So I’m stuck between these 2 bikes. Same bike different group set and wheels. My biggest concern is the hookless 404 firecrest. I never ran hookless wheels before and I’m not planing going tubeless. If anyone has any input or had one of these bikes please let me know what they thing
by AssociateLiving1723
6 Comments
Any reason in particular you are looking at getting an Ultimate?
Aeroad. Faster, basically same weight
You’ll be fine with hookless wheels. Also, purely from a value perspective, if the SRAM is E1 then I would definitely go for it, in addition to the better and deeper wheels. If it’s D1, I would still likely go with AXS
Zipp hubs are fairly well known to be unreliable. Plenty of internet stories out there plus wheel builders work more on rebuilding/replacing Zipp hubs than any other brand.
DT Swiss hubs are very highly regarded.
I went with the shimano because I’m familiar with the group set and didn’t want hookless wheels. I love the ultegra build. Not a fan of the wheels. They’re not very stable in crosswinds.
I have Force E1 group set with 404 on my Aeroad. I too don’t plan on going tubeless. But I still like it as I preferred SRAM over Shimano.
In your case go with the Shimano one with DT Swiss rims. That’s because you can run clincher type tyres which are ‘lighter’ than tubeless tyres.
The 404 does not accept clincher type tyres.