What Is Zwift? Explained

When the weather’s grim, you’re nursing an injury, or you’re time-poor, it can be

hard to find the motivation to leave the house for a ride. For decades, the alternative

was to attach your bike to a noisy wind or magnetic trainer, and spin your way through 

a tyre-shredding and tedious (albeit highly effective) workout whilst staring at a wall. 

But that’s all changed.

Since coming out of beta in late 2015, Zwift has taken indoor training by storm. Even 

if you’re not using the platform yourself, you’ll have heard whispers of it in the 

bunch–maybe even seen your Strava feed filled with friends riding in exotic (even 

imaginary!) locations. And if the rain is hammering down on your roof when the 

alarm goes off for your morning bunch ride, perhaps you’ll start to see the appeal of 

joining them.

ZWIFT: THE BASICS

Zwift is an online multiplayer training tool and game, which allows users to ride on 

a series of courses against other riders from all around the world. It transcends the 

dull reputation of training indoors, and has been at the forefront of gamifying and 

bringing social interaction to this previously loathed activity. It’s clearly struck a 

chord with its target audience – the platform’s popularity has rapidly grown, and 

hundreds of thousands of active account users are now regularly logging on to ride 

on Zwift.

Within the Zwift experience, users can choose the appearance, kit and bike of their 

avatar. There are three virtual worlds – the 2015 Road World Championships course

in Richmond, Virginia; around the London CBD (with a detour to the climb of Box

Hill); and a fictional island called Watopia. The courses can be run both clockwise 

and anti-clockwise, and Zwift serves up the different courses on a rotating roster.

The Zwift platform can be used in a number

of ways that are both familiar and fresh with

innovation. At its most simple, you can just 

jump on and ride around the course – a 

considerably more immersive experience than 

just pedalling on an indoor trainer without 

visual stimuli. But where Zwift comes into its 

own is when social interactivity is added, 

allowing users from around the world to ride 

in virtual bunches and participate in challenges,

 with all the banter and social engagement and competitive nature of a hard bunch ride.

WHAT DOES IT COST?

Zwift is a subscription-based service, which costs $19.99 AUD a month. You can also test

it out with a payment-free seven-day trial before committing.

WHAT YOU NEED TO GET SET UP

Technological advances in the trainer space have brought previously unimagined levels of

 realism to the indoor cycling experience. Smart trainers – which incorporate power meters,

electronically powered resistance, and an astonishingly lifelike ride-feel – provide the best

experience when riding on Zwift, but are by no means essential.

The basic set-up

Whilst smart trainers are pretty incredible in what they can achieve, they’re also expensive

and aren’t strictly necessary to getting rolling on Zwift. With only a limited financial outlay

and a few bits of equipment you’ve probably already got at home or in the garage, you may

be able to make your first foray into the world of Zwift.

As long as you’ve got a computer or other device that meets Zwift’s minimum requirements,

a bike, an indoor trainer and an ANT+ speed/cadence sensor or Bluetooth LE (BLE) device,

you’re good to go – albeit in a reduced capacity.

Zwift has tested a wide array of popular classic trainers (i.e. not smart trainers) to calculate 

virtual power-curves for different speeds. In essence, this gives a power figure based on

speed. While the accuracy of this power figure is reduced during accelerations, at a steady

pace with a properly set-up trainer it should be quite accurate. Wattage on virtual power-

curves is capped at 1,200w.

Zwift has also calculated a more accurate power-curve for a smaller number of trainers – 

the ‘zPower’ virtual power curve – which can estimate and display your wattage even during 

accelerations. Wattage on zPower is, likewise, capped at 1,200w.

But the most accurate way to experience Zwift with a non-smart trainer is by using an actual 

power meter rather than a virtual one. If you have an ANT+ or BLE power meter, you’re able 

to Zwift on any trainer, including rollers.

