Starting October, Zipp will be shipping all 2013 wheels with 11-speed compatible freehub bodies.
Around the same time, they’ll offer a retrofit service and/or parts kit to upgrade 2012 Beyond Black and Falcon Gray 188 hubs to 11-speed, too. Those hubs have already been able to convert to 11-speed Campy freehub bodies.
Zipp’s technical PR director David Ripley told us they’ll stop the backward compatibility with the colored hubs mentioned, which actually drops slightly back into 2011. Those products were version 7 of those hubs, which introduced a modified non-drive flange angle and moved it outward slightly. That design accommodates the additional spacing necessary, but they’re not comfortable doing it with older hubs.
The retrofit service will require the wheels to be sent in because it requires a complete re-dish (rebuild) of the wheel, plus new freehub body and an internal spacer. Basically, they need to reposition the hub slightly inboard of the wheel’s centerline. Pricing and more details to be announced in a couple weeks. Look for the complete 2013 Zipp wheel line introduction next week!
