old zipps or new handbuilt aero wheels?
moonshine
Posts: 1,022
I was about to buy a set of 50mm carbon hand built wheels from Wheelsmiths with CX-rays and novatec hubs this week (1380g), - i budgeted about £600 all in for wheels and tubs...
However, I’ve got an opportunity to buy a set of old (but pretty much unused) Zipp 440 rims (18 bladed spoke front 24 bladed spoke rear), laced onto hope hubs, with vittoria corsa CX tubs for £300. Front weighs at 920g in total, therefore 670g plus tub at 250g , and rear weighs at 1150 in total, 900g plus 250g tub (inc tub), so not super light at 1570g for the pair)
The hubs are good and smooth, freehub is ok - it was fitted with a 8 speed shimano cassette, and I’ve plonked a 10 speed cassette on and all seems sweet. Braking surface seems almost perfect and they are almost perfectly true – (spoke nipples are external, so tweaking them should be no issue)
I know the previous owner -who recons the wheels are about 2002 vintage, but they have hardly been ridden, used only for occasional TT and not at all in the last 7 years as the owner has retired from cycling.
Wheels to be used for TT and occasional RR –
Question is...Zipps for £300, or new ones for £600 - I'm inclined to go for the Zipps –
Also, can anyone shed some light on the age? I’m struggling to find more info on the net just now.
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However, I’ve got an opportunity to buy a set of old (but pretty much unused) Zipp 440 rims (18 bladed spoke front 24 bladed spoke rear), laced onto hope hubs, with vittoria corsa CX tubs for £300. Front weighs at 920g in total, therefore 670g plus tub at 250g , and rear weighs at 1150 in total, 900g plus 250g tub (inc tub), so not super light at 1570g for the pair)
The hubs are good and smooth, freehub is ok - it was fitted with a 8 speed shimano cassette, and I’ve plonked a 10 speed cassette on and all seems sweet. Braking surface seems almost perfect and they are almost perfectly true – (spoke nipples are external, so tweaking them should be no issue)
I know the previous owner -who recons the wheels are about 2002 vintage, but they have hardly been ridden, used only for occasional TT and not at all in the last 7 years as the owner has retired from cycling.
Wheels to be used for TT and occasional RR –
Question is...Zipps for £300, or new ones for £600 - I'm inclined to go for the Zipps –
Also, can anyone shed some light on the age? I’m struggling to find more info on the net just now.
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Comments
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If it was me, I would go for the new ones TBH, I have no idea on performance, but they are 8 years old!!0
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A Word of warning. A mate of mine had exactly the same pair of Zipp wheels, roughly the same age. I borrowed them for a TT. Concentrating as you do in the race, I hit a small crack in the road, nothing major, but I heard a ping and the wheel buckled. I managed to finish the race by slackening the front brake.
I got back to the HQ and examined the wheel. I thought it would just be a broken spoke. Turned out a large chunk of the hub flange had broken off, meaning two spokes had no hub to pull on! Seems the alloy on the Hope hubs had given up. Asking around the same had happened to a few other people.
So I had to scour ebay looking for a spare front hub with the right spoke count and get it fixed - which wasn't easy.
As an owner of the Gigantex/Novatec/CX-Ray combo - I know what I'd buy.Expertly coached by http://www.vitessecyclecoaching.co.uk/
http://vineristi.wordpress.com - the blog for Viner owners and lovers!0 -
Yep, Ive been there with 2nd hand carbon wheels it didnt go too well, my advice is go for the new ones too.Rock 'n' Roule0
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Spend the extra money and get the handbuilts.
Too many reasons why it's a better idea to name.0 -
I had the clincher version of these wheels.
Nice looking but not very rigid, had several blow outs (one descending Les deux Alpes - yikes!) & lost faith in them.
I'd get new wheels.Ribble Gran Fondo
Boardman CX Team
Trek 8000
Sirrus framed 'special'
Prev: Avanti Corsa, Routens, MBK TT, homemade TT bike, Trek 990, Vitus 979 x 2, Peugeot Roubaix & er..Raleigh Arena!0 -
I bought my wife a set of second hand zipps about 3 years ago or more, could have been 2006 or 2007. Not sure how old they were when I bought them, but they look the same as the modern zipps. Also, though they have been very much special occasion race wheels, she has had no issue with them at all, they still look as good, and ride as well, as new. -The ones you're looking at do look pretty dated though, and may be more complimentary to an older bike, in a retro sort of a way. The other thing is - you're 600 quid budget for new wheels, is pretty decent. You're not too far away there from the price of a brand new set of zipp something or others are you?
AND, as my mate keeps telling me - the day you buy, is the day you sell. And there'll always be a market for clean second hand ZIpps. Might not be so easy to sell on your lesser-known, custom made wheels in a few years time, no matter how good they are.0 -
Thanks for the comments.
Ive thought about it overnight and decided to go with a new set of handbuilts. the 440's look ok, but they aren't cheap enough compared to the new cost to swing it.
I'm not sure of the age of the rim, as it doesn't seem to fit with the info on the zipp website, so i think i'll pass. - Just doesn't feel great, so go with instinct.
Zipp Decal Timeline - http://www.zipp.com/support/identify/decal_timeline.php
Zipp Wheel Timeline - http://www.zipp.com/support/identify/wheel_timeline.php0
