Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

Is Zipp's Showstopper worth upgrading
Quote | Reply
I have a set of Zipp 404 FCs, the older version without Showstopper brake track. Is the difference in braking performance worth upgrading?
Quote Reply
Re: Is Zipp's Showstopper worth upgrading [ecce-homo] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Depends mostly on weather and terrain. The showstopper is a pretty dramatic improvement in braking performance. It's phenomenally good. But you have to consider a few additional factors in terms of deciding on whether or not it is "worth" it. For me, showstopper was great on my race setup because I only had it on the front (which is where most of your braking power comes from). So it was really nice to have that extra power on the front as it effectively biased my braking towards the front (the same way that running 160fr/140rr rotors does). The issue with having it in the back is dependent on the next point - what tire size are you planning to run? In order to really capitalize on the additional stopping power, wider tires are ideal. If you're not running wider (25mm+) tires with good grippy rubber, I am not sure it's really worth it. Remember that narrower tires will blow up wider on the new rims because of the bigger bead seat, but I'd still say that you probably don't have enough rubber on 23mm tires to really capitalize effectively on the additional stopping power. You'll have more than enough power to easily lock up the rear on skinny tires (though, of course, learning to modulate the brakes is something that will come naturally the more you ride on them).

With that context, it's then really dependent on the typical weather and terrain where you ride. The showstopper really, really shines in wet weather (though, again, wider tires for a bigger contact patch in the wet are ideal). And it's also good if you do a lot of descending where you can way more quickly more modulate speed. But, for me, it was the wet weather performance that was the true differentiator.

I ran showstopper with magura rt6 hydraulic brakes and the performance was pretty remarkable. I had a couple instances where I needed to brake hard in training (cars...) and I was pretty blown away by how good the braking was. Likewise, I annoyingly had a spate of races in the rain, and I was again super impressed with the quality of performance. The Zipp team tested showstopper doing big descents in Holualoa in Hawaii (where it's always wet and the roads are steep). Not recommended for fun, but a good idea of the exact type of terrain and environment they were trying to solve for.

Now, with that said, I'm currently riding Zipp's Tangente Cork (old pads; still my favorite) on NON-showstopper rims, and because I live somewhere very dry and pretty warm, the braking is more than sufficient. But if you live somewhere that you'll benefit from additional stopping power, Zipp Tangente Platinum (rubber) pads on showstopper - especially with hydraulic rim brakes - is easily the best braking surface I've ever experienced. I'd actually say it's measurably better than disc braking performance, even in the wet. Just because, as Tom A says, the rim is essentially a huge disc. But in this case, rubber-on-textured-carbon is a pretty phenomenal pairing that makes that huge "disc" a really great brake.

"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp
Quote Reply
Re: Is Zipp's Showstopper worth upgrading [ecce-homo] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I went from Zipp 808 tubular wheel to 85 NSW w/showstopper brake surface. I use black prince pad and noticed they wear out really fast now. My rear doesn't have showstopper, so it's ok. It's nice to have but not worth the upgrade.
Quote Reply
Re: Is Zipp's Showstopper worth upgrading [ecce-homo] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Showstopper is dramatically better. I would say better than standard aluminum with good pads. It’s a night and day difference especially in the wet.

Here’s the way I would justify it: if the net cost of upgrading is $500 and the additional braking power saves you from one crash, was it worth it? I would say certainly.

My 404 NSW (non tubeless) is my favorite wheel set by far. Great braking, super stable in the wind, and super easy to change a tire and tube.
Quote Reply
Re: Is Zipp's Showstopper worth upgrading [Rappstar] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Wow, what a comprehensive response. This makes a lot of sense to me and aligns with my idea of just upgrading the front rim. Thanks a lot.
Quote Reply
Re: Is Zipp's Showstopper worth upgrading [ecce-homo] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
An alternative would be the HED Jet Blacks. HED has reduced the price to something like 1500-1600$ for a pair and they had a 10% off offer for signing up for their newsletter. That is a fantastic brake track on a stupid-fast wheel, that tends to be very tire agnostic, and you get the 21 mm internal width for wider tires (though I don’t know what the Showstopper width is).
Quote Reply
Re: Is Zipp's Showstopper worth upgrading [Rappstar] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Rappstar wrote:

I ran showstopper with magura rt6 hydraulic brakes and the performance was pretty remarkable.


When people talk about disc brakes being better than rim, I wonder whether it's actually the hydraulic part that brings the benefits that are being misattributed to discs
Last edited by: BigBoyND: Aug 12, 20 23:39
Quote Reply
Re: Is Zipp's Showstopper worth upgrading [ecce-homo] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Are rim brake wheels going to be phased out?

Will there be a run on the few remaining showstopper wheels (or equivalents from other companies)?
Quote Reply
Re: Is Zipp's Showstopper worth upgrading [Feehliks] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Feehliks wrote:
Are rim brake wheels going to be phased out?

Will there be a run on the few remaining showstopper wheels (or equivalents from other companies)?

I think the $2500-3000 rim brake wheels are certainly in their last days. There just aren’t that many companies making and, probably More importantly, selling many high-end rim brake bikes. I have a hard time thinking of companies Other than Pinarello and Bianche. If a company’s rim brake bikes are just lower end $1500 bikes there aren’t going to be many people putting a set of $3000 wheels on one.
Quote Reply
Re: Is Zipp's Showstopper worth upgrading [ecce-homo] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
In the Zipp family, Showstoppers make a dramatic difference. Most other brands offer better rim braking surfaces on rim brake wheels these days though. A $1200 pair of Reynolds wheels are great stoppers,
and the aforementioned HED Blacks are terrific as well. No need to spend big $$$ just to stop quickly.
Quote Reply