If your trainer isn’t a device supported by Zwift, all is not lost – you can still get on the platform 

by running off a speed sensor alone, but diligent set-up of the trainer is essential and your virtual 

maximum wattage will be capped at 400w.

Smart set-up

Where Zwift really comes into its own, however, is with the addition of a smart trainer. Smart 

trainers are electronically controlled trainers with an inbuilt power meter, that are able to provide 

an additional level of realism to the riding experience. Ascending a virtual hill on Watopia? The 

trainer will apply more resistance to replicate this added effort. Drafting behind another rider? 

The smart trainer will reduce the effort required. It’s a slightly eerie but impressively lifelike 

experience.

Some smart trainers can be wince-inducingly expensive but so is a lot of bike gear, and if you’re 

spending enough time on an indoor trainer it’s a worthwhile investment for the improvement in 

performance and enjoyment they can bring. Look to brands like Cyclops, Tacx, Wahoo or Elite 

for highly-regarded smart trainers.

Other stuff

Zwift is a graphics-rich platform, so there 

are certain computer requirements that 

may influence your ability to run the 

program. It’s nothing overly restrictive, 

however, and if you have a Mac or PC 

built in the past three years you should 

be able to get Zwifting without too much 

trouble. You’re also in luck if you’re using 

other Apple devices – you can run the 

program on iPad, iPhone and Apple TV. 

Zwift for Android is currently in development.

Depending on what sensors you’re using on your bike, you may need to purchase an additional 

dongle to transmit the signal to Zwift. If you’re using a Garmin speed/cadence sensor, for example, 

you’ll need an ANT+ dongle to receive the sensor signal and translate it to a format that Zwift can 

understand.

That’s the essential stuff out of the way. In the interests of comfort and cleanliness, it’s not a bad 

idea to set up a fan (or two) and a sweat mat under the trainer to ensure your Zwifting experience 

is as pleasant as possible.

HOW IT CAN HELP CYCLISTS

Time on the trainer is incredibly efficient – there’s no coasting, no tailwinds, no drafting and no 

traffic lights to recover at. But its benefits are far greater than just that.

For vast swathes of the world with cold, dark winters, indoor trainers are a godsend, allowing 

riders to maintain or even improve their fitness through the off-season. With a Zwift account, 

you don’t need to scramble about for your leg warmers, shoe covers and full-finger gloves to go 

for a bike ride. The world outside may be buried under feet of snow, but chances are it’ll be sunny 

in Watopia, and digital rain and snow doesn’t get you wet or cold.

Those recovering from injury can also benefit 

from training on Zwift. Broken collarbones 

and wrists are a common byproduct of crashing

 on a bike, and riding on an indoor trainer can 

allow you to spin your legs without needing to 

worry about braking or having your hands on 

the handlebars. Even the most seasoned 

professionals are reaping the benefits – Mat 

Hayman, winner of the 2016 Paris-Roubaix, 

broke his arm just six weeks before the race

 and credited Zwift with helping him maintain 

his motivation and form throughout his recovery.

The efficiency of Zwift can also be a serious boon for the time-poor. Parents, shift-workers and those 

working long hours – to name but a few – can all benefit from being able to fit a hard workout into a 

shorter amount of time.

Finally, if you’re geographically isolated, don’t have a group to ride with, or want to ride with friends 

living interstate or overseas, indoor cycling on Zwift offers considerable social benefits. Indeed, as our 

very own US team discovered – remote working across three different cities – it’s possible to use the 

platform for virtual lunch rides, too.

VIRTUAL CYCLING, REAL FITNESS

Virtual cycling on platforms like Zwift is one of the clearest demonstrations of how technological 

advancements can improve the individual riding experience. Offering an engaging, social way for 

cyclists to ride (and ride hard!) from the comfort of their own home, Zwift has brought new life to 

the previously tedious activity of indoor training.

Paired with a smart trainer, Zwift narrows the gap in realism between riding on road and online – 

and as countless thousands of Zwift users are discovering, it can be incredibly efficient, social and fun 

as well.