Hello all , just a couple of things I’ve been thinking about…it seems to me to be misleading to have the WPK shown? Because I thought this would only be relevant on climbs, if I am 70k at 2 WPK say, and my mate is 80K with the same WPK, then whilst we would be level going up ( depending on the grade) his extra 20 watts would drop me on the flat and downhill, I thought?
Also when entering your weight, do you add the bikes weight to yours?
Thank you Zwifters.
good article here:
w/kg is a very important metric in Zwift! (& not just on climbs!)
Just your weight.
100% correct. But at least it gives you a idea how hard another racer are going. Mostly used to see when they ramp up to sprint.
On long steep climbs, weight becomes the dominant factor you’re having to overcome as a rider and WPK can be used as a reasonable comparison of riders.
Everywhere else it gets lot harder as other factors like your estimated size come much more into play. Zwift guestimates that based on weight, so heavier riders are treated as being aerodynamically worse. And on the flat it is quickly aerodynamic drag that any rider is having to overcome.
On the flat, comparing other riders WKG will just give you grief as there are too many other unknowns at play. Yes, Zwift use it as part of their system for race categories but that mainly as they haven’t settled on anything better.
And no, the bike weight comes from which ever virtual bike you select to ride. You enter just your actual weight.
Thank you for the info… but my point is you can see a riders WPK, but, not knowing how much they weigh, you don’t know what power they are actually producing at the time, compared with ones own.
Also do I have to add my bikes weight to mine in my profile?
Thank you. Phil.
Yes on a flat road the w/kg does not mean a lot as I said before. It is handy to see when they ramp up to attack you see a sudden increase in w/kg. It is easier to look at a small number like w/kg then a big number like watt.
No just your own body weight.
If their FTP was shown as well as WPK and you were scouting around for a partner/pace man on a ride, then it would be a more accurate indication… just my own take, WPK is ok for climbs though, I appreciate.
in most flat zwift rides, unless there is like a 20+ kg difference, most people going at the same w/kg +/- 0.1 are going to be going at roughly the same speed as you.
i really wouldn’t overthink it too much.
just focus on your own riding. screw what everyone else is doing. as long as you’ve given it your all by the time you’ve crossed the finish line, nothing else matters.
race categories in zwift are primarily decided by w/kg, so it is a very useful metric to be able to see. but if you’re not gonna take our word for it now, you will learn with time once you’ve got a bit more Zwift race experience under your belt 
Don’t get this …surely its your gross weight that counts, you are the engine for the total weight after all, but having said that, if everyone entered their body weight only then I guess it doesn’t matter?
Zwift already add the weight of the virtual bike.
What weight would you enter if you use a kicker bike (93 lbs // 42 kilograms). You are not moving your trainer bike you are powering the virtual bike in game.
In the Zwift Companion app, you can click on another riders name in the “Zwifters Near Me” list to see their actual watts. I know this works on regular rides, not sure about races.
I’m usually one of those riders that frustrates lighter riders in the flats because I’m heavier with a lower watts per kilo and I keep gaining on them since my actual watts are higher.