Mark Cavendish has been a long time user of Zipp’s rims, but always had them built up on different hubs. Zipp wanted to know why and entered into a design partnership with the man known as the world’s best sprinter.
Cavendish starting receiving wheel/hub prototypes in January and ended up logging 13,000 kilometers over the year as Zipp continued to refine the design for the hubs. He rode the prototypes throughout the year, including for his stage victories in the Giro and the Tour de France. His feedback helped to optimize the hub’s flange geometry, stiffness and weight.
The design exercise is over and starting in September, Zipp will start building all of their Firecrest Carbon Clincher and Tubular rim-brake wheelsets, as well as the 202 Tubular wheelset, using the latest iteration of its 188 rear hub, the V9, in a virtual 3-cross lacing pattern.
Team Saxo-Tinkoff ended up racing the final production models of the 188/V9 hub at the Vuelta a España.
Details of the 188/V9 hub and wheels:
- Bearings: Larger Swiss stainless steel bearings with a custom cartridge increase durability by more evenly spreading load over the axle.
- Lacing: New “virtual 3 cross” lacing on both sides of rear wheel for improved stiffness, achieving 3 cross stiffness in a two cross pattern with a new spoke geometry.
- Stiffness: The 188/V9 has 25 percent more torsional stiffness than a leading competitive hub. This measure of stiffness is crucial for the direct power transfer to the rear wheel for out-of-the saddle sprints and climbs. The new hub also is laterally (side-to-side) stiffer than its rival or predecessor.
Other refinements:
- Spokes: The 202 Tubular and all Firecrest road wheels all have 18 spoke fronts and 24 spoke rears for greater stiffness. (Does not include track wheels or 303 Firecrest Disc-brake wheelsets.)
- Decals: Fully die cut Classic White and Beyond Black rim decals are borderless, thinner and lighter.
Specs:
- Hub Weight: Front 100g, Rear 245g
- Spoke Count: 202 Tubular and all Firecrest rim-brake road wheels: Front 18, Rear 24
- Compatibility: 10/11 Speed (Available with SRAM/Shimano® or Campagnolo® Cassette body)
- Hubset color: Black
- Rim decal colors: Classic White or Beyond Black (Availability: September 2013)
Ron Callahan is the chief cook and bottlewasher at Bike World News, doing everything from website design to bike reviews.