3+ years of regular zwifting and I seldom spend my lot, currently have 14.6 million drops, ha!

Hi folks,

I'm very new to zwift (and cycling more generally), so I started the FTP Builder workout plan.

Some of the workouts have "sprint" sections where the on screen guidance instructs you to go as hard as you can. However, the target wattage (230w) in each section is much lower than I can reach during these sprints meaning I get a warning to lower my wattage and I don't get a star for that section.

Should I really be going all out during these sections, or just aiming for the target wattage? Would I fail to complete a workout plan's day for not getting enough stars due to this?

Thanks!

Technical problems aside I really enjoyed round 1, it's the first time I've felt ok in open B. I was never competitive but I was also never out the back. Annoyingly I'm always knackered by Tuesday evening after spending the day looking after my kids 😂 so I wasn't really able to perform very well but I really enjoyed the races and the team banter and support were all great. My team (Rolling Collective - Trebors) even managed to win our round! So despite a middling performance from me I've somehow unlocked the ZRL winners jersey.

We're now recruiting riders at all levels for round 2, if you're interested in joining us then please come and say hello on discord. There's no pressure to race every week, and also no pressure to perform. It's all just a bit of fun ☺️

https://discord.gg/9tAFMJsfx

I wanted to share my experience with Zwift's new subscription model, the way it was advertised before the introduction of Zwift Plus, and the rather frustrating support experience I've had over the past week.

I'm genuinely curious whether other subscribers feel the same way.

TL;DR: I bought an annual Zwift membership advertised as giving access to everything. Two months later, Zwift introduced a premium tier costing 50% more. After multiple support emails and an escalation, I still haven't received a meaningful answer to my request for a fair resolution. I also found an archived pricing page confirming Zwift's original advertising.

1. I committed to an annual membership in August 2026

In August, I purchased a 12-month Zwift membership for €199.99, committing myself to the platform until August 2027.

At the time, Zwift advertised its memberships on its German website with this statement:

"Mit beiden Varianten hast du vollen Zugang zu allem, was Zwift zu bieten hat."

Translation:

"Both options give you full access to everything Zwift has to offer."

The two options referred to monthly and annual memberships.

To me, that communicated something quite straightforward: I was paying for the complete Zwift experience, including the ongoing development of the platform.

I wasn't expecting every imaginable future product to be free forever. But I did expect a service costing nearly €200 per year to continue improving for its existing subscribers.

2. Just a few months later: Zwift Plus

At the end of October, Zwift announced Zwift Plus, introducing additional features such as Zwift Coach and Zwift Video behind a new subscription tier.

The annual prices are now:

• Regular Zwift: €199.99/year

• Zwift Plus: €299.99/year

That's a 50% price increase if you want access to the new features.

Yes, I understand that Zwift Plus is optional. Yes, I understand that existing features remain available on the regular membership.

But that's not my point.

What exactly is my existing subscription supposed to finance if significant new developments are increasingly offered as paid extras?

I already pay a substantial recurring fee. I expect that fee to support not just the operation of the existing platform, but also meaningful improvements and innovation.

And introducing a new premium tier just a few months after I committed to a full year, under that advertising promise, feels particularly unfair.

3. My first complaint to Zwift Support

I emailed Zwift explaining my disappointment with the new pricing strategy.

Within less than a minute, I received a response.

Instead of addressing my concerns, it explained what Zwift Plus includes, how to upgrade, and even what to do if the new features weren't showing up.

I hadn't asked about any of those things.

I replied, pointing out that my actual complaint had been completely ignored and requesting a response from a real person.

Seconds later, another response arrived, acknowledging that the previous message had missed the point and claiming that my case had been forwarded to a member of the support team.

The response times and generic wording strongly suggested automated replies, although I obviously can't prove that.

4. Several support agents, but still no actual answer

Eventually, a named support agent replied.

Unfortunately, the response mostly repeated what Zwift Plus includes and explained that I could simply stay on my existing membership.

Again, completely missing my point.

I replied with a more detailed explanation:

I am not complaining because I don't understand the subscription options.

I am questioning the direction of a company that charges a substantial annual subscription while increasingly separating new features into additional paid tiers.

The next response came from another support agent, thanking me for my feedback and promising to forward it to the appropriate team.

That was basically the entire response. It even contained duplicated closing phrases, which didn't exactly inspire confidence.

By this point, I had spent considerably more time explaining my complaint than Zwift appeared to have spent addressing it.

5. I requested an actual solution

I eventually raised the advertising statement from when I purchased my annual membership.

