Zipp 303 question, were they ever steel?

Triathlon Forum
1

I just bought a used set of 650c Zipps 303’s and was surpised as hell to have them show up and not be carbon.
They are steel/aluminum and are heavy.

Did Zipp ever make steel wheels? Did I get scammed? They seller told me they were 4-5 years old. I’ve had Zipp 650c 4-5 year ago and they were carbon.

If they did make a metal wheel, how long ago?

Thanks-

2

Zipp bought out a steel version of their wheels a few years ago to compete against the HED Stalingrad.

http://velonews.com/article/9673

I hope you got the Z-tech dimpled version.

3

Nice!

I just looked at Zipps old catlogs and went back as far as 2002 and didn’t see anything non carbon.

Can any comment?

4

Never heard of a steel 303.

5

Post some pics and we can go from there.

6

Here are the pics. Is there anything on the wheel that would tell if they are real? I peeled
back the rim tape and can’t see anything significant.

I think these are either very old Zipps or other wheels with sticker.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/3220926033_0784af29a8.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3130/3220925871_fb33d9863e.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3498/3221776756_06181b9e52.jpg?v=0

7

Here are the pics. Is there anything on the wheel that would tell if they are real? I peeled
back the rim tape and can’t see anything significant.

I think these are either very old Zipps or other wheels with sticker.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/3220926033_0784af29a8.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3130/3220925871_fb33d9863e.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3498/3221776756_06181b9e52.jpg?v=0
According to the timeline on the Zipp site, around 1999 (Discontinued in 2000) they had aluminum zipp 101 and 303’s.
http://www.zipp.com/support/identify/wheel_timeline.php
John

8

They look alot like Mavic CXP 33 rims but cant say for sure.

9

yes, if you bought the clincher version. This particular combination: 650c, 303, clincher rims were really made in aluminum. Carbon clinchers were rare until just recently.

10

what does recent mean? Like a couple of years or 1999?

11

Hi,

They are aluminium (not steel) and 1999.

Clinchers, expensive, hope you did not pay much.

No point in any race wheels less than 60mm deep.

Oh well
*

12

I did pay too much. The seller badly mis-represented how old they were…
I’ve purchased many things on ST (2 high end bikes and many parts) and have come to expect a high
level of honesty and disclosure by everyone. I guess I got lazy and didn’t ask for rim depth and if they were
carbon, but once I heard they were about 2005, I thought they should be carbon.

I’ll let a couple more replies come in here, bring them to my lbs tomorrow and due some due diligence.

13

Wow. Probably a nice set of training wheels, but not likely worth what you probably paid for them, thinking they were carbon 303s (even older ones).

Interesting …