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All Things Zwifty

Zwift update released August 2021 (1.16)

What was included

Zwift’s August update was just released moments ago, the update is currently out on all platforms. This update contained a few new things. One of them is the new route UI. This may seem like a minor change but it is very helpful when following a route. This UI will show how much progress you have made in the route using a progress bar, it will not show the exact distance. It will also display which route you are following in case you forgot. Once you finish the route that you are following, the bar will read as completed then reset again if you continue riding. If you do not select a route, the UI will stay the same as it used to be. The new UI will not however show you how much distance is remaining. You will have to estimate that amount.

Note: There was also a Zwift companion update today which contained bug fixes and minor improvements. The companion update is out on all compatible platforms.

There are also two new routes in Makuri Islands, there are no new roads though. One of the routes is the equivalent to Sea to Tree but Counter Clockwise. It is called Valley to Mountaintop. It is around 5km long with about 130m of climbing. The other is a short route that is flat with a few rollers. It is called Farmland Loop. It’s under 8km long with 57m of climbing. There aren’t any segments on this route which makes it a very calm a relaxed ride. For more details on those routes and video recordings of them, head over here: Valley to Mountaintop details, Farmland Loop details.

Zwift is also rolling out Pack Dynamics 3.0, that will be tested with certain group rides before releasing to the public. This wasn’t included in the actual update but will be updated in server rather than the game client. These changes should make the pack move smoother and I am assuming reduce sticky draft.

There were tons of new bikes added in this update too. Zwift Insider usually runs pretty quick tests on the new bikes, so head over to Zwift Insider for speed tests on the new bike. There were also 3 new wheelsets, including the third ever disc wheel set in Zwift! The new bikes are the Scott Addict RC, Cervelo S5(updated version), Van Rysel EDR CF, Canyon Ultimate CFR, and lastly the BMC Roadmachine. The new wheels are the Cadex 65 wheelset, the Cadex 42 wheelset, and the DT disc wheel. There was also a new running training plan, it is basically the Back to Basics cycling plan but for runners. It is not a strict training plan and it is more of a group/category of workouts. It can be found in the workouts folder and it is called Return to Running. For level locks and cost, scroll down.

The new frames are:

Van Rysel EDR CF – 326,600 drops – Level 12

Canyon Ultimate CFR – 639,000 drops – Level 19

BMC Roadmachine – 780,900 drops – Level 21

Scott Addict RC – 852,000 drops – Level 33

Cervelo S5(updated version) – 852,000 drops – Level 27

The new wheels are the:

Cadex 65 wheelset – 241,000 drops – Level 8

Cadex 42 wheelset – 227,200 drops – Level 21

DT Swiss Disc wheel – 1,579,800 drops – Level 42

Zwift academy Road, Run, and Tri were announced yesterday. The Zwift academy workouts were also added to the workouts folder for you to do whenever you would like. Zwift has also added two new routes for Zwift academy. One of the new routes is Legends and Lava which begins in Fuego Flats and goes through the Titans Grove Reverse KOM, The Watopia Sprint, and the Volcano KOM as benchmarking segments. The other route is Climbers Gambit which starts on downtown Watopia area and includes the Watopia sprint reverse and titans grove reverse KOM and the Epic KOM Reverse(which is the longest segment for the progress rides). For some riders the Epic KOM Reverse is like an FTP test and for others it is a longer effort. I do not have exact distances and maps of the new Zwift academy routes, but I will add them as soon as they are available. For more details on that, head over to these articles:

Here are the bug fix and minor improvement notes from the forums post:

  • Fixed an issue where players were unable to toggle the Hide Display mode during a free ride.
  • Fixed an issue where Pace Partners would occasionally flicker when colliding with another Zwifter.
  • Fixed an issue causing some Zwifters to see assert errors when trying to log in.
  • Fixed an issue where the jersey reward for the 2017 Trek-Segafredo Pro Jersey Mission had been removed from the garage of Zwifters who had completed the Mission.
  • Fixed an issue with bike shadows being incorrect in one specific place in Watopia. I know Watopia is not haunted, I mean I’m pretty sure … right?
  • Fixed an issue that would not award the Elite kit to Zwifters who paired their Elite Suito trainer via BLE.
  • Made minor modifications to in-game messaging in a number of workouts.

Images

Here is a complete gallery view of all of the new content added in this update.

  • Farmland Loop route
  • Valley to Mountaintop route
  • New Van Rysel EDR CF frame
  • New BMC RoadMachine frame
  • New Canyon Ultimate CFR frame
  • New Cervelo S5 frame
  • New Scott Addict RC
  • New Cadex 42 wheelset
  • New DT Swiss Disc wheel
  • New Cadex 65 wheelset
  • New route UI
  • New running training plan

Release notes

Here is a link to the release notes from the Zwift forums post: https://forums.zwift.com/t/game-update-1-16-august-19th-2021/554748

Known bugs/issues related to 1.16

Typically there are bugs released in updates by different companies, not just Zwift. Apps all over the internet have to work through. This section is for the possibility that bugs will be released in this update. If there are any bugs released they will be listed here along with a temporary solution if available. If any bugs show up Zwift is usually pretty quick to find out the issue and find a solution. The bug and a link to the forums thread will be posted here.

Initial thoughts

Overall I think this was a great update, last months update was pretty good for me because I was not affected by the bugs. I look forward to trying the new pack dynamics and riding the new routes! I have been lucky that none of the major bugs affected me, there have been a few that were very annoying, so I can definitely understand why users weren’t happy with Zwift last month. Fingers crossed that there will not be any major bugs in this update. The route UI is much better than the previous UI(which was nothing, just the regular HUD), I still think that it can be better, if they could add the distance remaining and the distance covered to the UI, that would be very helpful.

Post test ride thoughts

I am currently riding right not trying one of the new routes. A video of me riding the new routes will be up soon. The video is currently uploading, here is a video recording of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YBjhrJdGjA. So far I have not run into any bugs. I know other riders/runners are running into some issues bug I have fortunately not been affected by any. I did notice that the power graph at the bottom of the screen has been changed slightly on iOS, I like the new look though. I look forward to trying the new pack dynamics when it becomes available. I was definitely surprised by how many bikes were added in game. All of the new bikes look amazing and I want to buy each and every one of them, if only I had that many drops. Knowing how many miles/km are left in your route would be a total game changer, this new route UI seems like it would be just a start. I would like to see Zwift add onto this by adding the distance covered and distance remaining.

One last thing, Zwift is working on the Wahoo Direct Connect support but they are making sure it is “rock solid” before releasing it. Thanks for reading, if you enjoyed this article or found it useful, subscribe to email notifications to be the first to know about everything Zwifty! What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below!

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