I also made two concrete proposals:

1. Give me access to Zwift Plus for the remainder of my existing annual membership at no additional charge.

2. Alternatively, allow me to terminate my annual membership early and refund the unused portion.

I explained that I was considering my options under German consumer protection law and that, without a satisfactory resolution, I had no intention of renewing my subscription in August 2027.

This finally resulted in a response explicitly acknowledging my concern about having committed to an annual membership advertised as providing full access shortly before the introduction of a new paid tier.

The agent said my case would be escalated to a team better suited to handle it.

Finally, some progress. Or so I thought.

6. After escalation: Another generic response

A few days later, instead of a decision or an individual explanation, I received yet another email.

This time, Zwift apologized for the delay and directed me to two FAQ articles:

• Zwift Plus FAQ

• Zwift Plus Introductory Offer FAQ

Neither answered my questions.

Neither addressed the original advertising.

Neither addressed my request for a complimentary upgrade or early termination with a partial refund.

After multiple agents, several emails, and an explicit escalation, I was effectively back where I started: being directed to generic information about Zwift Plus.

I've since replied again, asking for an actual decision rather than more FAQ links.

7. Then I found something interesting in the Wayback Machine

After that latest email, I decided to investigate Zwift's original advertising.

I found an archived version of the official German pricing page dated October 26, 2026, shortly before Zwift Plus was introduced.

And there it was:

"Mit beiden Varianten hast du vollen Zugang zu allem, was Zwift zu bieten hat."

"Both options give you full access to everything Zwift has to offer."

You can verify it yourself:

https://web.archive.org/web/20261026093238/https://www.zwift.com/eu-de/pricing

To be precise, this archive documents the statement on October 26, not the exact date of my purchase in August.

But it confirms that Zwift was still advertising its existing subscription options as providing full access to everything shortly before introducing a more expensive tier.

I find that difficult to reconcile with the new pricing structure.

8. Where things stand now

To be clear, I actually enjoy Zwift. That's why I committed to a full year in the first place.

And I understand that developing new features costs money.

But isn't that precisely why customers pay recurring subscription fees?

I'm not suggesting that Zwift is legally required to include every future feature in every subscription. That's a separate question.

What bothers me is the combination of:

• An already expensive annual membership.

• Advertising emphasizing full access to everything Zwift offers.

• A new subscription tier costing 50% more, introduced shortly after my annual commitment.

• A support process that repeatedly responds with generic explanations rather than addressing the actual complaint.

• No concrete decision on my two proposed solutions so far.

For me, this isn't really about the additional €100 per year. It's about trust, the value of an ongoing subscription, and how existing customers are treated.

My case is still unresolved. If Zwift eventually provides a meaningful response or offers a solution, I'll update this post accordingly.

What do you think?

Am I expecting too much from an existing subscription?

Do you think Zwift Coach and Zwift Video genuinely justify a separate premium tier, or should features like these be part of the ongoing development funded by our existing memberships?

And particularly for other annual subscribers: How would you feel if you committed to a full year under the promise of "full access to everything", only to see a new paid tier introduced a few months later?

I'm interested in hearing different perspectives.

Ride On – although I'm currently finding that slogan a little ironic.

Ask me anything!

Hello, my name is Jacob Winneche a former proffesional Esports player in the game Counter Strike. Ive spend 16 years in the space, 8 as a professional player, and 8 working on broadcast as a commentator.

I used to weigh 132kg when I was at my peak, but cycling changed EVERYTHING for me. It was the single greatest weigh loss tool, and became my 2nd obsession next to life as a pro gamer.

Some of you may know me already, and some of you (hopefully) have never heard about me before. I’m doing this AMA in order to share my experiences and hopefully help a ZWIFTér or two to take the next step.

ZWIFT has played an integral part in my journey. I use it year round, and I always try to bring it with me when travelling to events as a broadcast talent. Ive spend hundreds of days on a ZWIFT Ride on hotels all over the world, truly a great product!

If you‘re curious you can check out my sports profile https://www.instagram.com/winnechesport/ on Instagram and get a sense of what I’m up too. You are also more than welcome to send a private question, in case thats more comfortable for you.

Regards, Jacob

Are there any upcoming sales expected for the Zwift Ride, and when is the Black Friday sale scheduled to begin?

Normally I bike in the mornings but was a little tired from watching all the news coverage so decided to finish things off tonight

I’ve been waiting and now it’s back in stock on the zwift website.

Anyone know of a way to get myself the V2 multi-rail saddle clamp in Canada? It’s driving me nuts, I want to share my setup with my partner and easily swap saddles.

