Getting ready to plop some money down on some new race wheels and wanted to get a feel for anyone with helpful stories on Zipp and their warranty and customer service. Posts I have read seem to be a 50 50 split between “sent me a new one great service” and “you bought em, there broke, your screwed” Any input would be appreciated as I think I have zeroed in on the 606’s.
Captdav1
Well, first off, I am a Zipp retailer FWIW. But remember, you buy one pair of Zipp race wheels, I buy 65-80 sets or more a year. As a result, we are very familiar with their service.
It is my opinion that, in the past, any bad rap Zipp got was largely due to either user error or user misunderstanding. There was a thread on this forum two years ago about the rattling carbon dust cap. Actually, there was and remains a black rubber “O” ring behind that dust cap intended to retain the cap in position. When the wheels were shipped, it may have been slightly out of position. As a good Zipp dealer, a bike shop should have checked to confirm the "O: ring was in the appropriate position before the wheels left the store. If they did not and the "O: ring was not in place, there was an annoying rattling noise. It was easily corrected but the company got an unfairly (I maintain) bad rap for a while because of it.
True to form- and this is one of the strengths of Zipp as a company- they imporved the mounting of the “O” ring for the new hubs and it is now retained from the factory in the correct orientation by a precision lathe-turned groove. Additionally, the hubs themselves have smaller, lighter, more aerodynamic hub shells and several other refinements.
In terms of service, Zipp has always been excellent. considering they have had some tragic things happen to their very small staff that people outside the industry never knew about, that says a lot about their tenacity and dedecation as a company. Based on my experience, Zipp always delivers on our expectations. Precision, high performance racing equipment is difficult and time consuming to produce, but they have done an excellent job in my opinion.
I rate their service top notch. Be a good customer though- read the owner’s information and warranties before you buy and ask questions- like you are now. I think you’ll be impressed not only with the wheels but the follow on service. I race on Zipp 999’s and formerly raced on 909’s. The 606 is a hot wheelset. I think you’ll like it.
Good luck.
I’m a zipp 404 owner and I’ve had great service from them when needed.
I think that their customer service is excellent. I just bought a Cannondale IM5000 in February, which comes with Zipp 404’s (2004 version). In my first race with the new bike/wheels, I hit a very large crack/hole in the road really hard and put a 2-3 inch crack in the carbon fiber rim.
I called Zipp the next day. They have a Crash Replacement service where you basically pay for replacement cost of the parts. I got a brand new rim/braking surface(clincher rims) for about $300 (parts/labor/shipping). They re-used the hub which was not damaged. It was a hell of a lot cheaper than $800 for a completely new wheel. Also, total turn-around time from the day I sent it was 7 days!
By the way, I cracked the rim at mile 14 of a 1/2IM; the wheel stayed together just fine for anther 42 miles carrying my 200 pound ass.
I own a pair of 404’s and my front one was badly damaged in a crash last September. Two of the spokes were ripped out, thus damaging the carbon fibre of the rim. Took some photos, sent them to Zipp and they said “Send it back to us and we’ll see what we can do”. I ended up needing a new rim, but with their Crash Replacement Program I got the 2005 dimpled rim and 2 spokes, built up with my old hub and remaining spokes. Grand total was about $300 (better than $600 or $700 for a new wheel for sure) and turn-around from when I sent them the wheel was about 2 weeks including shipping (which they paid to send it back to me!)
I have had to use Zipp’s Warranty a few time in the last 5 years. Without a doubt they are one of the best in the industry.
I can concur with what Tom has said. Being no more than 10 mins away, I visit Zipp frequently.
I have worked with no less than 4 of their employees, and knew others through the bike biz before they went to Zipp.
I managed the bike shop that assembled the first 2001 that Leigh Sargent (founder/former owner) took to Interbike.
They are a top notch company that builds (IMO) the best wheels in the business.
I had a Zipp disk that was used one time for a race. After the race I noticed a small crack on the side. I sent it back to Zipp to see if there was a defect in the wheel. They said there was no defect and I could buy another under the crash replacement program. After spending $1400 dollars on the 909’s I did not have any money for a new wheel. I sold the front wheel for $400 dollars and will never buy another Zipp POS product again. I also never received the defected disk back. .
Thanks Tom ! I appreciate your insight. While I don’t mind spending a good sum on the wheels I do want to be sure I am buying from a company that stands behind their product. Sounds like everyone has had a positive experience with the company. If I may tap in to your expertise a bit as you obviously have been at it longer than I have. Do you think the 606 is a good set for my particular circumstances. A few particulars: 44 year old Age Grouper always in the top 15% of my group. 6’1’’ and 175 lbs. Live and race mainly in Florida (few hills not that much wind) and going to be mounted on my new Lucero which I am picking up tomorrow. Do mainly sprints, OLY’s and 1/2’s and someday want to get to Kona and will probably do my first IM next year after sending the youngest off to college. I was torn between the 606’s and the 808’s. Any insight you could provide would be of the utmost appreciated.
Captdav1