zipp 303, novice-ish cyclist

tunit2190
tunit2190 Posts: 4
edited October 2016 in Road buying advice
Hi guys, I'm a long time follower, first time poster of this forum.

I've been cycling for about 2 years now (~300km a week). To date my trusty weapon of choice is a 500 pound bike with the box standard Shimano wheels. I am looking to upgrade my wheels with a 600 pound budget.

I found a Zipp 303 Firecrest Rear Clincher on sale right now for 404 pounds (394 after coupon) on CRC. I haven't shopped around much for wheels but I think that this is a good price, but wanted to hear your thoughts whether I should impulse buy or wait ... say if this price might drop even lower around the holidays? Any experienced buyers here?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/zipp ... -prod86934

Comments

  • tomisitt
    tomisitt Posts: 257
    Putting Zipps on a £500 bike might not be the best use of your budget. The Zipp in question has a Campag freehub and some reviewers say it is not 10/11-speed compatible...will that be a problem? If it's a £500 bike I'd spend the £600 upgrading the whole bike, or the groupset, before worrying about the wheels.
  • noodleman
    noodleman Posts: 852
    Just the one wheel then?
    argon 18 e116 2013 Vision Metron 80
    Bianchi Oltre XR Sram Red E-tap, Fulcrum racing speed xlr
    De Rosa SK pininfarina disc
    S Works Tarmac e-tap 2017
    Rose pro sl disc
  • tunit2190
    tunit2190 Posts: 4
    tomisitt wrote:
    Putting Zipps on a £500 bike might not be the best use of your budget. The Zipp in question has a Campag freehub and some reviewers say it is not 10/11-speed compatible...will that be a problem? If it's a £500 bike I'd spend the £600 upgrading the whole bike, or the groupset, before worrying about the wheels.

    I have a Shimano 10 speed; according to Zipp and others that seems to be fine. I do take your point however. That said, I have ultegra group set already (bike was heavily discounted at time of purchase).
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    noodleman wrote:
    Just the one wheel then?

    This. Are you really asking if you should spend £400 on a single rear wheel as an upgrade for a £500 bike???
  • tunit2190
    tunit2190 Posts: 4
    noodleman wrote:
    Just the one wheel then?

    Yep :(
  • 964cup
    964cup Posts: 1,362
    1. If it's a Campagnolo freehub, cassettes will be expensive, relative to Shimano.
    2. 10-speed Campagnolo doesn't work perfectly (although it's usable) with a Shimano groupset.
    3. You won't get much perceived benefit from changing just the rear wheel.
    4. You will at some point have to find a front wheel, by which time, assuming you buy new, even with discounts you'll have spent the thick end of £1000 - which gives you a very wide choice of wheelsets.
    5. There are always good used wheelsets in the classifieds on here - I'd look there first.
    6. For what you're proposing to spend on the rear wheel, you could get a new set of Ksyrium Elites (with tyres) from Mantel. Not aero, but a superb wheelset and in my view a more sensible upgrade at this point.
  • noodleman
    noodleman Posts: 852
    For another few hundred quid you could buy a secondhand caad or similar, which would outperform your current bike even if you bought a pair of Zipp's.
    argon 18 e116 2013 Vision Metron 80
    Bianchi Oltre XR Sram Red E-tap, Fulcrum racing speed xlr
    De Rosa SK pininfarina disc
    S Works Tarmac e-tap 2017
    Rose pro sl disc
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    noodleman wrote:
    For another few hundred quid you could buy a secondhand caad or similar, which would outperform your current bike even if you bought a pair of Zipp's.

    Depends on what the bike is, your guess is as good as mine!

    OP, you really need to provide a little more info so that the advice is fit for your needs. Exactly what bike is it that you have, what kind of rides do you do, what/why are you looking to 'upgrade' and what are you hoping to achieve???
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    If the bike cost £500 and it's got an Ultegra groupset, I can't see the frameset being top dollar. Definitely an odd use of funds spending £400 just on a rear wheel...

    Am I the only one getting a sense of deja-vu about this? I seem to recall reading a very similar thread a while ago; somebody wanting to put Zipps on a pizza delivery bike IIRC
  • trailflow
    trailflow Posts: 1,311
    Yup here
    viewtopic.php?t=13066548

    Don't do it. It'll look odd for starters and the real world benefit of 1 single rear wheel will be small. And the wide 26.4mm rim (max width 28.5mm) might not fit your frame. It's a inappropriate and illogical wheel to purchase for a £500 bike especially if you do not run Campag either. Dont get suckered in by the Zipp marketing and the irresistible sale price. Yes the wheel and rim will be very high quality but does it really suit your needs ? Chances are at that price it has some issue and has been returned. Trust me one day you'll look back and regret it. The money could be put to better use. There are loads of great wheelsets around for £600 and well under. That will actually make a 100% difference to your bike and not only do a half job of it.

    I can recommend Campagnolo Zonda's (with a Shimano freehub ofcourse) and they can be found for £250-£300. They've recently shot up in price after the brexit. But i think they still represent good value. Not aero or wide but that wont slow you down. With the money left try and score a used frame on ebay/classifieds like a CAAD10 or Giant TCR.

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