Campag Zonda wheels

secretsam

Am thinking of getting some of these, as they are much lighter than current wheels(!) - plus lots of offers at the moment

Does anyone have any experience of them - how do they ride and any issues with 'larger' riders (90kg)???

arlowood

282 reviews on Wiggle and a 4.9/5 rating should tell you something. I suggest you read through some of the comments - you will probably come across some mention of rider weights I bet.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/campagnolo-zond ... -wheelset/

The caveat is that generally people may over compensate when reviewing something because they don't want the world and his wife to know they've wasted their money.

However I'm sure there will be some forum members who can give you 1st hand experience.

adamfo

It's a pretty stiff wheel. I'm 84 kg and had no problems with mine. At under £250 it's a good deal.

ugo.santalucia

Maybe the last person you expect to review the Zonda, but incidentally I hired a bike to do the Raid Pyrenees in 2010 and it had a pair of Zonda on!

Good wheels, got me up the Col d'Aubisque in 1 hour 20 minutes and they did seem good descenders too with good handling and good braking. I think in a challenging terrain and over quality tarmac they did shine.
I am also sure if you ride on the pothole and cowshxt dotted lanes of Suffolk, they are just as good as a pair of Shimano R 500

andrewthomas197

hello,

I've recently bought a set and they are great. The roads around me are not the best and I haven't experienced any really problems. They roll really well. I'm really pleased.

BTW I'm not exactly the lightest of riders either.

anjasola

Good value for money in my opinion.

gethinceri

I ride them on 25mm GP4000s, they are light enough and stiff enough for me and my 83kg.

roypsb

I'm about 80kg. Got my Zondas about 3 months ago. So far, very good indeed. The current deal on Wiggle is a snip, go for it.

jonny_trousers

I've ridden mine for about a year now and have no complaints. As far as factory built all-rounders go I think they'll be very hard to beat on value for money.

I've ridden them at 89kg and there's no noticeable flex unless you're out of the saddle and really hammering it.

cookeeemonster

So I'm 90kg and have had them on less than a week (replacing shimano r501's).

They do feel 'faster' though not by a massive amount that you might expect given some reviews. Way too early to tell but my commute average speed so far is definately up by a small amount (not great road/cycle path surface either) and also on the 50 mile sportive I did on the weekend I recorded my fastest time/average speed ever despite the non stop rain and hills that I'm not used to - but all that may just be a coincidence. Only time will tell.

People say in the reviews they can be 'harsh'? but I've not noticed any difference. Am running 25mm GP 4 seasons at 95psi front/110psi back. For my commute I also have a full carradice saddle bag...so extra weight than normal.

Hope that helps!

Tjgoodhew

Iv had them about 18 months and rode about 2500 miles on them and they have been great. Im a little lighter at 75kg but have rode in all conditions on both good and awful road surfaces

No issues with flex and with Conti GP4000 they ride fast and smoothly.

For that price i dont think you can go wrong. I would highly recommend

ugo.santalucia

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

I've ridden them at 89kg and there's no noticeable flex unless you're out of the saddle and really hammering it.

My Gmail says that on the 19/6/2012 you were 85.5 Kg... gotta do more training Jonny!

cswitch

They are a great set of wheels. They're pretty snappy and stiff (though I'm only 63kg so not kicking out huge watts). have Shamals also and yes they are better but it's minimal - certainly not worth the price difference IMO.

One downside of the 3G spoke pattern is if a spoke pops it's going to look like a Pringle and won't be rideable. I did have a spoke pop on my rear. Bizarrely the bike was in the hall way and I heard a bang and the spoke had snapped. The spokes are relatively easy to get hold of but not so many shops are familiar with G3 wheels though Velotech campags service centre (not Velotech the Rotor distributor) turned mine around quickly. If I was looking to get some more Campag wheels I would maybe consider getting a set that weren't G3 which is maybe a little more rideable if a spoke does break.

jonny_trousers

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

I've ridden them at 89kg and there's no noticeable flex unless you're out of the saddle and really hammering it.

My Gmail says that on the 19/6/2012 you were 85.5 Kg... gotta do more training Jonny!

