Toothengineer wrote:
BT_DreamChaser wrote:
The Gravel Bike is much faster than any road bike in the Jungle. But the mountain bikes are still slightly faster. Always choose MTB in the future if you want the fastest bike.
Now is it faster to stop and change bikes then stop and change back?
The answer is: it depends. In most cases and from my experiences the answer is: Yes.
Since the Zwift update in (I believe) October 2019, the Mountain Bike is significantly faster than a road bike strictly on Jungle Dirt roads. Zwift Insider tests show the MTB at 13:47 vs the Tron Bike at 15:00 flat for the full Jungle Loop @ 300 watts. So at slower speeds the time gap will be even more significant.
If you're in a Zwift Race or competitive Group Ride and you're in a large pack of 20+ riders all riding road bikes, and you go through the Jungle don't stop. With the group dynamics of draft if you stop to switch bikes, you'll burn serious matches to catch back on. Assuming you do. And then when you hit tarmac you have to switch back and will lose the group. Again.
But truth is, I haven't personally experienced that dynamic. The one time I've been in a Zwift Race that went though the full Jungle Loop, most of the group actually stopped and switched to MTN Bikes. And the two or so group rides that I did, including Mega Pretzel, it was smaller groups of 4 to 5 rdiers everywhere by that point, and the riders who switched to MTN Bikes all re-passed the road bikes and got significant gaps by the time we reached the tarmac.
So in all instances I've experienced, including another few solo rides, it was definitely worth the Bike swap IF riding a full Jungle route; not just a short section.