spirit Zwift has cultivated over the years.
At the heart of Zwift is competitionâwhether in races, group rides, or casual KOM chasesâand that competition has historically been based on a shared sense of equal footing. Everyone entered a race with access to the same equipment, with differences coming down to training, tactics, and fitness. By implementing performance-based leveling tied to specific bike usage, Zwift introduces a mechanical advantage that disproportionately favors long-time or high-volume riders. This creates a disparity between veteran users who have already sunk hundreds of hours into the platform and newer riders who are now expected to âgrindâ on specific bikes just to reach parity.
This system could also open the door to widespread cheating through bots and automation. Because bike performance is now tied to time spent riding a specific frame, some users may be tempted to use botsâautomated programs that simulate pedalingâto artificially rack up hours and unlock advantages without doing any real work. Zwift has already faced issues with cheating in the past, and this new mechanic adds a fresh incentive for dishonest users to exploit the system. Not only does this undermine the integrity of competition, but it could also force Zwift into a constant game of cat-and-mouse with cheaters, wasting resources and eroding community trust.
Furthermore, the system risks reducing the diversity of bikes in use. Instead of encouraging experimentation and variety, riders will likely feel compelled to stick to a single bike to maximize level progression. This makes the platform visually less interesting and stifles the personalization that has long been a fun part of the Zwift experience.
There is also a psychological toll to consider. Zwift, like many fitness platforms, thrives when users feel motivated and empowered. But a system where progress is gated by time spent on a particular frame can quickly feel like a grind. For casual riders or those with limited training hours, catching up to long-time users becomes an impossible task, leading to frustration and potentially driving them away from the platform altogether.
In short, while the idea of progression is not inherently flawed, tying performance to usage in a competitive environment erodes fairness, invites cheating, alienates new users, and reduces the diversity and creativity that Zwift has fostered over the years. If Zwift wants to reward loyalty and mileage, it should do so cosmeticallyânot by altering the mechanics of the ride.
Youâre not wrong about the clowns using âhacksâ and bots to level up their bikes. Sad because racing will either all be neutralized equipment, or will be unbalanced for a bit (and for new people until they level up their bikes too).
But a lot of what youâre seeing just looks like a rearranging of the same deck chairs to me. Bots and cheaters? Yep. Everyone on the same bike? Itâs been Trons and like two non-Trons with disc wheels as far as the eye can see forever, hasnât it?
Itâs only going to force Zwift into a cat and mouse game if Zwift actually decides to play that game. Otherwise itâs just a mouse game, with a cat disinterested in catching the mice. WhichâŚto be honest, thatâs what itâs looked like before this, right? Bots, flyers, sandbaggers, oh my.
This.
For new/casual users, the addition of further performance enhancements makes any competition (whether that be in formal racing or in simple stuff like KOMs, Sprints and Group Rides) even tougher. Once they are far enough out of reach, folk stop trying to obtain them and they become a turn off rather than an incentive, so they might as well look at other platforms that at least appear to be fairer.
No. For most people Zwiftâs main appeal is as a way of riding when, for any reason, you canât or donât want to go for a ride outside. Some add racing to that, but not everyone. Plenty are free riding, riding in groups, or doing workouts.
You also overlooked the fact that the new feature changed nothing that didnât already exist. The first day novice Zwift racer doesnât have the drops for many of the best bikes and wheels, and even with the drops they canât access the best bikes and wheels until they have reached certain levels or completed certain feats. Why is this not an issue people are howling about - because the difference they make is minor, and at the serious levels of racing the race organisers can level the playing field.
Bikes are either classified as entry-level, mid-range or high-end. We know that entry-level bikes get Drops and XP upgrades, and it seems that high-end ones donât.
So the question is, do mid-range bikes get Drops and XP upgrades?
Message 112 in this thread above has all the bikes categorized.
message 100 above to 112 has all the bike classifications but is missing the values for upgrades. They are in the game files though.
The problem is⌠the XP boost on an entry level bike is 1xp per KM. Does that seem like enough to go after your goal or would you prefer to just upgrade a better bike? Someone looked at the pay off of upgrading for drops to fund a Tron upgrade and decided against it (above in this thread).
At some level of aero benefit, the aero upgraded bike would get you the same thing as an extra 1xp/km. Just need a bike that gets you 5% more distance for the same effort 
The upgrades are only going to make the difference of a handful of watts, youâll barely notice it when in a group, particularly as most riders in a bunch (including myself) are wasting loads of watts riding inefficiently anyway.
Itâll only really make a notable difference on a longish climb or a TT, however most people are likely to focus on upgrading their aero bike, so itâs only really going to be a big benefit if you make a solo breakaway.
Some well made AI-generated points, but the scale of impact I think has been overblown.
