Hello all,
there’s probably been a thread comparing these before, but i’m just looking for some opinions before i buy. I see that the bontragers are a bit heavier than the 404 (i’m looking at tubulars) and have a rim that is also not as deep, but are cheaper. Thanks in advance for all the insight!
bump
any opinions?
I really like the bearings on the Zipp wheels they have now, and they have really good customer service. Plus they have a pretty good “crash replacement” policy if you hit a rail road track at 30mph. I was not JRA!!!
I bet this is a “can-o-worms” topic about who makes a better wheel though.
did bontrager stop sub-contracting zipp to make their wheels for them then?
i know the disc was just a rebadged zipp, and the old deep dish wheels were as well…
I have had a set of the Bontrager Aero carbons and now have a set of 606 Zipp’s. The Bontrager were quite stiff and felt light and quick for acceleration and handled well in the turns. The Zipp’s on the other hand feel like a little more work to get them going, they are a bit more comfortable, and feel more stable as the speed increases. They are both very nice wheelsets, and new “retail” is very close. I believe the Zipp hubs to be better that the DT Swiss on the bontrager, but again the dt swiss hubs are quite nice as well. This is just my feel and opinion, no data whatsoever at all to back it up.
If you were looking Bontrager VS 303 it is a toss up. Deeper rim on the bontrager, but a Zipp is a Zipp
Between the bontrager and 404,606,808… Zipp.
It is hard to be completely objective since I had a bad experience with the bontrager warranty dept even though I was paying for a new rim. My LBS also gave me a killer deal on my 606 set during this fiasco.
At the right price you could be quite happy with either set. I had just wanted a set of Zipp wheels since I first saw them 5-6 years ago.
The Bontrager rims are not Zipp rims. I don’t think they ever were. Originally they were OCLV, but now are made a different way.
I used to have a pair of 404s but now have Bontragers. I like them and have no complaints about them. Personally I think they are great all around wheels as i use them for everything from road races to triathlons to crits. I saw a guy this weekend racing cyclocross on a pair as well - but I don’t want to shell out for the tubular cross tires.
Yes, the Aero carbon rims were OCLV110 they are now a HCM120. They are definitely not Zipp rims. The HCM120 has a much better braking surface compared to the OCLV110. The OCLV brake surface pulsed real bad at the two seams.
How about this…I have seen Zipp at three events this year where they had a booth at either a show or race expo where you could talk to their people, touch their wheels, and pick up swag. I have never seen Bontrager at any of the expo’s I attended and I don’t think they were even at Interbike this year.
I’m sure when it comes down to it, both companies make good wheels. But, which company do you think is making more an effort to the customer?
Remember when it comes to aero, the deeper the rim the better so that alone should answer that question. I think that Zipp hubs are about best, bar none, in the industry (especially the Z series). Weight shouldn’t be much of an issue with an aero, tri/TT wheel, but again, the Zipp trumps all here too.
They are expensive, but you get what you pay for here since you can easily sell them on e-bay for a premium. I’m sure the Bontragers are fine, but I think you would have a harder time on e-bay with them.
Remember the Bontragers have a lower spoke count to make up for less rim depth. I prefer my bontragers over zipp or hed, but that is just me. I have a set of 2000 race x-lites that roll forever. That is my 2 cents.