Review: Zipp's 3Zero Moto Carbon Wheels Live Up To Their Compliance Claims
Light, stiff, strong; for years those have been the ultimate goals when it comes to building up a set of high-end mountain bike wheels. Recently, a different word has been appearing, especially with regards to carbon rims: compliance. It turns out there's a tipping point when it comes to wheel stiffness, and it's entirely possible to have too much of a good thing. Zipp's 3Zero Moto wheels use a single-wall carbon rim design that's designed to allow them to absorb impacts that stiffer rims would transmit directly to a rider.
As the name suggests, the inspiration for the rim design came from the motocross world, where single wall rims are the norm. The 3Zero Moto rim is designed to pivot from side to side around the spokes – Zipp calls this motion “ankle compliance.” Along with creating a more comfortable ride, Zipp also claims this can help prevent pinch flats and rim damage.
As the name suggests, the inspiration for the rim design came from the motocross world, where single wall rims are the norm. The 3Zero Moto rim is designed to pivot from side to side around the spokes – Zipp calls this motion “ankle compliance.” Along with creating a more comfortable ride, Zipp also claims this can help prevent pinch flats and rim damage.
Zipp 3Zero Moto Details
• Intended use: trail / enduro
• Single wall carbon fiber rim
• 32 hole, 3-cross lacing
• 37.5mm external, 30mm internal width
• Hub: 4 pawls, 52 points of engagement
• Weight (29"): 1970 grams, 920 front / 1050 rear
• Laid up and molded in Indianapolis, USA
• Lifetime warranty
• Price: $1,999 USD / $700 rim only
• www.zipp.com
• Intended use: trail / enduro
• Single wall carbon fiber rim
• 32 hole, 3-cross lacing
• 37.5mm external, 30mm internal width
• Hub: 4 pawls, 52 points of engagement
• Weight (29"): 1970 grams, 920 front / 1050 rear
• Laid up and molded in Indianapolis, USA
• Lifetime warranty
• Price: $1,999 USD / $700 rim only
• www.zipp.com
The 3Zero Moto rims use a single wall, asymmetric design, with a 30mm internal width.
Details
We covered the story behind the wheels when they launched back in April, but it's worth taking a moment to reiterate the key points.
As mentioned, the 3Zero Moto rims use a single wall design, as opposed to the box-style profile that's commonly used for most aluminum and carbon rims. It wasn't a quick process to settle on the final carbon and resin recipe - Zipp's engineers experimented with over 112 different laminate configurations and six different resins on their way to creating the final product.
The rims have a 30mm internal width, and a 37.5mm external width. The single wall design does mean extra care needs to be taken to use the correct length spokes, since spokes that are too long could potentially poke through the rim strip. A washer is used under each spoke nipple, and a thin fabric rim strip is placed over the nipples underneath before the wider tubeless tape is applied.
Zipp's ZM1 hubs use a four pawls design, with 6.9-degrees between engagement points.
The rims are designed specifically for use with Boost or SuperBoost hubs – the wider bracing angle of those hubs is needed to provide enough lateral stiffness.
The ZM1 hubs use a four pawl design, with 52 points of engagement - that equates to 6.9-degrees of crank rotation between engagement points. There are Hyperglide and XD driver options for the hub, but no Microspline. Riders that are keen on running a 12-speed Shimano drivetrain will need to purchase 3Zero Moto rims and build up their own wheelset.
Photo: Roo Fowler
Ride Impressions
My first rides on these wheels took place in Portugal, where I was able to do back-to-back runs, pitting them against Specialized's Roval carbon wheels. The difference in that case was eye-opening, and made it clear just how much more comfortable the 3Zero Motos felt in rocky, hard-packed terrain. I don't consider the Rovals to be uncomfortably stiff at all, but after switching back to them it felt like I was getting knocked around and pushed off line much more often than with the Zipp wheels. With the 3Zero Motos, the increased traction in rock gardens and chunky corners made it feel like I'd significantly dropped my tire pressure, even though that variable hadn't been changed. That feeling persisted during my testing on the rooty, loamy trails of the Pacific Northwest - the wheels have a way of muting harder impacts and tracking the ground that's very enjoyable.
If there's a noticeable difference between carbon vs. carbon, how about carbon vs. aluminum? Compared to a set of Stan's Flow EX3 wheels that I also had in for testing the difference in ride quality wasn't nearly as dramatic. However, it did seem like the Zipp wheels had a more 'springy' feel to them. It's a tricky sensation to put into words, and it was a fairly subtle difference, but the Zipps felt like they did a better job of absorbing impacts when I was pinballing through really rough sections of trail, a feeling that I preferred.
The one scenario where the 3Zero Moto's performance faltered a bit was in the bike park, on high-speed, hard-packed bermed turns. I had a couple instances where the handling felt vague, similar to what it feels like when an underinflated tire rolls over on the rim. If I was spending the majority of my time schralping berms on machine built trails I'd probably want something stiffer, but that was really the only scenario where the wheels felt on the verge of being too compliant.
