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ZIPP releases moto-inspired MTB rim

  • Ron 

Zipp today released their first carbon fiber MTB rim and their first entry into the mountain bike market at all since the nineties.

The new 3ZERO MOTO rims and wheelsets, focused on the enduro/trail market, will be available in both 27.5 and 29 sizes and is inspired by motocross rim designs to provide riders with the control and durability required for pure speed.

The new rims use a single wall design that Zipp calls Moto Technology™ that allows the rims to “pivot” from either side of the spoke bed while traversing rough terrain. As the wheel encounters obstacles, each edge of the rim is designed for compliance, creating the feel of extra suspension. For the rider that means durability and control for greater speed:

  • Higher impact resistance
  • Reduced chance of pinch flatting
  • More traction in rough corners
  • Smoother ride in rocky terrain
  • Ability to run lower tire pressure
  • Reduced rider fatigue

Tested By The World’s Fastest

The 3ZERO MOTO is the culmination of testing with some of the fastest riders in the world. Enduro MTB rider Adrien Dailly raced them to their first EWS podium in France, and enduro legend Jérôme Clementz recorded the first win in New Zealand. With their help, plus reams of honest feedback from test riders, Zipp arrived at the transformation of the mountain bike wheel for the speed-obsessed.

Our test riders are saying they have a lot less fatigue and arm pump and are not feeling vibrations of trail coming up through the handlebars. “Those wheels feel like I have an extra inch of travel,” Clementz said. This isn’t just on-the-trail marketing. It’s Zipp’s product development protocol. We test concepts for all riding styles, from those who are super smooth to those who may just case a jump now and then.

“I was really impressed by the balance between comfort and efficiency,” Clementz added. “The wheels track the ground, make you feel in control and at the same time you just want to keep pushing and play with your bike. The perfect recipe for fun and speed!”

“I just finished Andes Pacifico and 3 weeks of riding rough terrain with the Moto wheels. They took some hard hits; some of them I thought the wheel would dislocate but they were still fine. I’m impressed with the resistance!

Good job and thanks for the great improvement since the beginning of the project,” he concluded.

“The wheels have been really impressive so far. They do have an interesting ride quality to them and definitely comply to the trail, while maintaining a stiff lateral feel,” said Pro Racer Nate Hills. “I have hit the rims really hard a few times on rocks, full impacts, without flatting.

“I have been checking the spoke tension closely and everything seems to be staying tight. After TNZ, I have been beating the crap out of my bike at Skyline Queenstown and have been really impressed with the ride quality in the park. I have about 30 park laps and a hand full of shuttle runs and nothing is out of true and the hubs have been working great.

“Overall, I am thoroughly impressed. Good job to the crew!!”

Stiffness: Perception vs. Reality

Zipp engineers—uninhibited by legacy technology—wiped the white board clean. All the best ideas eventually pointed to motorsports inspiration and Moto Technology’s single-wall rim as the optimal approach for an enduro/trail wheelset.

The 3ZERO MOTO’s stiffness, compliance and durability comes from Zipp’s proprietary process to design and assemble rim, hub, and spokes. Each 3ZERO MOTO wheel is built as a system, its ZM1 hubset and 32 spokes and handmade carbon rim all integrate to play key roles in performance. Look at a cross section of the 3ZERO MOTO and you can see the difference right away. It’s a quantum jump from the typical and limiting box-section design that bicycle wheels have always used–our moto-inspired design allows the fastest trail riders on earth to fly over the roughest terrain imaginable with speed and control like never before.

How It Works:

Lateral stiffness — In a sharp turn, the rim remains stiff, providing confidence that the wheel is firmly planted.  Zipp’s wide hub flanges provide better spoke-bracing angles which help to increase the lateral stiffness.

Torsional windup — When torque is applied to the rear hub when pedaling, you don’t want the spokes to create a spring-like flex sapping your wattage. Having 32 spokes at the right tensions keep the wheel constrained during windup, meaning the energy in your legs is efficiently transferred to your rear wheel.

Radial compliance — When you hit a rock, the system is designed to act as a shock absorber. Zipp’s MOTO Technology allows the rim to flex, which absorbs the impact energy and spreads it away from the impact zone for increased durability. In essence, more of the rim carries the load from the impact.

“Ankle” compliance — Imagine a runner rounding a sharp turn, the ankle naturally flexing to maintain grip as the runner leans. The rim can locally flex to stay parallel to the ground during cornering, which increases traction much like a human ankle. This ability to twist locally allows it to deflect during single bead impacts without the rider getting bounced off line.

 Durability and ride quality — 3ZERO MOTO rim strength exceeded our expectations for impact resistance due to MOTO Technology compliance. As for ride quality, the wheel also deflected three times more than top rival box-section carbon wheels. That extra compliance behaves like extra suspension, but it also spreads the impact energy over a larger area. This also benefits the rider in the form of pinch flat prevention.

The benefits of all that are simple. More control. Fewer line deviations. Greater durability. Fewer pinch flats. The net gain? Pure speed.

Rims or Wheels?

For those that don’t want to build their own wheels, the 3ZERO MOTO will be available as a complete wheelset built with Zipp’s ZM1 hub, rim tape and valve installed AND Zipp’s TyreWiz™ integrated tire pressure monitoring system. The wheels come standard in 15/110 front and 12/148 rear sizes. The front wheel includes 21mm Standard and 31mm RockShox® Torque Caps.

If you want to build your own, you still get the valve, rim strip and tape in the box.

WHEELSET MSRP: $ 1999  /  € 2099  /  £1875
RIM-ONLY MSRP: $ 700  /  € 750  /  £ 670
RETAIL AVAILABILITY: April 2019

Tags: bicycle, Bicycle wheel, bicycles, carbon fiber, cycling, Enduro, France, mountain bike, mountain biking, New Zealand, Rim, transport, wheels, wheelsets, ZIPP
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