I agree, I have a limited amount of time each week to Zwift, and I am a seasonal Zwift user anyway, with springtime coming up I’m transitioning to outdoors cycling (riding with real people again!) and these Big Sping events are becoming a slog. Definitely less interesting routes than last year. It becomes disheartening to get only one potentially useful prize after 9-10 spin attempts. I think I did better with the ADZ prize wheel. I’m seriously considering that if there’s a Big Spin event next year, I’ll skip it. Route badge hunting and finding bonus XP has been my focus with my level being in the low 90’s. And somehow I have a sneaking suspicion that Zwift, as they have done in the past, will move the goalposts for the maximum levels again. Slap the seasonal users in the face!
I am really not a fan of how the rewards work for this event. Hoped it would get reviewed after last year, but there’s always hoping for next year.
I would:
- Remove the reward from late joining (keep a short grace period after the start, maybe 5 minutes)
- Guarantee that you get a new item with every spin of the wheel if one is available
There are 12 possible rewards and 4 stages. This means that, with a guaranteed reward, it would take an average of 3 rides a week to get everything. That seems very reasonable to me.
Now, since there is no bad luck protection, you end up having to do way more, which leads people to abuse the late join mechanic. And why would you not when you get placed near the front and barely have any effort to do? Open any Stage 3 event on ZwiftPower and you’ll notice that a significant portion of the top 100 does not even have a 5 mins power average. You literally finish ahead of 95% of the full participants! How does that feel fair?
The event should encourage people doing the full ride, not gaming the system.
It isn’t a race though, so why does your finish position matter? It may matter to you, but it doesn’t matter to me, so I don’t care about people that late join and I myself late join when I feel like it. To each their own.
Of course people will “game the system” there are rewards on the line and as you stated there is little guarantee of getting something new. I’ve done 8 to 10 big spin rides (sometimes late joining, sometimes riding on demand) and I’ve only gotten 3 prizes, and multiple duplicates. I have many other planned races each week, I can’t just do Big Spin rides every day and complete the entire route each time. Maybe you have time to do that, but again… to each their own!
You could also make it like this :
You ride the full distance : you get the fail safe and a new item when available.
Late join : you get the spin with the possibility of duplicats like we have now.
How does that feel unfair? Is anyone being harmed by any of this?
Maybe don’t ignore the important part where I say that you should be guaranteed a new reward if you do the full ride?
I don’t care about the finishing position. The example was to highlight how prevalent and advantageous late joining is. The rewards should be for participating in the event, not ignoring it. What’s the point of having an event otherwise? And as things stand, the incentives to do the latter are way too high.
And you’re participating in a way that was both expected and planned for, and was a massive draw and popular talking point last year. Last year’s late join gaming turned the Big Spin into way more than Zwift could have expected.
Holding it during the Zwift Games this year means the people who don’t like it can go do the Zwift Games. Nothing was hidden here regarding how it could be ridden, and everyone has the same options available. There is absolutely zero unfairness here.
I was robbed this morning! My 24th spin and I got the dreaded No Spin! I woulda won the bike! That’s how many spins it took me last year to get the Atomic Cruiser and like @Paul_Southworth sez up there, it takes 24 spins. Unless you get it on the first spin, which I didn’t. I do have something like 5 jerseys, 6 headphones, 4 hats, 4 visors, and 3 wheelsets. Or so…
Hopefully 1.86 fixes the No Spin bug…
Duplicates were a big point of contention last year just as they are this year. I’m making improvement suggestions to make the event more enjoyable for everyone.
Would you really rather take the time to late join something like 25 times if not more or complete 12 rides over 4-5 weeks and be guaranteed all rewards?
Plus I don’t know why people feel entitled to rewards for something they’re not participating in. You won’t see me complain that I didn’t get a Fondo jersey because I didn’t do the Fondo event.
It is, literally a game.
Except less enjoyable for the people who are enjoying it a lot the way it is now by late joining?
You’re asking for the event to be changed to an event that you would prefer more. And that’s fine, tbc. But there’s nothing ‘unfair’ about the current event. People riding the full distance aren’t being hurt or treated poorly. No one is getting any opportunities that aren’t available to others.
You just don’t like it as much, because you don’t want people to get a benefit from less work. That’s fine, preferences are preferences. But it’s just that–your preference. And changing it to get rid of the way that late-joiners are enjoying it would most definitely not make it more enjoyable for everyone. It would make it less enjoyable for them.
And to be clear, yes–I enjoy the system-gaming puzzle of late-joining in the Big Spin. I don’t care about getting all the stuff. Did I want the bike and wheels? Yep (and got them). But I enjoy the late-join gaming more than getting the stuff.
Second edit (sorry, just wanting to answer your points): People are expecting to get the things from the late join because the rules allow for it. I think people are entitled to get what the rules of an event allow for. If the rules didn’t allow for it, there would not be an entitlement. The rules allow for this particular kind of participation. 
Exactly so, @Tom_J . The gaming aspect is part of what makes Zwift fun. On the Jurassic route last week, some friends, fake ones, and I took off at near full speed with a group of ten or so. We finished in under 28 minutes, got the spin (visor #4 for me) and late joined the same event (another set of f$%ing wheels!). It was fun to do and it’s part of the game! Like you said, “Preferences are preferences”. I agree…
It does not.
Yeah I got the bike on maybe my 10th, 12th spin? Less than 15 for sure.
Sorry that was intended as humor but my jokes are the worst. I remain very impressed by Peter’s game craft.
Me too. My humor tends to fall flat at times. Well except these people getting the bike in less than 24 spins. They’re flatter…
It was the Zwift gods smiling on me after a bad day. I always pause to genuflect when I pass their giant statues in Watopia.
Not bad. 
If you do entire route you get possibly to get new items only.
What’s needed next is a late join style system for ADZ so people don’t have to ride the whole climb, but get credit for 1060m elevation and progress to getting tron bike.
You late join fans will surely agree?
I like Peter’s Late Join in the Spin idea. That would be perfect.
I also don’t like any late join on an ADZ ride because they count for times up De Alpe. Either you ride the whole thing or it doesn’t count. The easy cheat is to use The Alpe for a workout. Gets you the elevation towards the Tron and if you finish the climb, you the count…
Speaking of gaming the system, wondering if the number of activities containing event finishes is in somebody’s KPIs and if this thing goes back to shorter routes again next year…