Has anyone had the opportunity to ride both of these wheels on the front(Obviously on different rides)? Which one did you like better? Anybody have feedback on the bearings? I’m guessing the Zipp bearings are smoother? Which wheel felt faster?
The Zipp seems to spin a lot faster and freerer but that could also be because the wheels a lot lighter… They are both cartridge bearing hubs so if one had better bearings you could always just pop them out and pop back in something with higher tolerances. If you want the best, just buy the wheel you want, buy some aftermarket ceramic bearings and you’ll have the best hub possible.
Why does everyone here seem to think that hubs and bearings make such a difference? As long as you don’t have faulty or misadjusted bearings, bearing friction is a very small factor in performance.
If a hub has cone & cup bearings, getting low bearing friction is generally just a matter of making sure the cones are adjusted properly and the grease is not contaminated. Cartridge bearings can almost always be replaced if they are rough.
I have wondered about the benefits of ceramic bearings. It comes to mind when you are cruising along with a significant tailwind (like 25mph wind), and still can’t seems to go much faster. At that point it must be rolling resistance and bearing resistance.
Do you know where to get ceramic bearings?
try kaman bearings, they have a website. http://www.kamandirect.com/hist_001.htm try them, if they don’t have them then they could probably tell you who does.
You want “hybrid bearings” and you want rubber seals, not “ultra” seals. The “ultra” seals are not for a cycling application.
You need to know the diameter of the inner opening, the overall diameter and the width/depth of your current bearings … in mms.
Bob C.