advice on Zipps 404s

jag con

Hi all i have a chance of picking up a set of 2008 Zipp 404 clinchers with tyres and cassette for 900 euro. Just wondering is the price reasonable, also im weighing in at about 105kg i know the Zipps are only rated for below 90kg but i cant seem to find any 404 clydesdale out there for sale.

JC

keano007

Did you ever manage to sell your mavic wheels, the slr's?

Sorry can't help with advice on the zipps although I'd love a set.

blorg

I wouldn't do it if you are 15kg over the weight limit, Zipps are sensitive at the best of times. Or get them and set it as a weight loss target before you use them.

Lumen

That's a crappy price. Used tubular zipps come up at 700-800

blorg

Price is what somone will pay. Retail on them is what, €2,000? And deep section wheels tend to hold their secondhand value quite well, there seem to be more people looking for them than selling. That a set of 404 tubs is great value at 800 does not make a set of 404 clinchers 'crappy' value at 900. It's only crappy value if he can get them cheaper. To me the price doesn't sound that unreasonable, depending of course on condition. As a negotiating tactic you could mention the wheel is obsolete now, with Zipp having a full carbon clincher, but again you are looking €2,000+ for that and the 2008 model is still a good wheel.

Lumen

blorg wrote: »

Price is what somone will pay. Retail on them is what, €2,000? And deep section wheels tend to hold their secondhand value quite well, there seem to be more people looking for them than selling. That a set of 404 tubs is great value at 800 does not make a set of 404 clinchers 'crappy' value at 900. It's only crappy value if he can get them cheaper. To me the price doesn't sound that unreasonable, depending of course on condition. As a negotiating tactic you could mention the wheel is obsolete now, with Zipp having a full carbon clincher, but again you are looking €2,000+ for that and the 2008 model is still a good wheel.

Would you pay €900 for a set of out-of-warranty used alloy wheels with a plastic fairing and an obsolescent design from a manufacturer for a reputation for making stuff that breaks?

Yes or no.

jag con

Lumen wrote: »

That's a crappy price. Used tubular zipps come up at 700-800

Thanks Lumen but im not after a set of tubulars. What is your opinion on a realistic price for a set of 2008 404 clinchers?

JC

RobFowl

jag con wrote: »

Thanks Lumen but im not after a set of tubulars. What is your opinion on a realistic price for a set of 2008 404 clinchers?

JC

I got a set of Clydesdale clinchers last Autumn second hand for 550 with tyres/tubes

Lumen

jag con wrote: »

Thanks Lumen but im not after a set of tubulars. What is your opinion on a realistic price for a set of 2008 404 clinchers?

JC

As Blorg says, it's what they're worth to you. However...

The Special Editions were on sale at CSS for €1200 a while back, but apparently now out of stock (I haven't checked).

I think almost anything cycling-related loses half its new price fairly quickly (within a year or two), because most new stuff is available with heavy discounts from time to time.

Wheels are just a bunch of components that wear out. Bearings wear, hub bodies get chewed up, rims wear down, nipples get corroded, spokes snap etc. Some of these things are fixable, some are not.

When I bought used wheels I did so with the expectation that they might need rebuilding shortly afterwards, and this proved to be the case (despite good faith from the seller). Used wheels should be cheap for this reason.

What else could you get for the price? Well, Cosmics are €700 brand new, and although they don't appeal to me personally they're a similar design albeit with different rim profile. For €900 you can get some very tasty carbon clinchers from Reynolds, although carbon braking surfaces are not without issues.

Anyway, I wouldn't pay more than about €600.

Quigs Snr

Last year I paid 650 for a set of 2008 Zipp 404 Clinchers (Zedtech 4 special editions, so that included fancy skewers and a padded double wheelbag) - the wheels had approx 200km on them. I considered that to be a fair price for a nearly new set of wheels.

Regarding your weight, I wouldn't bother with the Zipp clinchers. They are a little flexy apparently under a larger rider. I have had Zipps before, they sure are pretty, but they also break very easily I'm afraid. So to summarise, no 900 euro is not a good price and I don't think these are the wheels for you.

Junior

Quigs Snr wrote: »

Last year I paid 650 for a set of 2008 Zipp 404 Clinchers (Zedtech 4 special editions, so that included fancy skewers and a padded double wheelbag) - the wheels had approx 200km on them. I considered that to be a fair price for a nearly new set of wheels.

