Watts/kg for heavier riders?

New to this and just sense checking that it’s normal for me (100kg) to be doing the same watts/kg as the 1.4 and 1.6 watts/kg robopacers in Watopia eg. Averaging 168 watts on 45min of Volcano flats.
Shouldn’t watts/kg be less for big riders like me on the flats?

You are not on a TT bike frame?

Or a MTB or gravel bike?

I’m a lighter rider so I always have to do similar w/kg.

I’m on a standard road bike.

Reading Zwift Insider articles it seems aero drag and rolling resistance are significant enough that I have to put out around 40 watts more

What were the names of the pacers you rode with? Until recently the pacers showed their average pace on the home screen, but a flaw in a recent release has made them show their current power instead of average power. There are no 1.4 or 1.6 W/kg pacers, so that implies you were looking at their current power which might be on a descent. If the 1.6 W/kg pacer was Miguel, its average would be 1.8 W/kg and that’s what it would do on flat terrain.

You might also gain a very small advantage by going to zwifterbikes.web.app and checking to see which bike is fastest on the route you were on. That won’t make a big difference assuming your bike choice was reasonable. And if you get dropped on the cilmbs then sometimes it makes sense to pick a lighter bike instead of the fastest one for the circuit.

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Thanks Paul, it was Miguel. So 1.8 w/kg * 75 kg = 135 watts average for him. And 170 watts for me. That’s me sticking in the middle of big bunch 95% of the time.

Will look out for other bikes as I progress. Currently level 6 so backwards caps and gloves are my ‘upgrades’!

Yes being heavy means you have to put out more wattage even on flat roads, rolling resistance is a function of weight.

Jip us bigger guys have to work harder.

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The DT Swiss ARC 62 wheels should be your first purchase in the drop shop, then the Zwift Aero frame. After that save up for the Canyon Aeroad. Pace partner rides, badge hunting short routes, and collecting followers will help you level up and get drops.

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Great tips, thanks Paul!

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I would skip the Zwift Aero bike and buy straight away the Canyon Aeroad (when you reach that level of course). The drops needed for the Zwift Aero bike you can save in order to buy the Canyon Aeroad faster.

I found out that you gain quicker the needed XP than the needed drops in the first stage.

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Some people don’t buy any bikes, they just do whatever is needed to get the Tron bike.

They tend to have crazy amounts of drops.

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