I just got a new set of zipp 404 wheels. Here is the problem that I hope that someone knows how to remedy. The new hubs have these carbon caps on both sides of the axles. They just sort of float there and every bump I hit on the road makes this obnoxious rattling noise due to the caps bumping the rest of the hub. Has anyone else experienced this? If so/not is there any way to shut them up?
I put a dab of silicon at 12 and 6 o’clock and that shut them right up.
Yes, I have the same noise. Truthfully I thought that for the money they cost and the reputation of this company that it was not well engineered. I thought of trying something like the silicone trick but would rather have the noise than the slight drag created by not allowing this disc to move on its own.
Aloha,
Larry
From Tom D’s editorial “New Bike”
“The carbon fiber dust cap on the hub was not being held in place by the rubber “O” ring behind it. You couldn’t see it because it was behind the dust cap. I pulled the cap off and moved the “O” ring forward. The carbon was rattling. Let me show you…”
I wonder why this sort of information never shows up in any of the many “should I buy zipps” posts. It doesn’t seem like a big problem. However, if you put down over 1000$ for a pair of wheels this IS a big problem.
Here is it again, I hope I don’t preach too much about this, there are other companies that build 404 rims around their hubs, which in my opinion are way better than the zipp hubs.
Take a very good rim (zipp 404) build it around a very good hub (velomax or american classics) and you have one of the best wheels money can buy.
Thanks, that’s all that they needed… o-ring problems… you would think we would start using something else to keep stuff in place.
No problem. Your post sounded really familiar, so I looked up the editorial. I wonder when the piece comes loose. Is it a manufacturing problem, shipping problem, or dealer problem?
I bought new 404’s in 2002. Within the first three rides, spokes on the front wheel blew out on two separate occassions. My lbs didn’t have bladed spokes, so I had them replace with regular. Shortly after, I ended up sending the wheel back to zipp for them to check over. They sent the wheel back to me without swapping the replacement rounded spokes with new bladed ones. I never got back to them on that one. Basically, I said then and there that I’m done with Zipp. In addition, the front hub was whacked. With and without tire, it spun unevenly and made my bike lurch. Kind of like an unbalanced car tire. Anyhow, they’ve been hanging in my garage collecting dust ever since while I happily ride with my corima disk and nimble crosswind. Maybe I just got the one lemon in a batch of thousands. But the fact that they didn’t replace the spokes really set me off.