What are the recommended rider weight limits for Zipp wheels?

CSC, Cyclocross, Clydesdale and track versions of our wheels have no weight limit, ( your bike frame limits should be checked too). The ZED6 and ZED8 wheels with the super-stiff laminate option would also have no weight limit, if these are also built using the 24 hole rear spoking option (not the standard 18 spoke rear lacing).

For our other Zipp wheels, we recommend:

185 lbs (85kg) for 202,
200lbs (90kg) for 303, 343,
225lbs (102kg) for 404, 606, 808 wheels
Roadies >>200 lbs and triathletes >>220 lbs should consider the Clydesdale version for improved lateral stiffness. (You can buy the wheels without the Clydesdale decals if you so wish).

Larger and more powerful / aggressive riders need more spokes, cross lacing pattern, traditional flanges, shorter spokes and/or deeper rims to get the wheel stiff enough for adequate and safe power transmission.

My dust caps rattle on my Zipp hubs how can I fix this?

The carbon dust caps are held in place on the axle cap by a couple of rubber grommets. The reason they are making a racket is that this grommet has come unseated and is allowing the cap to move freely. To fix find a couple of 5 mm allen keys and insert one into each axle cap on the hub (where the quick release runs through). Work these wrenches against each other (standard right hand thread) to loosen one end cap. Remove the axle and reseat the grommet against the back of the dust cap. You may even want to put down a bead of super glue or quick set epoxy behind the grommet to ensure that it does not move again. Allow glue to dry fully, reinstall axle, torque end caps to 55 in lb (88 in lb rear) and go ride.

My Zipp hub has play in it. How can I remove it?

The zipp hub is different from most hubs in that it does not side load the bearings to remove play in the hub (think traditional cup and cone set-up). Our hub is designed such that the bearing race on the axle is aligned with the sealed bearing when the end caps on the axle are properly torqued. Since the axle is not press fit into place it will have some lateral movement when the wheel is unweighted. Once a rider's weight is added to the system, the bearing becomes loaded vertically and the play then disappears. By designing the hub this way, it is possible to extend bearing life and make a hub that will turn much smoother leading to a faster wheel.

Why is Zipp not building wheels with hidden nipples? Doesn't having the nipple exposed increase the drag on the wheel?

Actually, we did consider offering an option of having our wheels built with internal nipples since it is all the rage currently. Common sense told us that by hiding the nipple, we would be making a wheel with less drag. We then built some prototypes for testing. Surprisingly, in our testing we found that hiding the nipple on our rims makes no less drag than having the nipple exposed at all wind angles. This, as it turns out, is due to the unique cross section of our rim. Our 360 rim makes the wind think that it is 70mm deep. Therefore, the final 12mm of spoke is shielded allowing us to keep the nipples exposed for ease of wheel maintenance while not increasing drag.

Is my track axle bent?

The '06 track axle is a composite part of aluminum and stainless steel, and gives the optical illusion of being bent. Here are drawings that show the construction.
Solid view
Section view

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