ENPutting Wheels into Words
Zipp’s Pros Describe First Impressions of 1ZERO HITOP XC Wheels
“Gravy?” “Outrageous?” How would you describe Zipp’s new 1ZERO HITOP SW wheels? As we developed our new XC wheelset, we have prototype versions to our sponsored pros to test ride. Below, in their own words, are first impressions of their first rides on the 1ZERO HITOP SW:
Describe your first impressions of the 1ZERO HITOP when you first took them out of the box. How did they look to you? What do you think about the wheel’s appearance?
Alex Howes
Fire. When I picked up the box, I was afraid they forgot to put the wheel in before shipping.
Maghalie Rochette
I thought they looked sleek and light! I’m not much of a mechanic nerd, but the wide rim and small hub made them look fast. They made me want to hit them Santa Cruz trails!
Jasper Ockeloen
The wheels look smooth and wide. The rim high is a bit higher than the 3ZERO HITOP which looks cool with the tire on it.
Lance Haidet
The first words to come out of my mouth when unboxing the 1ZERO HITOPS was, “dang, these are SICK!!!” The matte finish and clean decals paired with a robust and fantastically wide rim profile instantly lets you know that these wheels mean business. Additionally, the silver accents of the lathe finish on the drive side of both hubs are not only a classy aesthetic touch, but also boasts the passion and attention to detail that went into the design and fabrication of the 1ZERO's. Let's just say, I was incredibly motivated to mount up tires, slap on some rotors, and get out to ride these wheels as quickly as possible.
I'm not sure if the Zipp engineers threw some unicorn dust into the composite matrix of these rims, or what, but man have they made some truly one-of-a-kind wheels.
–Lance Haidet
Lance
My first ride on the 1ZERO was one of my standard training loops in my hometown of San Luis Obispo. The loop consisted of a couple 20ish minute tight singletrack climbs, and some rocky and loose ripping descents. I was first impressed with how responsive the wheels felt and how quickly the wheels spin-up on the climbs. Accelerating out of tight switchbacks was a breeze, and the wheels made the bike feel like a rocket-ship anytime I was out of the saddle. On the descents, the wheels felt super solid and gave me a lot of confidence to rip through the higher speed rock gardens and collect some airtime without fearing the squirmy feeling you get upon landing with a lot of race XC wheels. Lastly, the large internal width and hookless bead design of the rims made my tires have a noticeably greater contact patch and a more pronounced corner knob. I was happy to feel like I could get even more bite of my tires when they were mounted on the 1ZERO wheels.
Describe the ride feel of 1ZERO HITOP wheels in as few words as possible (one word if possible!).
Alex
Gravy
Maghalie
SMOOOOOOOTHHHHHHHHHH
Jasper
Outrageous
Lance
Sublime
Aside from pure racing, do you also ride trail on 1Zero?
Alex
Oh, yeah! I’ve taken the 1Zeros just about everywhere. From fast paced XC racing to enduro style big mountain riding the 1Zeros haven’t let me down yet. Someone has to test them, right?
Maghalie
All the time! In fact, I have had a single puncture since I’ve started riding them (in April). They’re just fun! Why not ride them all the time! David says he’s happy because they are so tough he never had to work on them ever since we put them on the bike! He says they are easy: set them and forget!
Jasper
Yes.
Lance
I may have thrown the 1ZERO’s on the trail bike a handful of times this year to see if I could find the limit of what these wheels are capable of. Despite my best efforts, the limit has yet to be found. These wheels freakin’ kill it. It’s rad to have an XC race wheel in the 1300-gram range that you can race in a full gas short track one day, and then throw them on the trail bike and go ride some proper chunk the next. I'm not sure if the Zipp engineers threw some unicorn dust into the composite matrix of these rims, or what, but man have they made some truly one-of-a-kind wheels.
On what type of trails do you ride 1Zero?
Alex
I live up in the mountains of Colorado with some nasty, “off piste” style trails that can be hell on equipment. I’ve spent a ton of time up there putting the 1Zeros to the test.
Maghalie
I’ve ridden them in the Tucson rocky/desert trails, in the hero dirt/steep/berms of Santa Cruz in California, the other types of hard/sandy trails of California, and on the rooty/rocky East Coast trails where I live.
Jasper
Mostly on the smoother and faster Dutch trails. A lot of sandy trails around the coast where the width rim tire combinations work well. We ride pretty low tire pressure, and this rim gives the confidence that the tire will stick to the (hookless) rim eve on low pressures. The hookless rim also makes sure the shape of the tire stays perfect.
Lance
All the trails. All the time.
On what type of trails do you ride 1Zero?
Alex
I live up in the mountains of Colorado with some nasty, “off piste” style trails that can be hell on equipment. I’ve spent a ton of time up there putting the 1Zeros to the test.
Maghalie
I’ve ridden them in the Tucson rocky/desert trails, in the hero dirt/steep/berms of Santa Cruz in California, the other types of hard/sandy trails of California, and on the rooty/rocky East Coast trails where I live.
Jasper
Mostly on the smoother and faster Dutch trails. A lot of sandy trails around the coast where the width rim tire combinations work well. We ride pretty low tire pressure, and this rim gives the confidence that the tire will stick to the (hookless) rim eve on low pressures. The hookless rim also makes sure the shape of the tire stays perfect.
Lance
All the trails. All the time.
Have you ridden carbon MTB wheels before? Did 1ZERO change or influence your views on carbon MTB wheels?
Alex
I have ridden several different carbon MTB wheels before and the 1Zeros are easily my favorite. Stiff where it matters with enough give to keep you on track. Very light without sacrificing durability. Nice wide rim to get the maximum out of any tire. Total home run.
Maghalie
Yes, I have ridden carbon wheels. Interestingly, the 1ZERO did change my views on carbon wheels. I’ve always ridden carbon wheels for lightness, responsiveness, and speed. But I think the cool thing about the 1ZERO is that they keep all these fast/responsive characteristics, but they also ride much smoother than previous carbon wheels I’ve experienced. The stiffness and clunkiness is replaced by a smoother feeling on the trails, which is nice! But you don’t lose the responsiveness when you stand up and push on the pedals.
Jasper
Yeah, I’ve ridden carbon MTB wheels before. Most people think carbon rims will brake faster but I think they are stronger than aluminum rims.
Lance
I’ve raced carbon MTB wheels for quite some time now and love how they ride compared to aluminum wheels. However, I have always been a bit hesitant to ride them 100 percent of the time in training due to the fear of cracking a rim or ripping out spokes. For the past few months, I have exclusively ridden the 1ZERO HITOPS, and have been amazed with how durable and reliable these wheels are. Let me tell you, I have struck rim and hucked to flat more than I’d like to admit. Every time I've puckered up and anticipated the terrible sound of cracking carbon but have only been amazed as the 1ZERO's roll out of it unscathed and perfectly true. Riding these wheels has changed my perspective on the durability of carbon MTB wheels and I no longer believe that they should be reserved just for race day. Riding the 1ZERO's in training has allowed me to really dial in my tire pressures and riding style on the XC bike and gives me confidence in knowing exactly how the bike is going to perform on race day.