Can this information be right?
Zipp Clincher 700c Disc = 1240g - Price ~$1600
Renn Kaiser Clincher 700c Disc = 1200g = Price $590
yeah, but the Renn isn’t dimpled! 
Well, my Kaiser came in at 1144g. I’ve been very happy with it.
So the dimples cost around a grand and they add weight? I’m confused. Somebody talk to me.
Clincher? 700c?
There is some quality and customer service difference. Renn has a good service but the difference is more like good vs. perfect
I had Renn 575 and now have zipp 999. Difference about $1000 on the disk but worth it if you consider the weight difference and quality as well as customer service I’ve seen from Zipp at the races.
If you look closely, the zipp clincher disc is actually a clincher 404 rim with part of a disk glued in the middle. I’m not sure why they offer this wheel, though. If there is demand, shouldn’t there be a full disc with a clincher rim? I hope that one day they’ll make a power tap built into one of the their discs. That would be a useful wheel.
Richard
But the Renn is lighter.
yes, the zipp clincher is work of art, but it weighs nearly as much as a boat anchor. but with the introduction the zipp 808 clincher rear wheel, there is no reason to use either a zipp or renn disc because the 808 rear gives you nearly 100% of the aero advantage of a rear disc, but at a much lower weight and much better ride quality. the spokes and carbon rim flex enough to really smooth the ride and keeps your tire stuck to the pavement where it belongs, and a solid rear disc does not do this. and ride quality plays in to your speed quite a bit on anything other than velodrome-smooth roads.
if you really, really want a disc, get a great spoked wheel and use a wheel cover. you will probably go faster.
Very wise. Thank you.
Clincher 700c.
I’m a big boy (220) and use it mostly for time trials and flat triathlons and flexing has not been a problem. It is noticible if you stand up, swing the bike side to side and grind but with a good smooth pedal stroke it hasn’t been a problem. As for ride quality it ride about as smooth as my H3cs and with clinchers at a reasonable tire pressure its fine, even on my aluminum P2K.
I would agree with Greg as well. I have a pair of the HED 60/90 wheels and when I was looking for a disc wheel to run with my 60 front, I was informed and saw data that said the disc would not give me any advantage and my rear wheel was lighter. Get the HED 60/90 or go with the Zipp 404 up front and the Zipp 808 on the rear.
Sorry, my comparision was based on what I had. Renn clincher vs. Zipp tubular. if you gonna get a race wheel why not a tubular? I was against tubular until this season.
IMO, wait for the Reynolds all-carbon clincher disc. The cost of the Zipp, lighter and stiffer than the Renn.
Just a matter of time before the word gets out regarding what Reynolds is doing with the all-carbon stuff. Awesome.
There is no comparision between a Renn and Zipp disc. A Renn disc is just a disc with not engineering effort placed into it. It has not gone to a wind tunnel to optimize its shape. The Zipp disc has gone into a wind tunnel to verify its design and to improve its design. That is why the shape of the Zipp clincher disc and tubular disc are slightly different. If you look at a Zipp disc, it has a shape to it, a Renn disc is flat.
Your analogy does not make sense, a Honda Civic weighs less and cost less than a Porsche 911, but which is the better car?
Hmmmm…yes you might be right! That 1 Watt savings in aero drag is definitely worth $1000.
It’s about overall build quality. Even Frank Rehnelt (who makes Renn discs) has said that his discs are not built comparably to Zipps. Doesn’t mean they aren’t very good or plenty fast. But you are paying for small differences in quality that end up costing a lot. Everyone focuses on the aero savings. That isn’t the whole story. Think about rim true and hop. This is especially important in a disc, since you don’t cant use spokes to fix minor imperfections. Do you know how difficult it is to make sure that the hub is perfectly centered in the disc, both in terms of affecting true (lateral runout) and hop (vertical runout)? Yes, you are paying a lot for dimples with a Zipp. You are also paying a lot for differences in build that you may never notice. But that doesn’t mean that the Zipp isn’t “worth it.” If you have a budget of $500-600, buy a Renn. They are fantastic wheels. You’ll be very happy. But if you want the best, a Renn isn’t it. Personally, I think the best disc out there right now is the Bontrager Aeolus. Unfortunately, it is only a tubular. But it’s $2000 or something like that. I think it is nicer (i.e. faster net performance - aero, stiffness, etc.) than a Zipp. And I think a Zipp is nicer (same definition as before) than a Renn. Worth the differences? Maybe. Depends on who you are. But I wish we could get over these pointless discussions about whether a Zipp is worth an extra $1000. Nobody here seems to bat an eye over a P3C vs. P2-SL price differences. Or even a Dual. The Dual has won a world championship. The P2-SL won a world championship. They are plenty fast. Is the P3C worth the extra money? I suppose it depends on what you want.
“If you really, really want a disc, get a great spoked wheel and use a wheel cover. you will probably go faster.”
About a week ago I noticed that someone was selling a set of 808s on EBay with a disk cover for the rear wheel. Although it would add weight, it sure seems like a good idea rather than purchasing a deep wheel and a disk if you ever need the option of going without a disk. I’m not sure how much weight gets trimmed off the cover when it is cut down for a extra deep wheel like a Jet/Stinger 90 or 808 but a little extra weight doesn’t make too much of a difference.
Well the coefficent of drag numbers for the Civic and the 911 are almost identical. The big difference is in the engine and thats a whole other matter. I think the $1000 can yield a greater rate of return if applied elsewhere like a Powertap or week long training camp. It just takes a 1 watt boost in the engine to equalize the discs and its easier to get that watt and more with $1000 into the engine than into the tiny savings of a Zipp disc over most other discs. now, if the engine is optimized then go for it, but very few engines really are.
Just curious how you determined there is a 1watt difference between the wheels…