Q on Campy G4 spoking

[Wurm]

Anyone know of any glaring reliability problems with it more than other similar weight/priced wheels? I'm talking of the '03 Zonda front wheel with the J-bend spokes. I've owned Campy wheels in the past and not had problems, but my old Nukes and Shamals were HPW and radial spoked, as is the '04 Zonda front.

Just looking for reviews/opinions.

[JohnO]

I haven't seen any - been riding my 03 Zondas with the G4 on the front for about a year now. They're still true, still have all spokes intact, still ride beautifully, still look cool. OTOH, most of the roads I ride are pretty smooth, so they really haven't been hammered on.

Did notice that Campy dropped the G4 from the front wheel on the Zondas and went back to a radial spoke lacing. Might have been just cost reasons.

[Wurm]

Thanks for the input, JohnO. It very well could be that the design was changed for the simple reason to resemble the Eurus so there are fewer parts to keep inventoried by Campy and dealers.

But the thought has occurred that maybe they had problems with the G4 design. Good to see that so far it's been a good wheel for you.

I weigh around 198 and I try to avoid potholes and obvious abuse to my wheels also. I have a chance to get a leftover new-in-box pair of the '03s for a decent price, and if my experience with past Campy wheels is anything to go on, then the Zondas will be just fine. I wouldn't be racing on them so that's not an issue.

How are the hubs/bearings doing - have you re-lubed them, or no need to yet?

[JohnO]

I recently took the hubs down and relubed, althought they didn't need it. Kudos to Campy for an excellent hub design. It came apart easily, went together easily, adjusted easily. The adjustment was a particular delight. A rotating collar that locks in place with a set screw once you're done. No hassling with cone wrenches - you can do it by hand with a single allen wrench.

Maybe I'm spoiled by the very smooth bearings on my Rolf Vector Pro wheels, but the hubs on the Zondas felt just a bit rough in comparision. Not bad, nothing you can tell while on the bike, but take the wheels off, spin them and hold the axle in your hand, and you can feel a little bit of vibration. If you want butter smooth bearings, buy the Eurus, they're only another $200 or so...

Overall, I'm very pleased with the Zondas.They're close to the Rolfs in performance and weight, but they ride a bit smoother - they don't have the Rolf's hardcore spoking or very stiff ride. I got mine new from cbike.com for $350 last summer, pretty good deal. (they have 04's right now for $380).

[bockers]

Well I have both the Zondas for winter and the Eurus for summer and love them both. I am over 18stone (ok.. I know.. what is that fat man doing on a bike!) and these wheels are bullet proof. Had a pair of Ksyrium which lasted 200 miles, the Eurus have been tested over 3000 miles and not a sign of movement. Agree that the Eurus do fell that extra bit special when they are spun plus the lube ports are handy, whether this is worth 200 extra squid is up to you. On extra bit...my LBS cycling team are sponsored by Campagnolo and had to use Eurus wheels. The team on hearing this were a bit apprehensive. However after a full seasons racing the reports have been glowing. The mechanics are full of praise too, and they are a very hard to please bunch.

Hope this helps.
John

[Wurm]

Sounds like they're decent wheels, the Zondas. Since I've never had the pleasure of working on them, how do you know when you've got them set 'just right' before locking in that set screw? Just at the point when there's no side to side movement, or a bit tighter? I know that's subjective for different people & different wheels, but maybe you have some suggestions on the Z's before I buy them?

Wish I had the shekels for the Eurus', but I'm spending a few months beer money now to scrounge up a Centaur rear der, cassette, & levers, and still have enough left for the Z's. I sure miss my '00 Record 10 group & wheels. I'll tell ya - this Ult. rear der & 105 levers just ain't gettin' it done!

On the Z bearings/guts, wonder if it would be worth it to eventually replace them with Eurus/Record? (Or is there even a fit for that on the '03 Z's?)

bockers - you Brit's are a howl! I've always wondered what the hell a "stone" weighs so I looked it up. Phew, man you're coming in at around 250 lbs! I'm damned impressed that both the Eurus' and the Zonda's can take the punishment. :D That's no easy feat on a low-spoke wheelset that has any pretense to being reasonably light weight. And if the rest of the crew like 'em as much as you say, they must be 'da bomb'.

I had a set of K's when they first came out. After I got over the "gee-whiz" of at that time a fairly radical wheel build from one of The Big Guys, I sold them. Just didn't like the way they felt. At the same time I also had a set built on Aeroheads/Chorus and a set of OPs/Record, but I went out and bought a set of Nucleons anyway and then a set of Shamals. The Shamals are still my faves.

It just goes to prove my theory that I'd rather have a set of Campy pre-built's than any other factory wheels or most customs.

[JohnO]

My old cone bearing adjustment technique was to tighten down until resistance was felt, then back off 1/8 a turn. Seemed to work fine with the Zondas, although I must also say that when I took the hubs apart after a year of riding, there was plenty of grease inside, and it was clean. Repacking was not really necessary.

The roughness, and it really is very slight, just isn't worth fooling with, as it doesn't appear to affect performance. It's noticable only because the Rolfs don't have it, nor do a set of Campy NR hubs on my old classic racer. (70's vintage Falcon San Remo) But the old Campy hubs were always famous for being extremely smooth.

The Zondas have become my standard riding wheel, because they're reasonably light, but aren't rock stiff the way my Rolf wheels are. Easier on the hands after a day's worth of riding.

[Wurm]

Well, that was what I most liked about the original Ksyrium's I had, their very smooth hubs.

BTW guys, did you notice that the specs Campy gives for the '03s are lighter than the '04s? I'm speculating that the difference is in the hubs, since they are differently shaped and the '04s have what's said to be "better" internals (Chorus/Record?)

According to the '03 Campy catalog I have:

Zonda F = 740gm., R = 920gm.

Where for '04 it's:

F = 770gm., R = 960gm.

Ineresting, since the '03 front has 2 more spokes than the '04, and is half 1x laced to '04s full radial! The rims, spokes (except for J-bend vs. HPW), and nips look to be the same, so it's gotta be the full HPW hubs adding the weight.(?)

Now I know that what a mfg. gives for weight specs and the actual weight are usually 2 different figures, but there it is.