Regarding your weight, I wouldn't bother with the Zipp clinchers. They are a little flexy apparently under a larger rider. I have had Zipps before, they sure are pretty, but they also break very easily I'm afraid. So to summarise, no 900 euro is not a good price and I don't think these are the wheels for you.

Bargain of the century they were

jag con

Hi Lumen i think you have a set of Reynold Assaults clinchers what do you think of them i read a couple of reviews and it seems that the braking surface has been improved in this years model and using the Swissstop yellow pads, they seem very good value from the German websites

JC

Lumen wrote: »

As Blorg says, it's what they're worth to you. However...

The Special Editions were on sale at CSS for €1200 a while back, but apparently now out of stock (I haven't checked).

I think almost anything cycling-related loses half its new price fairly quickly (within a year or two), because most new stuff is available with heavy discounts from time to time.

Wheels are just a bunch of components that wear out. Bearings wear, hub bodies get chewed up, rims wear down, nipples get corroded, spokes snap etc. Some of these things are fixable, some are not.

When I bought used wheels I did so with the expectation that they might need rebuilding shortly afterwards, and this proved to be the case (despite good faith from the seller). Used wheels should be cheap for this reason.

What else could you get for the price? Well, Cosmics are €700 brand new, and although they don't appeal to me personally they're a similar design albeit with different rim profile. For €900 you can get some very tasty carbon clinchers from Reynolds, although carbon braking surfaces are not without issues.

Anyway, I wouldn't pay more than about €600.

Raam

jag con wrote: »

Hi Lumen i think you have a set of Reynold Assaults clinchers what do you think of them i read a couple of reviews and it seems that the braking surface has been improved in this years model and using the Swissstop yellow pads, they seem very good value from the German websites

JC

I have 'em. They are round. They take a tube and a tire. They look nice.

jag con

Raam wrote: »

I have 'em. They are round. They take a tube and a tire. They look nice.

Raam is that tire or tyre

Thanks
JC

Raam

jag con wrote: »

Raam is that tire or tyre

Yeah.

Quigs Snr

I also have the Reynolds Assaults (2010 model) clincher. Nice wheel. I would not pay that much attention to the fancy new braking surface because when using swiss stop yellows on mine the braking is great to be honest.

That being said, I am not 100% convinced about how sturdy they will be under a larger rider, they are fine for me but ask me again in a week or two because I am loaning my pair out to one of the most powerful and indeed heaviest sprinters in the country for a little while (needless to say on a you break it, you buy it type of deal!)

Lumen

Quigs Snr wrote: »

I also have the Reynolds Assaults (2010 model) clincher. Nice wheel. I would not pay that much attention to the fancy new braking surface because when using swiss stop yellows on mine the braking is great to be honest.

Even in the streaming wet?

Quigs Snr

As long as you apply usual rules for wet weather i.e. expect greater stopping distances, give it a sec to bite, or pump the brakes briefly before you apply them fully then yes they are as good as anything else to be honest.

I'm sure the 2011 models do brake better in the wet with the new brake surface, but it's not like scores of Reynolds riding cyclists were hurtling to their deaths off the side of alpine passes on the 2010 models. AG2R were on them in several wet days in the grand tours last year and if they can stop them at the speeds they ride, I reckon the rest of us will be fine.

cosman9373

jag con wrote: »

Hi all i have a chance of picking up a set of 2008 Zipp 404 clinchers with tyres and cassette for 900 euro. Just wondering is the price reasonable, also im weighing in at about 105kg i know the Zipps are only rated for below 90kg but i cant seem to find any 404 clydesdale out there for sale.

JC

I believe €900 is a good price JC depending on condition, contrary to some of the posts on here Zipps are reputed as the best deep sections you can buy and the 404's the most versatile of all.

The 'special editions' that were mentioned as going for cheap, yes they were €1200 but the main point for you to take into consideration is these were rebadged 2007 wheels. Zipp wheels made a major leap to dimpled surface between 2007 and 2008 so the one's you're looking at are dimpled. Although this makes very little diference to the average cyclist, they should hold their price better. Hence the price of the rebadged 2007.

A test cycle should give you an indication of any faults, flex the hubs on the forks/stay to see if there's any noticeable movement on the Hub. If you know the guy get them checked by a mechanic, he won't mind.

That's just the price answered, the weight part I'm not sure about. I personally wouldn't chance it.