Help ID’ing these Zipps - tyres don’t fit??

Hey folks

Just got a set of Zipp wheels online, but no tyres seem to fit. I tried a 25mm tubeless compatible tyre, but it didn’t go on, and I just assumed it was the modern profile which wasn’t working. Went back and got a 23mm gatorskin, but that won’t go on either, even without a tube.

Is there any chance that Zipp made these in 700b or some other slightly odd (larger) size? Seems crazy to me but they’re destickered so I have no idea which year these are from.

I would assume they are 404s as the rims measure 58mm deep x 19mm wide, but I can’t wrap my head around why normal 700c tyres won’t go on. So far I’ve shattered 2 beefy tyre levers just getting one side of one tyre onto the rim, and it’s now so tight that I can’t get a lever under it and will probably have to cut it off.

They’re 10 speed shimano (red freehub) with a 58mm carbon rim, alloy brake track, and Zipp hubs. Any help is appreciated. I really hope I’m just being super dumb. Thanks!

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Weird. Any info on the sales page/ seller?

Have you measured the diameter?
All I can say is that it was a real pain to get a tyre on my similar-era 808 rim.

On my way to get a tape measure now. I’ve fitted plenty of tyres to tough rims, but these have busted 2 hefty tyre levers, and caused hours of insane frustration. As you can see on the front wheel, I have only half of the tyre on the front wheel, and cannot pull it off even after an hour of wrestling with it today. I’m totally baffled

Unfortunately not. Just came off an eBay bike, so clearly had tyres on recently, but the guy who sold me then didn’t seem at all bike-savvy. I’ve asked which tyres he took off them, but no reply as yet

Not directly related to the problem I think you've got a model/year mismatch between front and rear; rear matches my ~2011s in anodising and the aero pinch section, the carbon-faced hub is an older model. Mine are tubs though can't comment to tyre trickiness, sorry. I had some similar-era HEDs that were genuinely impossible to get a tyre on was well.

Ah that’s helpful, thank you. I did wonder considering the hubs look slightly different, and the rear wheel has a logo stamp above the valve hole whereas the front does not.

There was a recall on the rear hubs at some point too, not that I've had anyone look at mine because it just hangs on the wall. If you're ever in the vicinity of a Zipp dealer maybe have them look at it just to be safe (assuming you get a tyre on the thing to actually ride it!).

Scratch that, the recall is just for the front hub which you don't have! Bullet dodged!

Jfc okay I solved it - the culprit was the rim tape. Who knew that some tape that’s less than 1mm thick could cause such a problem? Time to just replace it with some electrical tape and call it a day - if I get a flat, it is what it is. Thanks for your help friends.

They look same era as my 404s (is the front delaminating or is it just the pic lighting?). You gotta have strong thumbs.

Try non tubeless tyres too - they’re much easier to fit

Yeah, sticking GP5000 TL with their massive square beads onto old rims is a fun task.

Time to just replace it with some electrical tape and call it a day - if I get a flat, it is what it is.

The trick with sparky's tape is to use decent stuff, and stretch it at least about 2/3 - 3/4 of its maximum give. Two layers should be good for 100psi if you do it right. You can offset each layer a tad to make sure you cover the spoke holes, and start just before and finish just after the valve.