Inside the Speed Weaponry: A Tour of the Zipp Factory
There is a type of childhood dream that is always in the back of your mind. It's here somewhere, but somehow never sounds realistic when you talk about it at loud.
Visiting the Zipp factory was mine.
Since I was a kid, I saw these three logo make any bike look faster and sharper than ever. And only after some light research, I knew all of that carbon came from somewhere reachable in the US.
- Not a random workshop in Taiwan.
- Not a sinister Chinese factory.
Somewhere that, I knew, I might one day visit. So when we had the opportunity to have even a glimpse of what could happen in this mysterious location, we jumped on a plane without thinking too much about it.
Upon entering the Zipp factory and signing an NDA that I should have paid more attention to… We knew… This is where the serious stuff was happening.
Zipp being one of the rare carbon wheel manufacturer still making everything in house in the US, we were lucky enough to almost see the entirety of the process. From getting the raw fiber out of cold storage, the layering process, printing the logos, and finally, wheel building.
These wheels are not cheap, and the length and precision of each steps in this process, could justify every cent, you’d put into your next pair.
One thing that probably struck me the most, was the sheer amount of prototypes and cool bits lying around. Experimental mold and old relics like these multiple Zipp 2001 are almost common here. One being a fully custom for an hour record attempt in 1995. Unfortunately, the UCI was faster this time at banning frames with unconventional geometry.
This is also a good reminder that Zipp is known for its groundbreaking work in aerodynamics, constantly pushing the boundaries to create faster and more efficient cycling component. From classic wind tunnel testing, to CAD simulation, then biomimicry, they are constantly looking 5 years ahead, with only one thing in mind….Speed.
What about these 20” BMX prototypes that will unfortunately never see the light of day? I could go for hours on everything that is stored in this rather small building, considering almost every Zipp wheel is produce here to be shipped and use all around the world.
It's also no mere coincidence that all of this is right here in Indianapolis. This city, renowned as the home of the iconic Indy 500 and a hub for motorsport engineering, played a pivotal role in inspiring one man: Leigh Sargent. Recognizing the great potential of carbon fiber to enhance cycling, Sargent dedicated himself to optimize every aspect of his first disc wheel in the pursuit of greater efficiency and highest attainable velocity. It's the year 1988 that finally marked the birth of his bicycle carbon components: Zipp.
From a more personal perspective, I always found really strange that I got attracted so early to a performance-driven company, when I refuse to take part in any competition myself. Whether it's reducing drag, enhancing stability, or optimizing power transfer, literary none of these things apply to me as a casual street rider.
I fell in love purely for those three logos, making a visual “whoosh” when you start gaining speed.
There is something about it that just looks better than every other wheel out there. (So imagine my reaction when they decided to change their logo…)
Of course, I can’t show or tell you everything here. But! I was more than pleased to see how everything, produced here, is still such a “hand-made” process. Especially with the final lacing of every rim to its designated hub, a truly human made product in an ocean of factory lines and automations.
So what did I get from this factory tour experience?
Of course, my “childhood dream” was fulfilled, and I need to thank Mattie and Declan for giving me such a great opportunity.
It felt quite good to see that such a powerhouse could still operate on a human scale, with passionate people going on rides together during their lunch break, or having a genuine connection with their sponsored athletes.
But the icing on the cake, for me, is how proud Zipp is of its own history and how they know they would not be here today without the effort of everyone engaging in this intricate process every day. From the prototype designers, all the way down to the athlete riding the final product. It’s truly a team effort that I saw that day, and they get all my respect for that.
Look mom… I made it!
🎞: FilmNeverDies Iro 400
📷: Nikon F100
📍: Indianapolis
