Anyone Rode a Zipp Frame?
 

Is it me or does it not look safe :D

http://www.caymanislandscycling.com/Zipp%20lynna.JPG

http://i15.ebayimg.com/03/i/07/d0/f2/c6_1_b.JPG

Looks like an intresting ride to say the least.

at first glance i though the front bike had two sets of chain rings.

now that would be something

It's just you :D

Obviously, I'm a fan of the beam bikes, but I've seen these in tri's and so forth... yet to see anything that would lead me to believe that they are unsafe (Unless you have a malfunctioning operator such as myself :rolleyes: )

i don't think the ZIPP logo on the downtube is large enough. :rolleyes:

Looks like a softride.

Anyways, it looked pretty good, IMO. Definitely a headturner. But I wouldn't ride one, I'd probably crush it.

edit: Dude! The bike in the backgrond has a spokeless rear wheel!! :)

No longer UCI legal which took away a lot of the market for these.

Not UCI legal, but I believe they are still USCF legal and legal in all triathlons, which I think is really their target market anyhow...

UCI races only comprise of a handful of events in the US anyhow I thought (someone either please refute or support this cause I am unsure with the more recent boom in road cycling)

I would ride that.....if I could afford it. Looks expensive.

hot looking rides.
Wondering if they bought out softride, I believe they sold, could be wrong though.

The cervelos you ride now don't really need seat stays, you could take them out and the bike would be the same.

oh, i'm planning on doing it. I've got a flip-flop hub, a reversed axle pedal. All I need now is some extra time, an extra track chain, and an extra 20tooth cog!

Dude, with those frames, one wouldn't need worry about frame harshness, it'll be a plush ride regardless of the frame material.

Corsaire :)

USCF legal until 2007. then they won't be for bigger USCF races. ("Bigger" is not the regulatory definition, if you want the precise type of races it effects you can to go to the USCF web page).

Obviously it doesn't affect triathlon directly. But it does seem to have had an affect on the marketplace, and the R&D investments of Bicycle companies.

It takes a "little" getting used to. However, I love the way it rides. Did I mention??? I LOVE THE WAY IT RIDES! If you have questions, let me know...

Jeez, where do you get this stuff? Do you just it up as you go? The 2007 rulebook has not been published yet so there is no way to be certain what will be in it, but USCF has announced (in 2005) that there are no plans to change the equipment rules for 2007 or any other time in the future. As for the "bigger" races, UCI rules are currently in effect and have been since last year.

My brother has one with the 650 wheels. It's a very comfortable ride. Because it's a tri bike it feels less stable than a road bike.

I wonder if it would become legal if it had a dental-floss thick seat-tube.

Its too bad these designs are not race legal, because there are performance and comfort advantages to it. With carbon now the material of choice among all makers, I predict this rule will change in 5-7 years, after the market is fairly saturated with carbon diamond frames.

No. UCI has many restrictions on the size, aspect ratio, and position of the tubes. The aspect ratio of the downtube is greater than the UCI allowable limit; and I believe, the upsloping top tube falls outside the allowable envelope, as well. They would also have to add seatstays.

Would you really call that a tube?...

No, Zipp did not buy out Softride. We stopped production on these long before they folded. Softride was advertising all their assets for sale up until a month or two ago.

So when you say "we"... you work for ZIPP?

Ok, forgive my ignorance, but why don't these obviously TT oriented bikes have aerobars?

a lot people rode them as 'normal' bikes back when beam bikes were popular.

are Zipp embarrassed by their old frames? Last time I looked I couldn't find info on them.



funny story about Zipps :)

There's an Aussie named John Kennedy who held the outdoor velodrome, pro, 200m sprint world record for a while in 1991, when amateurs and pros were still separate (the UCI palmares page incorrectly says he's from the US). When word got out that he was making an attempt at the record, the Zipp guys sponsored him, which included them insisting he use one of their frames. When he was testing, close to his record attempt, he/they couldn't work out why the chain kept coming off the chainring around the bend of the velodrome (track bike, of course). After trying stiffer rings and cranks, it turned out that the crap frame flexed so much that the chain came off (he's a BIG guy -- about 6'4")!!! He couldn't get out his 'contract' of using the bike, even though he tested faster on his favourite steel track bike. So, he used the Zipp, and says it affected his eventual time (10.405s), even though he got the record.

He was determined to set a better time, and had another shot a few months later, but says he stuffed up his peaking, so he failed. That was it. At ~$10,000 an attempt, it was too much (it used to cost a lot to get officials, etc).

Yep. Best job ever.

To the question of whether there is some embarassment regarding the frames, the answer is a definte no. There are still a half dozen different frames on display in our lobby (and some cool pictures of Trek-badged Zipps), and the sales guys tell me they still get calls from people wanting the frames. It's unfortunate to hear about the issue your Aussie friend had, though at least he still got the record.