BS i say!

BS

What kind of camera did you shoot with?

And no. I'd expect perfection for what they likely cost.

I used my wife's Nikon D60.

That looks normal to me.

And...even if it were perfect out of the box, it will look worse than that after your first ride.

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"100% of the people who confuse correlation and causation end up dying."

I'm sure the shop does say that.....what does Zipp say?

I'd toss the BS flag on the shop.

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

Let em fall over in the garage once or twice or lean them up against the wrong thing and they will look just like that.

No doubt....but call me silly, but when I drop a couple thousand dollars on an item, I expect it to be pristine. What it may end up looking like is not the issue.

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

i thought zipps were supposed to be incredibly durable. hed jets stay nice looking for a ridiculously long time.

My HED Jet's came from the factory with way more cosmetic blems in the carbon and topcoat than those Zipp photos. The Zipps are more expensive for sure. But, still, it's a bicycle wheel, not wall art.

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"100% of the people who confuse correlation and causation end up dying."

Reply to MOP_Mike

I've had two Sub 9's and another set of CF wheels and have never had marks like these, whether they were new or after riding. I use the set almost every ride during race season and other then some wear on the brake tracks, they're almost flawless (and they're 4 years old).

Also worth noting, I once bought a Zipp "cosmetic blem" and could not find the "blem."

I agree; I personally have 3 Zipp wheels and one HED and have had 2 other HEDs... based on that sample, Zipp's quality control/finish work is definitely tighter.

When you guys are talking about cosmetic blems, do you mean the layup of the fiber, changes in color, scratches/indents, or all of the above.

The marks I have pictured will catch yor fingernail as you pass over it.

If you go to a place with a number of Zipp wheels on their sales floor and compare each of the wheels it will provide some basis for comparison. I think when you do that you may find that the carbon molding process does produce some irregularities in the surface of the wheel occasionally.

That said, Zipp is in the happy customer business, so you can likely return those to your Zipp dealer who can return them to Zipp and perhaps replace them with a set that is more to your liking.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I would. What do you gain by returning them?

I was told by my dealer that Zipp would not exchange the wheel because the "voids" were considered normal. I am not sure if this is truely Zipp's position though because I have only worked with the dealer so far.

100% no, return them. They were damaged.
Or give them am option of a deep discount...

Your dealer may be passing on accurate information to you. The reason I suggest that is multi-fold: I've encountered this before on wheels, it is relatively common and we've seen very similar posts to yours- with photos of Zipps and questions about the finish before.

That said, it may be worth contacting Zipp directly to ask them about it. Zipp is a customer service oriented company staffed by good people. They're also an original brand in the sport, going back the 1980's.

Now, the key thing here is whether or not you're satisfied with the wheels. If the nature of the finish on these is not acceptable to you- that's it. You have your answer. you'll find a different finish on Shimano Dura-Ace Wheels, Mavic Wheels, Easton Wheels, Reynolds Wheels, HED Wheels. The finish on one of those brands, or even another Zipp wheel, may be more to your liking so it may be worth investigating.

Let your dealer and Zipp know what you're telling us and I wager they'll lend a hand.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

FWIW on my 2007 999s, the front 808 looked like that over the entire wheel while the back disc had a much different a better looking finish. No issues racing on them.

I'd try sending Zipp an e-mail with those pics and see what they say. If they say no, and the blems bother you that much, then return them and find something more to your liking. If they don't bother you that much and you don't feel like shopping for another set of wheels, then keep them. In the grand scheme of things, how much does the look of those small areas matter to you?

Tom,
Thanks for the advice.

If I could have hidden the dimples to get opinions unbiased of brand, I would have because I've had great experiences with Zipp as well as Hed.

The small "voids" look consistent with the layup of the CF (no issues with these), but the two main marks just look wrong. The one looks too much like it's been chipped away and the other looks like a rock mark.

My pleasure Sir.

From my experience with Zipp these guys don't ship product that hasn't been thoroughly Q.C.'ed. I've personally toured their manufacturing facility when it was in Indianapolis, Indiana right down the street from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Their quality assurance programs were impressive. If there are customers out there who may have issues with their equipment they want to know about it.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I really appreciate everyone's input and advice!!!