ZIPP 404 Rim Brake Review

[Richard F]

Done 3 rides on these so far (about 200km`s) so not a comprehensive review. Been using Darkhorse 36mm for about 4 years with no problems but wanted to change to 50`s or more to match my age!

You can feel the Zipp`s weigh a bit more but nothing that makes any great difference, didn`t weigh them as I`m trying to stay away from the scales in more ways than one.

 

Pro`s & Con`s in no particular order:

They look meaty and give the bike real presence, the brakes, in the dry, make a nice noise when slowing down, a bit (small bit) like a jet engine throttling back as it comes to a stop. Not much like that in the wet though! Much braking with much screaming from firstly, the pads and then from the rider as you plummet down Kloof Nek hoping that your medical aid and then, your life insurance are up to date! They certainly focus the mind in the wet.

 

The rear hub makes a lovely loud noise which both of my kids really appreciate as I walk the bike through the house at 7am, still, after years of crying, no sleep and all-nighter`s it`s nice to get a bit of pay-back isn`t it? Sometimes I spin the wheel at 3 in the morning just for the hell of it! 

 

58`s in crosswinds? Got hit by them this morning going down Chapman`s, let me tell you, the only time I`ve been battered more than this was by my ex wife`s divorce lawyer!

 

The Zipp`s are certainly quicker than the Darkhorse but, if you are looking for a 10% performance improvement then you, like my wife, are going to be disappointed! Good but not life changing.

 

Saving the best to last: The ride comfort and quality are fantastic. Most of us have read countless reviews about wheel-sets that are made from unicorn horn and fibre`s from angel`s hair to make the best-est wheel ever! And most of us think Yeah, Yeah, Yeah but, got to say with these wheels at least, it wasn`t all ANC election manifesto. Really can`t praise the ride enough....Brilliant!

 

Like I said at the top have only done 3 rides so hoping to get used to some of the niggles but even if I don`t I can`t see these coming off the bike anytime soon would highly recommend them.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

[Veebee]

No pics on a review? We can't accept that.

[Jbr]

Weird... my 404 firecrest take the wind a lot better than the giant wheels on my TCR, that are half as deep...

[Thomo]

Weird... my 404 firecrest take the wind a lot better than the giant wheels on my TCR, that are half as deep...

OP wasn't clear on model of 404, but one would think at least Firecrest and they are supposedly quite good in the wind.

That said, I'm actually just surprised that there was wind on Chappies ... Cape Town showing its 4 seasons across the peninsula again.? LOL

[cadenceblur]

Thread revive, I see there’s a set of 404’s in classifieds for R15k, 

a good buy? 

[Spinnekop]

13 hours ago, cadenceblur said:

Thread revive, I see there’s a set of 404’s in classifieds for R15k, 

a good buy? 

Link?
Depends on year model

[cadenceblur]

43 minutes ago, Spinnekop said:

Link?
Depends on year model

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/road-bike-rims/663595/zipp-404

[Spinnekop]

20 minutes ago, cadenceblur said:

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/road-bike-rims/663595/zipp-404

Looks like Firecrest logo.  Looks like clinchers judging by the valve and goodyear Eagle F1 on them.

I had a set of these.  Good wheels.  Did not give me any issues.  You might have to replace some bearings depending on how old they are.  

If I had a choice, I would go for the later version which had the little grooves in the braking surface.  It just brakes so much better in general and especially in the wet.  
But I have no clue how the pricing would differ between the two.

[cadenceblur]

3 minutes ago, Spinnekop said:

Looks like Firecrest logo.  Looks like clinchers judging by the valve and goodyear Eagle F1 on them.

I had a set of these.  Good wheels.  Did not give me any issues.  You might have to replace some bearings depending on how old they are.  

If I had a choice, I would go for the later version which had the little grooves in the braking surface.  It just brakes so much better in general and especially in the wet.  
But I have no clue how the pricing would differ between the two.

Thanks, they are about 8 years old, if not these, I am potentially looking at a set of Darkhorse 50's. 

 

[Spinnekop]

3 minutes ago, cadenceblur said:

Thanks, they are about 8 years old, if not these, I am potentially looking at a set of Darkhorse 50's. 

 

If I had to choose.  Zipps over and over again.
The Darkhorse wheels my buddy had was 'n bitch to replace a tube next to the road.  Seemed the wheels were bigger that the tyre.  Might be worth it to check out first if your potential set will do the same.

[cadenceblur]

3 minutes ago, Spinnekop said:

If I had to choose.  Zipps over and over again.
The Darkhorse wheels my buddy had was 'n bitch to replace a tube next to the road.  Seemed the wheels were bigger that the tyre.  Might be worth it to check out first if your potential set will do the same.

yeah, I also heard about some issues of that nature, guess it's down to a really great brand and tried an trusted but older wheel with what I have read handles the wind quite nicely for a 58mm rim vs something new..

[Loose cog]

I recently acquired a pair of firecrest 202's and replaced my old carbon brake pads with Zipp's cork pads. IMHO the wheels brake better than my Hyperon's but I am yet to experience them in a heavy downpour.

It has taken me a number of rides to start getting used to the Zipp freehub sound when coasting having gotten so addicted to the Campagnolo sound. Probably similar to riding another bike after owning a Ducati 748 😛