I am going to buy a pair of Zipp 303. I'm 21 years old, my height is 1m80 and my weight is 63kg. My problem is that I don't know how many spokes my future wheels must have. Someone has already told me that 28 spokes on the rear wheel will be the best. Do you agree with such a thing ? How many spokes for the front one ?

I have Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels and I would like to know if the 303 are more rigid.

Thanks !

8Oken

I too would like to know about the 303's.
What terain do you ride?
I'm looking for a deep profile low spoke wheel to use in windy conditions.
How do people compare the AC 420 to the Kyrium and Zipp range?

Brian

Get as many spokes as you can...

You should get 32 holes, if you really want to get those rims.

He might be tall but he's not heavy.

It will depend on your power and the terain (hilly/windy) as to the priorities in your wheel.

Brian

Spytech, do you tell that because these wheels are not enough strong ?

32 for the rear rim and how many for the front one ?

NB : I ride in Brittany, West France, where there's often wind and where there're hills.

this is not the strongest of carbon rim, if they were 404 i would say you could get by with 24 spokes rear, but they are lighter and have less depth, from what i have heard they are not that stiff. i would say go with 32r/28f.

more will reply to this subject. but personally i would not ride these rims with less than 28 spokes front and rear, if your an agressive rider go with 32h rear.

Zipp 303s don't come in 32 for the rear

Forget Zipp, get Reynolds Stratus UL KOM. Much stonger, more aero, and about same weight, a little lighter, alot lighter, around 1000g if you swap hubs. 16/20 spoke count to!

But dude, are these for racing, training, everyday use? If they are for training forget carbon tubulars, get a good set of clinchers.

_________________
MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT! HUH!

@ 8oken

I know the conditions you have in Bretagne, and I'd avoid a deep profile wheel. You have too much wind, too rough road surfaces (I've pedaled on the road from Paris to Brest, following two team-mates who were racing PBP).

Personally I'd switch to a low profile wheel. Alu rim: Campagnolo Neutron , while if you like carbon: Corima Winum. Corimas are very strong, stiff and durable.

Notice that i'm not saying Zipp's are not good wheels... simply I don't suggest them to you.

Bye, Benz.

If you are using them for Tri races your best bet is probably the 404's b/c they are a little more aero and probably a little more stiff. As with any carbon rim I reccomend that you do not train all the time on them. I use mine on race day and the occasional fast group ride. I have 303's and 404's. Have not tried the the 404's yet but plan on trying them Sat. in the mountains. The 303's I have been using for years. I am heavier than you and I think they are the stiffest wheels I have ridden (including Ksyriums, Neucleons etc...). As far as aero; they are not so deep that they provide a huge advantage for tri races, so I would guess that the 404's would be better depending on what your races are like. I built mine up with spada hubs and they are only about 150-170g heavier than my 303's. Also as far as spoke count the 404's have 18 front and 24 rear. To be honest I am not sure about the 303's. I beleive they are the same so I wouldn't worry to much about the spoke count/strenth factor. If you want the wheels to be a little more durable go for more spokes, but at your weight it shouldn't be a problem.

I don't know where the not stiff idea comes from about the Zipp rims. If you take a bare aluminum rim and try and bend it, it's pretty easy. In fact I used to do it with all alu rims before I built a wheel to make sure they were flat before I started. I have tried to do the same thing with a Zipp 280 rim just to see how much it would deflect and it didn't move at all (certainly if I kept increasing the force it would probably have broken at some point, but I didn't want to sacrifice my wallet in the name of science). So if your wheels are not stiff it's because it's bad quality spokes, bad wheelbuilding or not enough spokes. Below a certain number of spokes you aren't going to have a stiff wheel regardless of the rim used.

With standard spoking the lowest I would go is 28 rear and 20 on the front with CX-Rays. With triplet spoking on the rear 24 would be ok (16 drive/8 non-drive) but I would use a 14g bladed spoke for the non-drive ones. For TT's lower would be fine but any descending or fast corners and you're going to notice it.

don't take zipp 303
i broke mine several times...
they arent stiff at all!
the way you talk about bending a rim... it doesn't say anything about stiffnes!!!!
carbon fibre is totally different

go for corima winium!

I can offer the following comparative, but subjective, information on Kysrium and Zipp 303 wheels since I have used both for several years.
Zipp's are a stiffer, lighter wheel, however, as others have already noted, they are more fragile, and I have experienced both spoke and wheel breakage. Zipp is an excellent company and has repaired my wheels-even after their warranty period expired!
As for the spokes, I see the critical issue not as the number of spokes, but the type of spokes-Sapims are what you need-there're stronger, stiffer and produce less breakage.
Again, I must underline the opinions already given here regarding your choice of wheels. Zipp 303's are not a good wheel for windy, wet conditions-both bike control and braking will be compromised. If you must use these wheels, Zipp brake pads are imperative.
Like many other riders, I prefer Campy Nucleons in bad weather-they're low profile, strong and have an excellent braking surface. Their downside is tire removal is necessary before spoke adjustment.

Thanks for all your comments !

In fact, I want to buy great aero/light wheels. I will use them only in very good conditions (not under the rain). I don't do triathlon races. I would like to buy Zipp 404 but because my weight is quite low, I am afraid to be disturb by the wind... And I don't want to buy Corima Winium or Campa Nucleon because I want a deep rim. I want to make me a pleasure in buying these wheels. I don't really need new wheels but I have had money and I want to spend it in wheels.

Do you think that if I buy Zipp 303, it would be better if I buy only the rim and I go to a wheels maker in order to have good spokes ? If the answer is "Yes", which spokes I must put on them ?

8Oken

Ever thought about buying the real thing?