How long will zipp 808s last? I’m trying to decide if I can use them for everything or save them for race-only. I think people go for race-only out of fear of crashing/destroying the rims, but they look very sturdy besides that concern.
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
I’ve ridden a set of 404’s for well over 35K miles now and they still run fine. I’ve changed out the hubs 3x which is simple … they last about 10-15K with my usage. I suspect the 808 would last at least as well ( I assume you are talking clinchers). Those who supposedly protect their fragile zipp wheels just don’t have a clue about how rugged they are.
Dave
808s are crazy strong. I (road) raced clinchers for a season and then tubulars for a season last year. If you crash them, they will probably break - although I crashed mine in a road race and they came out of it with no scratches - but for straight-ahead wear they could last a very long time. Are you talking about tubulars or clinchers? I wouldn’t want to run them as daily drivers because I run thin tires on my race wheels and wouldn’t want to flat them, but the wheels are plenty durable enough to use every day… if you wanted to do that. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it since they are pretty spendy, but I don’t have a problem racing mine 50-60 times a year.
I think you’ve misunderstood the purpose of a wheelset like the 808s.
You’re supposed to buy them, ride them once, then hang them up in the closet for the next five years, until you can convince yourself to buy a newer, nicer pair.
Seriously, I’d never buy something expensive I couldn’t ride all the time! But I’m in a pretty small minority on this…
-Charles
I just ordered a 2008 pair from a vendor that was liquidizing their demo sets. They are due to me tomorrow and are ready to go (expect air). They are tubulars and my training wheels are Vuelta XRP Team with Tufo t/c tires. I plan on using the 808s early on to get used to them and bring them out for scrimmages and races primarily.
How long will zipp 808s last?
Years if used only for racing( 10 - 15 times/year) and the odd training ride( 5 - 10 times/year) I have a set of Tubular Zipp 404’s that are 10 years old that have had about that sort of usage and they are in great shape!
Agreed, they’re good for thousands of miles of normal use, but still I don’t train on my $$$ race wheels day in & day out for the simple fact that riding them more often increases the odds of a mishap.
Depends on what you want to do. I ride my 404s about 1/3 of the time in training. I try to pick windy days to see how I do with them. Yes I know they would last longer if I only raced on them, but I only do 3-4 races a year and it just doesn’t make sense to me to use something that cost lots of $$$ so rarely…
Another vote here for their longevity and durability. I’ve had my 808 wheelset (tubular rims laced to DT Swiss 240s hubs) for three seasons now and put about 8k miles on it, some of it on really bad roads–think flying into a mine-field of 1-3 inch potholes at 35mph. (I would have liked to hear the race director at that partcular event say something about those in advance, but unfortunately there was no warning, so the entire field emerged from the bike leg in shell shock; my wheels survived without any damage, not so my HED aerobar carbon extensions…) I recommend being proactive when it comes to maintenance. A twice-yearly check (and tune-up, if necessary) of trueness, roundness, spoke tension, and dish will go a long way. I’m not mentioning basic things such as proper tire pressure, dedicated brake pads, etc.