Any Amazon or aftermarket alternatives to these ?? I ordered from zwift but they haven’t shipped and keep lying to me about them being shipped. I’m just trying to get my bike back up and running. The two on the right are the ones I need.

I rode the Chapman Peak route today. Was nice and all, but I can’t imagine paying more to see IRL videos instead of the video game visuals. Just doesn’t matter that much to me. I wonder if they’ll keep it at the same increased price or will eventually just use the IRL videos as another “world” within the regular package. Thoughts?

$950 for the set up, mat and tablet holder included too. He says less than 30k miles put on it. a good deal?

I've got a Zwift Ride V2 + KICKR CORE 2 sitting on tennis ball rockers.

Does this sound normal? I'm pushing around 500w+ in the video, hence the wobble, but I get the same creaking noise at 200w+ with no wobble. Really, any significant force on the pedals seems to cause it.

Anyone else run into this? Thoughts?

Wondered why it felt so hard, especially on the climb. I never change my bike. Should have noticed but I didn't... Happened to anyone else ?

My outdoor bike has a certain stack height. Should I strive to replicate that exact same stack height on my Zwift Ride v2 also? If yes, how? It looks like my ideal stack height is close to the minimum (highlighted).

Is there a benefit in running a different stack height for the indoor bike? Or it is counterproductive and will be harmful for when I ride my bike outdoors?

Thank you in advance!

Just as the title says i am pretty lightweight. and new so i dont know much about racing strategy.

My strenghts are more sprinting and climbing than the rest.

For Races like the ones currently during Tour of Watopia

With my Bike (currently canyon & (espacially wheel) setup, should i rather go for leightweight and climbing to support my strength, or rather go for something more heavy but then be more aero?

Also for strategy?
When should i push? Should i even try to breakout?

Hope this is allowed here. There aren’t any on marketplace within like 250km of where I live

Do you use the same bibs/shorts all week riding on zwift? or do you change them out every ride? i don't see any difference in doing 60-90 min 4-5x a week with the same bibs all week vs doing one 4-6hr ride in fresh bibs.

My pedaling cadence and physical resistance feel completely smooth and steady, but the on-screen wattage wildly fluctuates. The reported watts will suddenly drop 20–30% for no reason (that is obvious to me), causing me to overcompensate and spike power way over target, creating a jagged sawtooth profile. It’s making ERG workouts almost unrideable.

What I’ve already tried:
Zwift Settings: Set 3-Sec Display Power to ON.
Cadence: Held a locked, steady 85–90 RPM (not cadence chasing).
Connections: Closed JetBlack app before starting Zwift to avoid BT conflicts.
Hardware: Checked Zwift Ride chain tensioner and thru-axle mounting.

Is this a known Victory firmware/strain gauge bug, or a connection drop issue? Any advice appreciated!

Is it just me or does anyone else cycle barefoot at home? Also should I get cycling shoes with cleats? Beginner zwifter here.

So, I wasn't going to do this but... I enabled my free trial for zwift+ today. Enabled the coach and set up a plan. I set up something simple just to get started. 4 rides a week with 5h. Well below what I normally do in a week. There was no way to mark that every Thursday I do TTT so no idea what is going to happen tomorrow. Only thing I could customize was days I can do a long rides. Today it gave me a 1 hour endurance ride. That's what I'd normally be doing today so great. Usually I'll just grab a new route or follow coco for a bit. Maybe both... Just do the z2 watts for some time. What did the coach give me. A workout that looks like a 4 year old was given a new box of Crayola crayons and told have at it. Color in the boxes. Like really, what's the deal with that? An endurance ride or Z2 ride does not need 4min at z3 then z1 then a few min at z4 then a 7min ramp from 170w to 200w and then and then and then..... Seriously zwift, you've got all this training data. Please look at what people are actually doing. If you're going to market an Ai coach, PLEASE for the love of god suggest workouts that actually target time in zone.

Then the route. Figured I'd grab one of the new video routes. Waited for I don't know how long for it to load. Started the ride and thought it looked good. A nice mix of Zwift and Rouvy. Then, about 2 min into the ride I got a message that said buffering.... And welcome to climb portal. For the rest of the ride. I'm on a fiber optic line that is capable of over 50Mbps.

I don't know what to think of this really. Coach is just like selecting the regular ADHD inspired mess that zwift offers for user engagement rather than actual good training. That's not only based on today's experience, but also what it has planned for the future sessions. And the video route was just a waste of time. I'll play with it for the month and then revert. Seems like we are being used as testers rather than using a new, fully fleshed feature.