Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Its Like Biking on a Pirate Ship...

Went out for my first ride on the Zipp 808's tonight. The consensus is: WOW! But I have some reservations already....

First, it doesn't take much wind to make the bike handling TWITCHY!!! My first thought was that I was driving a sail boat, or rather a pirate ship to be exact.

Why a pirate ship? Well, these wheels just looooove to steal speed. I was hitting numbers such as 23, 24, 25, and 26 on the flats! (disclaimer! I may or may not have had a tailwind....)

Regardless, these wheels are stiff and you can tell they go fast. They also dampen the ride a bit and make for a more smoother and comfy feel. Takes a bit to get up to speed, but once you are going, you are like a juggernaut! There is noooooo stopping these babies quickly!

Back to handling: I am glad I am testing these out NOW and not during the first 10 miles of a half ironman course. There is a learning curve to riding these! My confidence in my riding ability was about shattered when the first gust of wind hit me. I thought I was going to lose it a few times!

But I stuck with it and had to muscle the bike a few times so I didn't go flying sans bike. I figured out how to handle it with the wind and I am now a LOT more comfy riding these wheels. However! One ride isn't going to cut it! I have about 3 more rides left on these before I send them bike and I sure want to be comfy on them by then before I rent again for a race.

To be continued.....

7 comments:

  1. Those are some damn impressive photoshop skills Jon!

    Thanks for the report. All the guys down here have 808 rear and 404 fronts because we always have winds.

    Can you rent mixed wheels like this from racedaywheels.com or only complete sets?

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  2. LOL - great report...looking forward to following the saga, and hopefully I don't get the same idea in my head! especially since I just bought my bike and officially have done about 5 rides so far
    -Derek

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  3. Thank goodness you are taking these out for a test ride:) I wouldn't want your new baby to take you for a spill! Good luck finding the right one!

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  4. Ya know, I loved that race picture on the bike, it was totally frame worthy, but now I'm retracting my posts...THIS ONE YOU SHOULD FRAME!!

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  5. It is actually quite fortunate then we've had those windy days lately then. They look sweet though! Damn, I wish I knew about that Cervelo ride thing at your bike shop.


    Curious, are you going to use your TT bike or road bike at the Moose (given the hills)?

    Nice photoshop job on the photo; designer approved!

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  6. This is actullay why I dont understand when I see a 140 lb biker in 808. How do they not fly away!!!!!

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  7. WOW - mad photoshop skills Jon! Good idea to get these thoroughly tested before your next HIM.

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