Zipp 303 NSW Out of True After 100 Miles
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Zipp 303 NSW Out of True After 100 Miles
I put Zipp 303 NSW Disc clinchers on my 2020 Roubaix. After about 100 miles, they're already out of true.
I've searched the web and have found the answers to these kinds of questions fall into 2 general categories: 1) all new wheels will settle and require adjustment after a few rides, 2) movement of the wheel after a few rides is indicative of poor wheel building/spoke tensioning/stressing/etc.
I have a set of Zipp 303 Firecrests on my 2014 Roubaix and they've been dead true over the course of 7,000 miles. I can't remember ever having to adjust them.
So which is it? Normal settling? Do the wheels simply need to be trued after settling or does the tension/setup of both wheels need to be checked over by a real wheel builder (as opposed to the guys in my local shop, most of whom aren't very good bike mechanics)?
I've searched the web and have found the answers to these kinds of questions fall into 2 general categories: 1) all new wheels will settle and require adjustment after a few rides, 2) movement of the wheel after a few rides is indicative of poor wheel building/spoke tensioning/stressing/etc.
I have a set of Zipp 303 Firecrests on my 2014 Roubaix and they've been dead true over the course of 7,000 miles. I can't remember ever having to adjust them.
So which is it? Normal settling? Do the wheels simply need to be trued after settling or does the tension/setup of both wheels need to be checked over by a real wheel builder (as opposed to the guys in my local shop, most of whom aren't very good bike mechanics)?
#2
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I would venture to guess that something was missed on your set of wheels. I bet if you have have them trued that they will stay true for many more miles. Zip is a quality wheel, if they were having lots of issues the forums would be blowing up, which they are not.
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I have 23,000 miles on my 303s. The rear has never been touched and is dead straight. The front has never been touched but was sent back two years ago for the hub recall. I assume it was rebuilt and it has never needed any adjustment.
I'd bring it back to the dealer you purchased them from and they should, for free, true them.
I'd bring it back to the dealer you purchased them from and they should, for free, true them.
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Stuff happens. Contact Zipp.
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My Zipp 404 NSW’s went out of true with a little over 100 miles on them. Then a few hundred miles later the rear hub went bad. Today I no longer own Zipp.
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I put Zipp 303 NSW Disc clinchers on my 2020 Roubaix. After about 100 miles, they're already out of true.
I've searched the web and have found the answers to these kinds of questions fall into 2 general categories: 1) all new wheels will settle and require adjustment after a few rides, 2) movement of the wheel after a few rides is indicative of poor wheel building/spoke tensioning/stressing/etc.
I have a set of Zipp 303 Firecrests on my 2014 Roubaix and they've been dead true over the course of 7,000 miles. I can't remember ever having to adjust them.
So which is it? Normal settling? Do the wheels simply need to be trued after settling or does the tension/setup of both wheels need to be checked over by a real wheel builder (as opposed to the guys in my local shop, most of whom aren't very good bike mechanics)?
I've searched the web and have found the answers to these kinds of questions fall into 2 general categories: 1) all new wheels will settle and require adjustment after a few rides, 2) movement of the wheel after a few rides is indicative of poor wheel building/spoke tensioning/stressing/etc.
I have a set of Zipp 303 Firecrests on my 2014 Roubaix and they've been dead true over the course of 7,000 miles. I can't remember ever having to adjust them.
So which is it? Normal settling? Do the wheels simply need to be trued after settling or does the tension/setup of both wheels need to be checked over by a real wheel builder (as opposed to the guys in my local shop, most of whom aren't very good bike mechanics)?
Odds are your wheels were not stress relieved properly.
Funny you mention that...for a long while it was concluded Zipp couldn't make a hub worth its weight in pennies....