Recently, a few companies have released wheelsets with different rim profiles in the front and rear, pairing a stiffer rear wheel with a more compliant front. It'd be nice to see that as an option in the future from Zipp, especially for bigger riders who may want a more precise feel from the back end of their bike. During testing, I found myself installing just the front 3Zero Moto on a bike when I knew I'd want the maximum amount of traction and comfort; wet weather rides on rough terrain being the prime example.
Durability
The 3Zero Moto rims have survived everything I've subjected them to, including multiple big days in the Whistler Bike Park. Most of the aluminum rims I've spent time on in the park this summer have ended up with at least a small dent or two, or needed multiple trips to the truing stand. With the 3Zero rims, they've barely required any attention other than a couple of minor spoke adjustments. The low profile shape also seems to have the added benefit of not getting scuffed and scraped up as easily as taller rims – there are barely any marks to be seen. I haven't had any flat tires either (knock on wood), despite several big impacts that I was sure would have inflicted some damage.
The bearings are still spinning smoothly, although a tiny bit of play has developed in one of the rear hub bearings. The hub engagement isn't the absolute quickest out there, but it's quick enough that I didn't give it a second thought. If I was in considering these wheels, I'd likely go the rim-only route in order to build them up with a hub that could accept SRAM XD and Shimano Microspline freehub bodies.
TyreWiz
It's easy to poke fun at the TyreWiz, and with a $200 aftermarket retail price the “Who needs that? My thumb is all I need...” comments are understandable, but it actually ended up being one of my favorite features of these wheels. Once the desired tire pressure range is chosen using the app, the blinking LED light makes it easy to quickly assess whether or not you need to add more air before a ride. A slow blinking red light indicates an underinflated tire, a fast blinking red light signifies it's overinflated, and green means everything's good to go.
Pros
+ Deliver extra traction, especially in rough terrain
+ Very comfortable and compliant
+ TyreWiz is a convenient feature
Cons
- On the heavier side for high-end carbon wheels
- May feel too soft for bigger riders
- Made-in-USA doesn't come cheap
Pinkbike's Take
 | Zipp are rolling down the right path with the 3Zero Moto wheels – they're very comfortable, and track very well in rough terrain. They've also held up extremely well to five months of hard usage. Yes, there are lighter and less expensive options out there, but the single wall rim design does offer tangible benefits on the trail. |
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I keep thinking all these aftermarket carbon MTB wheels are for customers who don't exist.
I don’t know how much truth is in that, but I kind of believe it given how much you can buy carbon rims for on eBay.
I can have two DT XM 481 laced to 350 (or EX 511 if you wish) wheelsets for the price of a pair of these carbon RIMS. I can upgrade my hubs to 240 and still be under ONE carbon wheelset price.
I don't worry about down time with my two sets of lightweight AND strong alu wheels.
I can also have different tires for diff conditions if I so choose
Seems like you'd almost need a tread design specific to working with this type of pivoting rim?
Reality is however (I suspect) that almost all wide and shallow rim profiles have some rim "twist" to them. I doubt this is unique to Zipp
Plus they feel fantastic. Pin point accuracy and no pinballing through the rocks, I dont need any more than that.
Is the increase in performance worth the bigger price point. That really depends on your disposable income. With all high performance parts there is a law of diminishing returns. You can say it’s nothing worth the money, bit you cant say it not better.
Now I get to ride the best products all the time, it's the ultimate job! I am still testing some other products to feedback and develop with some brands.
As expensive as the Stans.
Buying aluminum might make you feel better about the money you spend, but they aren’t better than these rims. You cant tune an aluminum rim. I actually own them, and I ran aluminum last season, but hey, you read an article, so what do the people who have actually run them know
Same with bikepark laps. None of pumps at parks have good manometers, so a TyreWiz would be awesome for consistency.
The price tho... Need to come down to be viable for most. But I guess it will if there's demand and/or competition in the market.
I realize they must be customized for bikes plus bluetooth/app programming, but seems like these can and should come down in price. When its $50 a pair I would definitely consider them, seems like a nice convenience.
Isn't this just using different words to say effectively the same thing? Pretty telling if one has to carefully phrase around yet another shortcoming of these ultra heavy, ultra expensive carbon toys.
But hey, after all the budget that went into marketing these rims with their new, cheaper manufacturing process they must get glowing reviews, right? Otherwise big man SRAM (who owns Zipp) might bring out the hose again....
There are downsides to these wheels, which I clearly lay out in the ‘cons’ section above, but they’re also an intriguing concept. Yes, I wish they were half the price, but I’d imagine they’ll get less expensive in the future.
And @Upduro, I’m no carbon shill. I’ve broken plenty of carbon rims over the last five years, and have nothing against aluminum rims. However, it’s our job to test and evaluate interesting new products, and these wheels certainly qualify.
Are they expensive, sure. Does that mean they aren’t good, nope. They might not fit your budget, to you they might not be worth the added cost, but to enough riders, cost is really not an issue, so why the hate. they aren’t being forced on anyone?
Everything you said is what i have been telling people. Fantastic rims.
The biggest issue is the Tire whiz takes too long to connect to your phone.
All the skinny pb reviewers should be force to wear a 40lb weight belt at all times.
