Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question

Feb 10, 16 19:41

Post #1 of 23 (2178 views)

After many years just cruising around with Shimano training wheels on my built up frameset I bought some Zipp 60's roughly 1-2 years ago to do justice to the bike.

I don't recall ever having this issue before but this year I started noticing rubbing noises from the rear of the bike. At first I thought it was just the brake caliper but on closer inspection found that the widest portion of the aero rim coincides with the narrowest portion of the left chain stay. It got to the point that there is now an abrasive mark around the full perimeter of the wheel (or at least the majority of it) and the clear coat on the chain stay has been worn away to show white'ish material underneath the black paint. There is barely a couple of mm clearance here.

I added some electrical tape as an interim buffer and a local mech seemed to get another 1-2mm clearance by playing around with the hub tightness but in the last day or two it's come back again.

I don't think the wheels are particularly bulbous relative to other wheels so makes me wonder whether all deep dish wheels are going to be an issue with the bike.

Are there other SLC owners out there and did you face the same issues? Any ideas? Can wheels be customized to somehow shift the hub laterally?

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [mv2005] [ In reply to ]

Feb 11, 16 6:19

Post #2 of 23 (2110 views)

Both sides or just one?
Is the wheel in straight?
Is there any play in the bearings?

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [lyrrad] [ In reply to ]

Feb 11, 16 9:02

Post #3 of 23 (2094 views)

I have been on a SLC-SL for about 7 years but have been using various Hed wheels, not Zipp. When I used Jet 6 and Jet 9 wheels I never had a problem, but last year I ran some Jet 6+ (25mm wide at the braking surface, wider at the carbon fairing) and the carbon fairing only had a 1-2mm gap to the chainstays. I never noticed any rubbing, even after sprinting, but I broke a rear spoke and the wheel was locked up in the chainstays. Once I had the spoke replaced I sold the wheels. Back to H3's for me!

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [lyrrad] [ In reply to ]

Feb 11, 16 13:57

Post #4 of 23 (2068 views)

lyrrad wrote:

Both sides or just one?
Is the wheel in straight?
Is there any play in the bearings?

Just the left side. The right side mist have close to 10mm clearance.

The wheel had been removed and reseated several times and it didn't make much difference.

The mechanic (worked in an official Specialized shop got out his wheel trueness tools and checked the wheel but didn't say that there was anything particularly off with the wheel. He did say something about there being a little bit of play but also along the lines that he appeared to back off the cone on one side and tighten the other to 'shift' it on the hub (I'm guessing about actual part but it was something like that).

That was a few weeks ago and it seemed to do the job but it's started again I'm not a heavy guy (about 170 lb max) and don't ride 'rough' - I do mount a median island (150 high kerb) each way on my commute but that's done very slowly.

My thoughts are that if it were s definite compatibility thing it would happen all the time but I've had them for over two years and only recently became aware of the issue - though haven't ridden the bike consistently during that time.

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [mv2005] [ In reply to ]

Feb 11, 16 15:42

Post #5 of 23 (2051 views)

are there little screws that can be adjusted to move wheel away from frame? my cervelo p2 was rubbing and I had to adjust

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [ahutchinson] [ In reply to ]

Feb 11, 16 16:10

Post #6 of 23 (2041 views)

On the frame itself? Not sure. I'll check after work. Thanks for the possible heads up

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [ahutchinson] [ In reply to ]

Feb 11, 16 16:48

Post #7 of 23 (2029 views)

SLC-SL is a road bike with fixed, vertical dropouts. No adjustment available there. I'd say the wheel is dished improperly, or maybe just out of true pretty badly.

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [quadlt250] [ In reply to ]

Feb 11, 16 17:11

Post #8 of 23 (2021 views)

Well, if it is dish....(and in my opinion a likely reason) you don't fix that by adjusting the "cones". .......BTW, zipp hubs don't have cones........ You adjust spokes to change dish.

Last edited by: goodboyr: Feb 11, 16 17:12

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [mv2005] [ In reply to ]

Feb 11, 16 18:01

Post #9 of 23 (2014 views)

I have an SLC-SL with Zipp 60's that I've been riding a lot more since middle of last year (sold all my other bikes due to space).

What size are your tyres (sorry if I missed this, just saw the headline)? I was close to getting 25's, but decided to use 23's. They've been perfectly fine and I've never had an issue.

Hope that helps. It's a great bike!

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [tri@thlete] [ In reply to ]

Feb 12, 16 1:14

Post #10 of 23 (1971 views)

tri@thlete wrote:

I have an SLC-SL with Zipp 60's that I've been riding a lot more since middle of last year (sold all my other bikes due to space).

What size are your tyres (sorry if I missed this, just saw the headline)? I was close to getting 25's, but decided to use 23's. They've been perfectly fine and I've never had an issue.

Hope that helps. It's a great bike!

Tyre size is irrelevant (23mm gatorskins typically) because the tyre is past the pinch point of the chain stays. Have a look on yours, I'm sure you'll see that it's the widest part of the rim that coincides with the narrowest part of the chain stays.

But interesting to hear you have the exact same combo with no issues.