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New wheels out of the box ALWAYS need to be re-trued before riding. Yes, they will settle in and then need touched up. An independent wheelsmith always has the luxury to hand tweak the wheel before riding, even then, after a few rides it will need retouched. Factory built wheels do not get that attention from the assembly line. So, don't fret it, just put in on a truing stand and do it yourself or head on down to your LBS. All should be fine. I own 3 sets of Zipp wheels and all hold true for many miles.
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New wheels out of the box ALWAYS need to be re-trued before riding. Yes, they will settle in and then need touched up. An independent wheelsmith always has the luxury to hand tweak the wheel before riding, even then, after a few rides it will need retouched. Factory built wheels do not get that attention from the assembly line. So, don't fret it, just put in on a truing stand and do it yourself or head on down to your LBS. All should be fine. I own 3 sets of Zipp wheels and all hold true for many miles.
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I don't really consider the most important part of my job to be a luxury. The job of a wheel builder is to get things right - spokes seated, aligned and de-stressed before they get handed to or put in a box to be shipped to the customer - with no further retouching needed. Over thousands and thousand of wheel builds, have I gotten a couple wrong? Of course, everyone makes mistakes. But the premise of a proper wheel build is put it in your bike and ride it until it dies or is damaged in some way that necessitates truing.
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I haven’t bought a lot of factory wheels, just a few pairs of Zips and a few Shimano wheelsets. I didn’t need to true any of those wheels before riding. They were solid from the first ride. My hand built wheels I have been buying from Excel Sports. They have also been true out of the box. I damaged a wheel on a ride years ago and had to buy a Mavic wheel to get home. Worst wheel I ever owned. Barely lasted a few months. Sometimes you get what you pay for.
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New wheels out of the box ALWAYS need to be re-trued before riding. Yes, they will settle in and then need touched up. An independent wheelsmith always has the luxury to hand tweak the wheel before riding, even then, after a few rides it will need retouched. Factory built wheels do not get that attention from the assembly line. So, don't fret it, just put in on a truing stand and do it yourself or head on down to your LBS. All should be fine. I own 3 sets of Zipp wheels and all hold true for many miles.
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These last two illustrate my position, from which I won't be swayed: a well built wheel doesn't need to be touched up after a few miles. It should arrive true and stay that way barring damage or catastrophic stress.
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Yes and no. Properly built stress relieved wheels will stay very true for a long time. It's still be practice to check your spoke tension and true after 100 or so miles. Getting it perfectly balanced after this break in period will give you wheels that stay stronger and true for a lot longer. Baselining your wheels at 100 miles will also give you the maximum spoke and rim life.
#16
Non omnino gravis
Shhhhhhhh! Don't let my rims hear this kind of talk! I've never had any set of wheels "re-trued" after riding, at any number of miles, ever. My front Kinlin has 15k miles on it, has never been touched once-- the rear was rehooped due to damage like 7,000 miles ago, hasn't been touched since. So I am at the very least anecdotally lucky.
#17
Woman make me faster
I have never had to mess with a wheel from a good wheel builder. I have a set from November true and just as nice as the day I unboxed them a couple years ago. My new Williams Carbon Clinchers with about 600 miles need zero attention either.
I wasn’t there when my Tarmac was assembled at the LBS but I’m sure wheels were looked over prior to delivery. DT Swiss R470 boat anchors true and solid compared to the Axis wheels on a previous bike that were just junk from the start.
I have never weighed more than 150 so there is that and honestly the only wheel ever re trued was from a wreck so I’m in the camp the build was not completed correctly. Should be warranted and done right.
I wasn’t there when my Tarmac was assembled at the LBS but I’m sure wheels were looked over prior to delivery. DT Swiss R470 boat anchors true and solid compared to the Axis wheels on a previous bike that were just junk from the start.
I have never weighed more than 150 so there is that and honestly the only wheel ever re trued was from a wreck so I’m in the camp the build was not completed correctly. Should be warranted and done right.
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Yeah, nah. This thread isn't about an Alex wheel, it's about a Zipp.
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