Hubs for Campy Zondas

The Zondas have aluminum hub shells. Are you refering to the end caps, or do you have them in black (which looks plastic)? As for quality, they use the same bearings as Record hubs. If you can find a set of hubs in that drilling that are better, they're probably going to cost more than you paid for the wheels.

artmichalek said:

The Zondas have aluminum hub shells. Are you refering to the end caps, or do you have them in black (which looks plastic)? As for quality, they use the same bearings as Record hubs. If you can find a set of hubs in that drilling that are better, they're probably going to cost more than you paid for the wheels.

I have the black ones - so yes it does look very much like plastic.

If they do use record bearings, then looking for new hubs may be a little superfluous, I guess!

timbradley said:

[font=Arial]Hi All[/font]

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[font=Arial]I recently bought a set of 2005 Campy Zonda Wheels to replace my stock ([censored]) wheels, which have now been relegated to trainer duty[/font]

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[font=Arial]The zonda’s, however, have a rather odd (read as cheap and nasty) looking plastic hubs on them, which I was thinking of getting replaced[/font]

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[font=Arial]But I’m not sure what to replace them with – the front wheel is radially spoked with 16 in total (from memory) and the rear is a 21 spoke 3G pattern.[/font]

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[font=Arial]So the 2 main questions I have are:[/font]

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• [font=Arial]What is the quality of the decidedly cheap looking hubs on the 2005 Zondas like?[/font]
  
• [font=Arial]If I were to replace them, what would suggestions be?[/font]
  

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[font=Arial]I am running a reasonably tight budget, so not too expensive.[/font]

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[font=Arial]Am running a mainly Dura Ace drive train (FD/RD) and looking at upgrading the shifters to DA soon (I hope [/font][font=Wingdings][font=Wingdings]J[/font][/font][font=Arial] - have to save some pennies) with Ultegra 9sp 11-23 Cassette.[/font]

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[font=Arial]Thanks in advance for your suggestions!![/font]

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[font=Arial]Tim[/font]

If you look at the Campy parts diagram, the guts (cones/bearings/races) of the Zonda hubs are the same level as the Neutron/Eurus, and also are the same as Record (and incidentally Chorus and Centaur). I agree that the outer shells looks pretty cheap, but I think that the insides are what matters for performance, and as such I would not replace the hubs.

Spending more for the higher level Campy parts doesn't really get better bearings, but cost savings through the other materials such as the use of cheaper shells on the Proton and Zonda hubs.

The Zonda hubs are great. I put 20,000 miles on mine with no service. They are a bit rough now, but probably would have lasted longer if I serviced them every 3,000 miles.

artmichalek said:

The Zondas have aluminum hub shells. Are you refering to the end caps, or do you have them in black (which looks plastic)? As for quality, they use the same bearings as Record hubs. If you can find a set of hubs in that drilling that are better, they're probably going to cost more than you paid for the wheels.

Yeah, I have the 06's, and the shells do look plastic, but mine are indeed aluminum. As artmichaelek said, internals are the same as Record hubs, minus the flashy outside. Inside is where it counts.😉

cucamelsmd15 said:

Yeah, I have the 06's, and the shells do look plastic, but mine are indeed aluminum. As artmichaelek said, internals are the same as Record hubs, minus the flashy outside. Inside is where it counts.😉

How do you like the Zondas? For the money, I think they are one of the best wheelsets available. I just got some Neuvation R 28 aeros. Awesome wheels. I only have 300 miles on them. If they hold up like the Zondas they are even a better deal. The Neuvations are a bit lighter and more aero than the Zondas.

jubiea said:

How do you like the Zondas? For the money, I think they are one of the best wheelsets available. I just got some Neuvation R 28 aeros. Awesome wheels. I only have 300 miles on them. If they hold up like the Zondas they are even a better deal. The Neuvations are a bit lighter and more aero than the Zondas.

Zondas are basically Eurus with non-machined rims, and different nipples. Are the Eurus worth $300 more? Well, thats for you to decide.

My take so far, actually having ridden the Neuvations youre talking about is this. The Neuvations are basically knock offs of the K's, and they do a heck of a job at being so. That said, they only come in silver, and black went better with my bike. Also, I was going all Campy, and decided to round it out with the Zondas. roughly 2000 miles, many potholes and a heck of a beating during a race later, still true as the day I got them. The Neuvations only spare 40 grams on the Zondas, which tip the scales at 1610g, but I got a light set at 1588g.

Also, I got mine for roughly the same price as the Neuvations when I bought my groupset (Campy also, at a discount for both).

Just my 2 cents. Now your turn, how do you like the Neuvations? Ive spoken with John on a few occasions, very stand up guy.

cucamelsmd15 said:

Zondas are basically Eurus with non-machined rims, and different nipples. Are the Eurus worth $300 more? Well, thats for you to decide.

My take so far, actually having ridden the Neuvations youre talking about is this. The Neuvations are basically knock offs of the K's, and they do a heck of a job at being so. That said, they only come in silver, and black went better with my bike. Also, I was going all Campy, and decided to round it out with the Zondas. roughly 2000 miles, many potholes and a heck of a beating during a race later, still true as the day I got them. The Neuvations only spare 40 grams on the Zondas, which tip the scales at 1610g, but I got a light set at 1588g.

Also, I got mine for roughly the same price as the Neuvations when I bought my groupset (Campy also, at a discount for both).

Just my 2 cents. Now your turn, how do you like the Neuvations? Ive spoken with John on a few occasions, very stand up guy.

The Neuvation R 28 Aeros are great. Fast and aero. Since I only have 300 miles on them, the only question is durability. If they hold up well, and it feels like they should, I would unhesitatingly recommend them for fast training or race day wheels. The only drawback would be in the mountains, because there are lighter climbing wheels out there.

jubiea said:

The Neuvation R 28 Aeros are great. Fast and aero. Since I only have 300 miles on them, the only question is durability. If they hold up well, and it feels like they should, I would unhesitatingly recommend them for fast training or race day wheels. The only drawback would be in the mountains, because there are lighter climbing wheels out there.

Great! Might have to keep those in mind, if they were in black😉

You know, I heard the same about the Zondas before I bought them, but honestly, Ive taken them to the mountains a few times, and really have no problems with them. They arent the same as my Zipp's mind you, but were also talking more than $1k in price difference here....