I've temporarily put a cheap shimano training wheel back on and although the gaps are better, they aren't symmetrical. Would have thought bikes would be designed to take into account the offset cause by the cassette.

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [mv2005] [ In reply to ]

Feb 12, 16 3:50

Post #11 of 23 (1957 views)

Pictures are worth a thousand words.

I'll throw this out there....you didn't have a crash recently that involved the rear triangle of the bike did you?

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [pyrahna] [ In reply to ]

Feb 12, 16 6:11

Post #12 of 23 (1937 views)

First pic: Shimano cheap training wheel with 23mm gator skin

Second pic: Zipp 60 with same tyre

Third pic: Zipp again

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [mv2005] [ In reply to ]

Feb 12, 16 6:18

Post #13 of 23 (1933 views)

No crash of any kind. As stated I have been mounting a median kerb slowly, twice daily, and in recent weeks I've started riding a route through a park that has very bumpy roads from tree roots but that's about it.

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [mv2005] [ In reply to ]

Feb 12, 16 6:23

Post #14 of 23 (1930 views)

Ok, something there is not right, but you probably knew this already.

What are the measurements from the left chainstay to shimano wheel vs. from the right chainstay? From the pic it looks pretty centered up, but it could be the angle and the bigger gaps creating that illusion.

If you use your thumb and press against the zipp does it fairly easily re-center itself?

Do you have another bike that you can put the zipp in to see if it is centered in those chainstays? I'm trying to help you determine if the bike somehow got twisted (unlikely given it is carbon) or if the wheels have too much play, or if they are just dished horribly.

The real answer to this problem is to find a mechanic that you trust more than random people on the interweb :)

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [mv2005] [ In reply to ]

Feb 12, 16 6:28

Post #15 of 23 (1929 views)

super simple check: put rear wheel in backwards...see if results change (in particular, if the issue switches sides)...if not, frame issue...if so, wheel issue.

Carl Matson

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [pyrahna] [ In reply to ]

Feb 12, 16 6:59

Post #16 of 23 (1924 views)

I'll report back in the morning. Snooze time here in Oz. The Zipp is in an old TCR Giant Aero so can check offsets there plus provide measurements.

The wheel doesn't seem to budge when applying pressure from one side.

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [Carl] [ In reply to ]

Feb 12, 16 7:14

Post #17 of 23 (1919 views)

That is a fantastic suggestion that I've never thought of or seen someone try so I can later steal it.

Thanks for that, I will add it to my bag of tricks.

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [Carl] [ In reply to ]

Feb 12, 16 14:53

Post #18 of 23 (1888 views)

Wheel reversed

Almost looks centred. Certainly not as heavily skewed to the right as it is to the left. So wheel issue? Can I just evenly loosen each left side spokes and evenly tighten right side spokes?

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [mv2005] [ In reply to ]

Feb 12, 16 16:07

Post #19 of 23 (1877 views)

From afar, based on those pics, I'd say probably a wheel issue. If you're comfortable with recentering it then that alternating process is the way. Go slow and make sure you're not just winding up the spokes. I'd be doing something like a quarter turn each time around.

Carl Matson

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [Carl] [ In reply to ]

Feb 12, 16 16:32

Post #20 of 23 (1873 views)

Flip your Shimano wheel also and see if it stays centered. Shimano wheels actually very good quality control. If it hasn't be monkeyed with by anybody since it left their factory, it should be dead center in the bike either way. That way you know the bike is centered.

Now try the Zipp both ways.
If the Zipp moves around when you flip it, it's not dished correctly.
Since it is too close to the left stay, just loosen the NDS side spokes 1/4 turn each. That will likely be enough, if not, repeat.
Don't try to work with the drive side, those spokes are around twice as tight as the left side and don't contribute much to the dish of the wheel anyway.

Last edited by: android: Feb 12, 16 16:34

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [android] [ In reply to ]

Feb 13, 16 5:33

Post #21 of 23 (1829 views)

I tried quarter turn NDS and it made very little difference. So I did another quarter. Still nothing of note. So I tightened DS quarter turn. I really can't see much change at all. Went right around the circumference.

Shimano wheel is fairly well centred both ways. The Zipp is extreme right way around and moderately offset, but not extreme, when flipped.

Zipp in the TCR Giant (2003) doesn't look anywhere near as bad as in the Cervelo. Strange.

In any case the SLC seat post just snapped on me tonight so I rode the last 10k home in big chain ring, standing. That bike will be having a rest for a bit.

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [mv2005] [ In reply to ]

Feb 13, 16 6:32

Post #22 of 23 (1821 views)

Just take it to an lbs that knows how to redish a wheel ( not the one you went to first.....)

Re: Any Cervelo SLC-SL owners? Zipp wheel rub question [goodboyr] [ In reply to ]

Feb 13, 16 6:57

Post #23 of 23 (1816 views)

Noted.

In fairness to that first shop. He didn't charge me anything. He told me to bring it in and he'd give it a quick look. I'd never shopped there before so no loyalty thing etc. He spent a good 15 mins looking at everything and at the time seemed to gain me another 2-3mm but it came back.

But I guess based in the training wheel having plenty of room it should be achievable rebuilding the Zipp.

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