Does anyone have actual experience with both wheel sets?
Im going to be buying either one of these two wheel sets, tubeless, disc brakes.
I have had several wheel sets from Zipp in the last 10 years (only wheel brand I ever used), and currently own a 454 NSW rim brake, as well as 858 NSW rim brake.
I love these wheels.
But now Princeton Carbon Works has come along, and have these undulating wheels (similar to the Zipp sawtooth design). They have been used by Team INEOS at the Giro, and have received positive reviews.
They are also cheaper than the 454 Zipp.
Anyone out there have those Princeton wheels? How do you like them?
I’d suggest you drop Marty at Princeton a line on this one.
Judging by the interactions I’ve had with him, the aftersales is something I’d be very confident in.
Second hand feedback, but someone experienced with equipment performance. I rode with Bobby Julich once, and he had the Princeton wheels. He had the Zipp wheels before that. He freakin’ raved about the Princetons and loved them way more than the Zipps (handling, road feel, looks, etc.). They look pretty sweet. I would have no problem choosing them, if I was not already aligned with HED Black rim brake wheels. They will be on my short list when I make the shift to disc brakes.
Good points but I would never look to pro team/athlete equipment choice as an attribute.
This is generally true but not really the case of Ineos which does a ton of testing and doesn’t make equipment choice based on sponsor $ alone. Correct me if I’m wrong but I think they are sponsored by Shimano for wheels and yet they throw on Lightweight for climbing and Princeton for TT. I think that speaks volumes.
Good points but I would never look to pro team/athlete equipment choice as an attribute.
This is generally true but not really the case of Ineos which does a ton of testing and doesn’t make equipment choice based on sponsor $ alone. Correct me if I’m wrong but I think they are sponsored by Shimano for wheels and yet they throw on Lightweight for climbing and Princeton for TT. I think that speaks volumes.
Correct. I’ve got it from a good source that Ineos isn’t getting those wheels for free.
Good points but I would never look to pro team/athlete equipment choice as an attribute.
This is generally true but not really the case of Ineos which does a ton of testing and doesn’t make equipment choice based on sponsor $ alone. Correct me if I’m wrong but I think they are sponsored by Shimano for wheels and yet they throw on Lightweight for climbing and Princeton for TT. I think that speaks volumes.
I would assume Shimano as the wheel supplier would likely need to approve of the alternate wheel selection–or at a minimum have a list of wheels Ineos can not use as an alternate. If a Zipp wheel tested as the best option do you think Shimano would give Ineos the ok to use it? I don’t. Shimano may be ok with most any other wheel mfg BUT Zipp/Sram.
They wouldn’t have to approve anything if the contract doesn’t cover TT rigs or wheels in general. The rest is just speculation. I doubt Shimano cares much about wheels because they aren’t exactly strong sellers (my counter-speculation).
Let’s pretend you’re right and Shimano says “no Zipp.” Consider 2 things.
Enve and HED, for example, consistently test similar or faster than Zipp. I think I even saw some charts suggesting 454 is slightly slower than 404 NSW.
Ineos is paying for Princeton over those proven brands and niche specialists like Aerocoach that are known to be very fast
It would take a big leap of faith to think that somehow the Zipp is faster than Princeton. Granted, it’s an educated guess but I think the above is strong indication. More than an assumption that 454 are faster but not considered based on pure contract speculation.