Tell me about it! But you try finding time to train when you have a nine-month-old child

I won't quite be 89kg now, but the weight has crept on since I could no longer commute by bike. It sucks.

keef66

I doubt the G3 pattern is entirely to blame, more the low spoke count. I lost a spoke on my rear RS10 which had 20 spokes cross laced, and the wheel promptly assumed a pringle shape and jammed on the stay. No amount of roadside tinkering would make it rideable; couldn't even push the bloody thing.

drlodge

keef66 wrote:

I doubt the G3 pattern is entirely to blame, more the low spoke count.

But the G3 inherently has a low spoke count on the NDS - only 7 spokes compared to 14 on the DS. Hence if one of the 7 goes, there's only 6 remaining and hey presto, its pringle time.

Doony

I'm 93kg and had my Zondas for over 2 years, done several thousand miles on them, never come out of true. They are plenty strong and stiff enough for heavier riders.

yakk

Hi there, I have 2 pairs of these. Fantastic for the price, considering similar performance/weight to Mavic Elites. Feel good to ride, bearings still very smooth after 2000+ miles without needing adjustment, rims holding up without significant wear.
Recommended.
Yak

ugo.santalucia

Can we all stop defining 2,000 miles as "bombproof"...? really, that's 3 months worth of use... I would expect any wheel in any condition to survive 2000 miles without external help...!

6,000 with no service is good; 12,000 miles with no service is remarkable; 18,000 miles with no service is outstanding.

R0B75

I'm around 89kg and had a set of Zondas since early spring this year. Only done ~1100 miles on them so far but they feel very smooth but very responsive when putting the power down. In truth, I don't feel they're that much different to the Fulcrum Racing 5s on my other bike, just look slighter cooler really. I'm very happy with them though and so far I've not had any issues.

arlowood

Shimano fit Zonda's now back in stock at Wiggle.*

Just ordered a set for my build project but likely to be a month or so before I can test them on the Genesis Equilibrium frameset.

Will definitely have a go with them on my Trek 5200 build which I completed earlier in the year

viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=12958886&hilit=Trek

although it might be seen as sacrilegious to swap out a set of Ugo's excellent handbuilts (Open Pro/Novatec) in the process.

* EDIT: Just checked and they are out of stock again. Got the stock alert email on Tuesday and swithered about ordering. Glad I did as they don't seem to hang around. A steal at the Wiggle price IMHO

secretsam

There's something a bit odd about Campag wheels on a Shimano bike...

ugo.santalucia

SecretSam wrote:

There's something a bit odd about Campag wheels on a Shimano bike...

Get over it, it's bullsxit...

jonny_trousers

ugo.santalucia wrote:

SecretSam wrote:

There's something a bit odd about Campag wheels on a Shimano bike...

Get over it, it's bullsxit...

It is, but aren't so many aspects of the cycle industry?

ugo.santalucia

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

It is, but aren't so many aspects of the cycle industry?

Yes, get over those too...

jonny_trousers

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

It is, but aren't so many aspects of the cycle industry?

Yes, get over those too...

Only if you promise to get over people wanting deep section carbon rims whether they have any practical use for them or not.

bendertherobot

The Zondas are the same as the Racing 3, more or less. I love my Racing 3's. And I thought they were a bargain at £310 or so.

The Zondas are spectacular for the money. Probably worth getting a few spokes at the same time, but that's a good shout for most wheels.

ugo.santalucia

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Only if you promise to get over people wanting deep section carbon rims whether they have any practical use for them or not.

I build them... :shock:

jonny_trousers

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Only if you promise to get over people wanting deep section carbon rims whether they have any practical use for them or not.

I build them... :shock:

I know. And very pretty they are too. I'd have no practical use for them, but looking at that picture I know they'd look great in my bike.

cogidubnus

How do the Zonda's compare to the Shimano RS81 C24 thats available from Ribble for £329.99? Both wheels seem a good price and would be a decent upgrade to my Aksiums

bendertherobot

Cogidubnus wrote:

How do the Zonda's compare to the Shimano RS81 C24 thats available from Ribble for £329.99? Both wheels seem a good price and would be a decent upgrade to my Aksiums

Anecdotally, two mates have banged up their RS80's. Being carbon laminate the bike shops could not get them back into true. So they were chucked. I've no idea if that was ham fistedness or genuine inability.

Personally? I find my F3's slightly better than my old RS80's. And that's in a like for like price comparison.

The Zondas are at least as good as the RS80's IMO. I can't comment on the RS81 but I doubt they are better than the Zondas if at all, especially at those prices.