I’ve been looking at buying a set of zipp 404’s lately and have noticed there are a lot of both pre fire crest and fire crest wheel sets out there. My question is, should I go with the pre fire crest ones and save some money or go all out on the fire crest ones? I’m not even sure what the difference is between the two. Just for information I average around 20-21.5 mph on my time trials depending on the course.
If you’ve got the cash and don’t need alloy braking surfaces then get the Firecrest’s as they’re very nice wheels and give you a wide rim which is nice for running wider tires and nice for cornering and being able to run a bit less pressure with reduced risk of pinch flatting.
But realistically the pre-FC Zipp wheels were world class just a few years ago. Folks were rocking them to course records and pro cyclists were rolling them in important time trials. It’s not like they’ve suddenly become terrible wheels. Sure if the budget allows you to get the latest and greatest the the full carbon FC wheels are very nice wheels but the older Zipps and wheels of similar design are still very fast upgrades for most riders.
You won’t go wrong with either decision and if you’re riding stock shallow rims now then either choice will help you speed up your riding but sure if cash is no problem then why not go all out for some Zipp FC or Enve wheels? But if cash is tight like it is for many of us it’s not like the FC wheels will make you three or four times faster for three or four times the price of the older wheels, actual measurable differences will be small but in either case they’ll be a lot faster than running stock box section rims.
-Dave
I’m not even sure what the difference is between the two.
You can read about the differences straight from Zipp: http://www.zipp.com/technologies/aerodynamics/firecrest.php
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I’m in a mountainous area with lots of weather, so I’m fairly committed to an aluminum braking surface personally. You’re likely not riding every day with a team mechanic that can swap out breaking compounds to optimize performance based on weather, you can save a few bones, and real-world performance improvements weighed against convenience and safety would likely tip in favor of the pre-firecrest… unless of course you live in a desert, or are only a fair-weathered cyclist.
If clincher, I would pony up for the firecrest wheels.
If tubular, I would consider going the cheaper route if money was a conern.
You can also consider HED and Flo if money is a concern, plus you get aluminum braking surfaces AND fast wheels.
I’ve been looking at buying a set of zipp 404’s lately and have noticed there are a lot of both pre fire crest and fire crest wheel sets out there. My question is, should I go with the pre fire crest ones and save some money or go all out on the fire crest ones? I’m not even sure what the difference is between the two. Just for information I average around 20-21.5 mph on my time trials depending on the course.
Don’t get zipps. The hubs aren’t all that good, the tension in the spokes is very low and they are not a very stiff wheel laterally. Go with Reynolds, Fast Forward or Enve. They are all better wheels than zipp.
If you are light you should definitely go for Firecrest. I had an older Zipp and the difference to my new Firecrests is huge in crosswinds. They handle like a shallow rim wheel even in gusty conditions.
I weigh around 155 lbs so I’m not sure if that is light or not.