I saw a posting on Craigslist about a Trek with Zipp 404's and I plan on checking the bike out later tonight. Would the wheels hold up to 280lbs during a 1/2 mile test ride? I'm afraid of these things asploding under my weight. Are there any major things I should look at as well? I don't plan on using them after the rest ride.

maybe, maybe not, but remember, "You break it, you bought it!"

The current crop of ZIPP 404's have a max weight of 250lbs.

That's just funny. 250 clyde on carbon wheels. I don't think it's the wheels that'd be holding that person back.

It should hold up if you're on good pavement, but you're looking at the risk of snapping a spoke at the first major pothole.

For half a mile? You good.

Whatever you do don't dial it up to 400 watts.

Right and the older ones have a 225 lb limit.

some other references

ZIPP AUSTRALIA

Weight limits are generally somewhat arbitrary.

Take a 250 lb guy sitting on a 15 lb bike with 20 spokes in the front wheel. Half of his weight is going to be distributed over 6 top spokes of the front wheel, adding ~10 kgf to tension of each spoke. If these are thin bladed spokes, they are going to be preloaded to ~100 kgf and have another 200 kgf of reserve: weight of the rider obviously matters very little.

The real danger is that our guy is eventually going to hit a pothole, or jump a curb, and then, at the moment of impact, forces experienced by the wheel just might be strong enough to snap the spoke. Though these forces are still proportional to the weight of the rider, so a pothole that wouldn't pose any risk to a 150 lb rider would be damaging for a 250 lb rider.

I ended up buying the bike. Unfortunately I was in a bit of a rush to get back home because it was late and didn't inspect the bike properly, so I'm almost certain those "Zipps" are fake. No dimpling, no Zipp hubs, and no Z logo between the firecrest symbol. His retort was that the bike shop offered the wheels in matte or gloss, so he chose gloss? And the hubs and spokes were swapped to Campy. Still not sure if they are real. If they aren't it's going to be a hard pill to swallow.

But.. but.. the aero!

Hopefully you didn't get fakes

Zipp - Speed Weaponry | Support | Counterfeit Product Information

The pros and people at zipp counting their money probably say a similar thing about you, and all the rest of us.

Furthermore, a person who is an experienced racer would never say something like this out loud, at least one over the age of 25 who is mature, anyway. Generally, the only people who make comments like this are people who are Enve-ous (pun intended) and can't afford these wheels themselves. It's people like you who make non-cycling people think we're all elitist jerks.

Zipp started dimpling their wheels in 2005 so they could be authentic, just an older set?

I don't think that I would buy used zipps, I would assume that they are fakes.
The same goes for other accessories.


And if that's the case I might as well go with the Chinese.

That's not a bad thing, especially if they are higher model.

The best case is you got real Zipp rims but older (pre-2005) with Campy hubs. By the way "Firecrest" is a fairly recent version of Zipps and doesn't apply with all. The worse case is you got fake Zipps but decent hubs. Since you don't plan on using them, sell them o CL to offset the cost of the new bike.

They were fake. The owner of the LBS was kind enough to do a once-over and some work, free of charge. The rear brake cable is too short, the cassette was installed wrong, and the shifting needed some adjustment. Fortunately the wheels were still >$1,000 new, but not the real 404's I was hoping for. Still a great deal but the guy who sold it to me was far from honest.

And a Clyde on carbon wheels--nothing is holding me back? I still ride. Any set of aero wheels are helpful on the flat terrain I ride on but aren't necessary at all. Just like 90% of the equipment non-pros use. Silvercivic said it best.

I'm not envious. I make enough money to afford multiple homes in Northern California. I'm also anything but elitist. I bought a middle of the road bike, Supersix 3 and I just ride it. I'm simply saying that the best use of money for someone who wants to perform better would not be to buy a set of Zipps. I also wasn't trying to offend the OP. I just saw the post about the 250lb weight limit and was not aware that the OP was in that category.

Of course, that's only my opinion and I'm relatively new to cycling. I'm also on the older side, 44, and have often been told I am quite immature.

So what's your weight? I'm guessing north of 300, but not over 400, otherwise that high horse wouldn't be able to support you.

The OP clearly states their weight in the 2nd sentence of their post. Considering the foreclosure rate in NorCal right now, unsure if owning three homes is something be proud of or concerned over.

You clearly know about real estate in the bay area less than I know about performance improvements gained by Zipps.


To the op, enjoy your new bike and sorry about seeing the situation as amusing.

aero 404's and weight too? do you realize what a rocket he's gonna be on the downhills!!!!!