Should I upgrade my bike before doing major climbs?

General Discussion
1

Hello,

I am new and have only been Zwifting for about a week. I’ve reached level 7 with about 180,000 drops. I’ve only recently discovered the Everest challenge in which I joined to be able to unlock the Tron bike eventually. I figure that this would the best reward for time invested.

My question is, when I should I start looking at upgrading my bike to be able to ride these climbs more efficiently? It frustrates me that I am always the slowest on the hills due to my crappy bike even though I’m outputting more wattage than the others. Riders are breezing by me while I’m climbing at 3km/hr.

I’ve done some research and think that the Zwift Aero is a nice choice at 319,500 drops (unlockable at Lvl 6). It’ll take me more time to get to be able to afford it but I’m willing to wait for it.

I guess my question is, should I even bother trying to do climbs with such a crappy bike when I’m going at a sloth pace or should I wait until I’m able to upgrade to the Zwift Aero before attempting these climbs so that I can get more distance from of the same output?

Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks!

2

At level 7 I think the Tarmac SL7 is recommended for fastest climbing

2 Likes
3

A different bike won’t make that much of a difference only a few seconds up the Alpe.

4 Likes
4

Ignore anyone that’s breezing by you. They might be a lot fitter than you, or they might be using a setup which is putting out unfeasibly high power. Whatever it is, just like being overtaken on an outdoor climb, it doesn’t matter.

As Gerrie said, even the best bike will only save you seconds on an Alpe climb.

Have a look at this article for some tips on time efficiency on the Everest challenge - The Easiest (Legal) Way to Get the Tron Bike in Zwift | Zwift Insider

2 Likes
5

Thank you, I will consider these bikes if/when I have enough coin.

6

Good to know thanks, I won’t feel so bad when climbing with my beginners bike now :slight_smile:

7

Yes, you are correct since I am a beginner my average wattage is fairly low just barely above 100.

Thanks for the article, I’ll have to learn how to navigate the routes to be able to repeat those hills. Thanks!