justonwo

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)?

Lrdchaos

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.

GlennR

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.

WhyFi

Stuff happens. Contact Zipp.

Noctilux.95

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.

Marcus_Ti

Are you curb hopping? Are you hitting every pothole on the road?

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....

noodle soup

Their hubs definitely have a history of cracking(several were recalled).

cycledogg

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.

colnago62

I got tired of all the hub issues with my 808 wheelset, so I had DT Swiss track hubs laced up on them. They make a much better track wheel then a road wheel anyway.

November Dave

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.

cycledogg

I'm not stating that a wheelsmith has an easy job. My point here is that factory built wheels usually get put on a stand once built and if it meets tolerance it then gets boxed. Whereas a hand built wheel gets the extra attention to insure a good solid build and trued before the customer gets it. Also, I too, stress relieve my wheels through out the build. But once I get them on the bike, and actually ride them with the weight of the rider and rolling, after a few miles I see another once over on the stand helps insure a quality build. To hand stress relief is not the end all solution for seating the nipples and spokes IMHO. We all have our own art in a wheel build.

colnago62

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.

ThermionicScott 

Wheels have been built by machine for a long time now. Rather than making excuses, we should demand better from them.

November Dave

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.

Alexbn921

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.

DrIsotope

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.

FeltF2Tarmac

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.

Kimmo

Yeah, nah. This thread isn't about an Alex wheel, it's about a Zipp.