Carbon rim warranty wars. Need advice.

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Mberlin74
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2023 12:14 am

by Mberlin74

How big of a deal is the warranty difference between-

Zipp (lifetime replacement crash protection) and
Enve (<3 Years (0-36 Months) No charge on the specific damaged component – Customer responsible for costs related to parts (ex. spokes, nipples), labor, and shipping
-3 – <4 (37-48 Months) 50% Off MSRP, Customer pays all shipping
-4 – <5 (49-60 Months) 40% Off MSRP, Customer pays all shipping
-5 (61 + Months) 30% Off MSRP, Customer pays)

Should this add any real weight to going one way or the other?

voicycle
Posts: 167
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2021 8:38 am

by voicycle

For me that would come down to a mix of affordability and inconvenience factor:
  • GPlama has shown Zipp's replacement policy to be pretty swift. If Enve want to rebuild the wheel then I imagine it will take longer. Do you have a spare wheel you don't mind running instead during the repair period (or how big a deal is it for you to take that wheel/bike off the road during that time)? If it is a significant problem then are you in the financial position to be able to buy a replacement immediately and then offset your costs by selling the repaired wheel secondhand once it comes back (likely at a modest loss)? This seems to be the MO for serious racers...
  • If you can wait for repair, then how big a financial burden is it likely to be in years 3-5? If this is a big special once-in-a-lifetime purchase then that might be relevant, but I'd guess that most people considering an Enve wheelset can afford the repair bill without too much bother. In that instance the depreciated warranty still seems like a good enough deal to choose based on wheelset rather than warranty. This is also the inverse price of how you usually see this kind of thing - usually the more expensive product (or optional enhanced warranty on an appliance or car or whatever) would be the one with full coverage, but in this instance if you're trying to save money you're probably going with the Zipps anyway (except maybe the X5X models?).
  • In 3-5 years how likely is it that you'd even want the same wheel again - maybe the pace of change is slowing but the advent of road disc has pushed a blisteringly fast change in trends for rim shapes over the last half-decade.
That's the assessment I'd make unless I had (or expected) a significant track record of breaking components, in which case the considerations might be a bit different.

by Weenie


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Mberlin74
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2023 12:14 am

by Mberlin74

Thanks voicycle.
That's a good assessment. Although I have the money to spend on a wheel set from either brand, I definitely wouldn't have the money to spend on another set while repairs were being made. Even the discounted cost to repair the Enve wheels after the initial 3 year period is over would be hard to do. I suppose in that instance the Zipps would be the better wheels to go with from a warranty perspective, although the Enve set are what I'd prefer just slightly and when spending that kind of money you should get what you want.
Although having a wreck bad enough to destroy one or both rims is not too likely, it's still something to consider.
I appreciate your take on it.

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nickf
Posts: 1427
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 10:34 pm

by nickf

I'm going to be that guy.

I bought 2 sets of farsports wheels for less then a set of zipps. Built in backup pair of wheels. Thousands of miles, many on gravel, lighter, zero issues. I don't see the allure other then if you just want the name when purchasing zipp and enve.

eins4eins
Posts: 675
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2016 11:49 am

by eins4eins

I bought Zipp and had to make use of there service promise. Crashed, destroyed the front wheel, send it to Sram, got a new one within two weeks. Therefore would buy Zipp again if the specs met my criteria.

Farsports or Lightbicycle isn't that much cheaper anymore. Being in europe, a nice set from lightbicycle will be around 1000-1200€. Zipp 404 FC are available for 1300€.

voicycle
Posts: 167
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2021 8:38 am

by voicycle

eins4eins wrote:
Wed Mar 15, 2023 3:17 pm
I bought Zipp and had to make use of there service promise. Crashed, destroyed the front wheel, send it to Sram, got a new one within two weeks. Therefore would buy Zipp again if the specs met my criteria.

Farsports or Lightbicycle isn't that much cheaper anymore. Being in europe, a nice set from lightbicycle will be around 1000-1200€. Zipp 404 FC are available for 1300€.
My example assessment above was actually based on my own experience deciding to buy LightBicycle rather than Zipp. Pricing was similar but I went with LB because customisation got me closer to the exact spec I wanted. Obviously I don't get much crash replacement support at all (10%) but my thinking was based on the idea of having just one rim sent out to me and then paying a local builder to re-make the wheel. I'd bet it's not actually wildly more expensive than an Enve crash replacement in the later years of the warranty.

Indyx
Posts: 97
Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2017 3:31 am

by Indyx

nickf wrote:
Wed Mar 15, 2023 2:58 pm
I'm going to be that guy.

I bought 2 sets of farsports wheels for less then a set of zipps. Built in backup pair of wheels. Thousands of miles, many on gravel, lighter, zero issues. I don't see the allure other then if you just want the name when purchasing zipp and enve.
On the flip side, I've owned 4 pairs of farsports wheels. One wheel exploded at the hub (warrantied-took 3 months). Another wheel, the rim exploded (inflated running tubeless between layers), sent me a rim, and told me to take it to a bike shop to rebuild.... I learned how to lace wheels.

After that adenture, I now own DT Swiss, and Roval wheels which have a quick warranty. Buy cheap, buy twice.

by Weenie


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Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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