I used to run a Vittoria Airliner and 23-24psi to stop pinches. Im now running the same tyres at 20psi with no pinch punctures.
I've still had a couple of flats from split carcasses for sure just as i did before hand but i think these sorts of flats are actually more likely with an insert as its easier to cut something pressed against a harder surface.
I'd love for someone to explain why I'm wrong if I'm wrong
Vice versa, a 10 degree angle at the cassette will correspond to a 10 and 20 degree angle at the crank respectively. 1 tooth at the crank moves 1 tooth at the cassette. A 1 tooth movement in the lowest gear corresponds to a different angular movement than in the highest gear.
The angle between engagement points at the crank can therefore not be calculated without incorporating gear ratio in the equation.
Nope.
Also, nope.
The harder the gear I am in the quicker is the engagement when I rotate the cranks through the slack chain between clicks. When I am in a really easy gear, I have to rotate the cranks more befroe it engages, which can be the difference between getting the power down in time to power-wheelie up an obstacle or not.
I’m pretty sure they’re going to hold up really well. They’re really thick, and being as flexible as they are, when you hit them hard, they seem to want to deflect out of the way and rebound afterwards. I’ve had a stupid number of rim strikes since I got these and no damage whatsoever, along with zero pinch flats.
They ain’t cheap though, that’s for damn sure.
Well, yeah.
R&D isn't free. There's a lot more that goes into the cost of wheel than just manufacturing costs.
Brand image and pricing go hand in hand, they're not going to price this beneath what they think they can sell it for or what a product from their brand, with the warranty they have for less than market rate.
The compliance is meant to come via twist rather than compression with the rim pivoting around the spoke nipple (i built mine - they run a brass washer to accommodate this).
This picture probably explains better than i can.
www.zipp.com/media/images/Ankle.width-800.jpg
Mine did come a little loose initially but then after being retensioned at the recommended levels (115 Kgf) they've not been touched since. Just had a quick check on Strava and done about 180000 feet of descending on them since.
Ive actually run them all season, been bomb proof. And yes they are brilliant
It's possible however, with these rims, that's not happening enough to cause material fatigue, or maybe they just flirt with the edge of being too compliant. All we can do is speculate here.
It's nice to hear they are working for you. Zipp have some pretty bogus rim technology - like their golf ball dimple rims - glad these MTB rims are working for someone.
Did you even tried doing some kind of blind tests by lacing the 3 different kind of rims described in the article on the same hubsets, rims desticked and painted in black and ask someone to swap the wheelsets and record your impression after every lap of the very same loop (doing more than once but not necessarily consecutively on the same rims) ? Unless you have been doing that you could have sent your article to the trashbin it would be the same.
Sure it'd be nice to have double blind tests on all these products, but for a free resource it's what ya gonna get. Reading between the lines as you have done is how to further evaluate the product imo.
They would have to be Insanely light.
Where any suspension setting changed when switching between. I found I had to tweek the dampening to get the best out of them
Funny this... Motorsports figured this out back in the early 90's. LOL
do you know for sure, that the better compliance is down to the rim? not just due to low spoke tension?
i recently rode a rental bike and it felt very smooth, back then i was giving credit to the coil shock for doing great work
but then in a berm i felt the same as you, the feeling of the tire rolling over the rim because of low pressure
i went to the bike shop, they said everythings alright, just ride
at the end of the day i broke a spoke and almost all the other spokes got loose
my situation seems very similar to the sensation you are describing...
I have tried the carbon and this guy above does carbon wheels for a fraction of the price..
I rode his cheapest carbon wheels/hubs for 2 years in Colorado and Canada.. 150 rides per year with no problem.. blew up 5-6 tires in the process but the rims never failed... why spend 2k??
The tape would not hold even after changing a few times and using alcohol to clean the rim up. I gave up and was down a bike for the 1st time and imho was caused by that aggravating hoop. Sealant has it's own way of getting into everything.
For 2K I expect a smooth sealed inner rim at least 28mm wide and smooth as a baby's ass that seals with a floor pump.
how do you place a tubeless tape on that rim? Nipple heads don't mess around??
Would be interesting to see some photos or better video of installing tubeless on these rims..
In this case, I think in2falling is right on considering the positive effect of more compliance starting at the tire. The result being more traction.
In this case it seems they are after something else...
"...and made it clear just how much more comfortable the 3Zero Motos felt in rocky, hard-packed terrain."
In other words, rider comfort.
Your thumbs don’t know exact pressures.
Why wouldn’t you want to know exact pressures so you know exactly what works and then you know it’s just how you like it?
I’m not saying buy Tirewhiz. Tirewhiz is stupid.
But definitely the thumb test is shit.
"I found myself installing just the front 3Zero Moto on a bike when I knew I'd want the maximum amount of traction and COMFORT" do you mean "comfort and STIFFNESS"? You say that these wheels are comfortable but that you'd swap to a different wheel if you wanted comfort.
$2000?
You mad bro?
If a rider can't tell if their air pressure is okay, they either need to pick a different sport of drink more coffee.
Come on PB, that shite ain't even worth the words.