ZIPP FRONT CLINCHER DAMAGE ADVICE

[wynandvdmerwe]

My Zipp wheel just developed this ugly dent in the rim, no potholes or anything else damaged it as it was hanging in my garage. The dent/fracture is exacly in line with the spoke, only on one side, spoke tension maybe? Any advice on repairing or rather selling and getting new ones?

[dirtrider]

ZIP wheels seems to be full of these kind of problems.My friend just recently send his front Zip tubby to the states for a crack. Turned out he had to pay transport to and from the states and had to pay for the replacement rim. Im in the market for a set of deep sections but im starting to reconsider Zips as a option

[MariusL]

Two of my mates have Zipp 404's, and both of them had to send their rear wheels back to have the rims replaced because they cracked...

 

I don't like the idea of spending R16-20k on a set of wheels that crack

 

I don't know if it's true, but apparently Zipp wheels are assembled in SA (Kyalami me thinks), rims, hubs, spokes imported seperately and then assembled here... and spokes are usually heavily tensioned = cracking of rims??? (so my mate in the cycle industry told me)... so I got Mavic SLR's instead

[Bram_on_Madone]

Ouch - that's a nasty dent

 

I can't imagine that spoke tension alone would have caused that without an underlying weakness in the carbon.

 

Good lucking fixing it.

 

 

[wynandvdmerwe]

Is there anybody in Pta/Jhb that can fix this?

[Shebeen]

Why would dirtrider need deepsections?

[Bike Mob]

As far as i know that should be a warranty claim. the carbon lug holding the nipple has delaminated on the inside.

 

Cycletech were the agents, now gone to Cape Cycle Systems tho - in transition so i dont know who would help right now.

[Mecnic]

SRAM has bought ZIPP, I know it doesn't help but hey had to share this cool news

[baie-sukkel]

Wynand PM sent.

[Starvin' Marvin]

Have heard about Zipps carbon delaminating, even before sram bought them out.

[Guest Big H]

Have heard about Zipps carbon delaminating, even before sram bought them out.

 

Soooo..... they un-Zipp themselves!!!!!!!

[chris_w_65]

Isn't the carbon on there just a paper thin aero/cosmetic section that is not a structural part of the rim? Does the spoke pull on there or go straight through to the aluminium rim? I assume there is an aluminium rim as I see an aluminium braking surface.

[Andyr249]

ZIP wheels seems to be full of these kind of problems.My friend just recently send his front Zip tubby to the states for a crack. Turned out he had to pay transport to and from the states and had to pay for the replacement rim. Im in the market for a set of deep sections but im starting to reconsider Zips as a option

 

Contact Ha Ha Kieran for a set of Gipiemme wheels. Good prices as well. Definitely strong contenders when looking for wheel option I think.

[Starvin' Marvin]

Soooo..... they un-Zipp themselves!!!!!!!

+1

[Johan Bornman]

That wasn't caused by spoke tension. Something went wrong with the thin sidewall and then spoke tension (which must be there) caused a ripple, its direction determined by the remaining layer/s of carbon weave and their direction.

 

A Zipp wheel is constructed of a triangular ring of solid carbon and epoxy on the inside of the rim where the spoke holes protrude. This ring is then overlayed with a thin fairing that connects the tyre seat area with the triangular ring, some 40mm away.

 

Spoke tension doesn't cause a distortion like this.

 

Any wheel with very few spokes has to have extremely high tension to keep the wheel stable. You need X-amount of tension in a wheel and the more spokes, the less tension per spoke. Conversely, the less spokes, the more tension per spoke. Also, the less spokes, the stronger the rim has to be since it supports the load between spokes like a bridge between two pillars.

 

You can't have your cake and eat it. Lightweight wheels are compromises. In the Zipp's case, the compromise is durability and toughness. The bearings can't last long since they're tiny.

 

Wheels like these have no place on the average Joe's bike. But then again, 6.3 litre cars have no place on our roads either, but they're there.

 

Don't complain if your AMG guzzles fuel or your Zipp broke just hanging in the garage.

[LazyTrailRider]

Well said Johan.

 

Of course, someone will have some argument along the lines of "equipment like this is top-of-the-line, it's expensive because it's the best. How do I know that it's the best? [Company X] invests gazillions in R&D, people win races with it, it's the lightest, everyone knows it's the best. Most of all though, it's the best because it's expensive. Buying the most expensive stuff entitles me to demand the best."

 

I think the word "best" is probably the most carelessly used word in the dictionary.