History
In 1988, the company was founded by motorsports engineer Leigh Sargent and released its first carbon fiber disc wheel. Zipp was acquired by bicycle component manufacturer SRAM in November 2007. In October 2010, Zipp relocated from its original design and manufacturing facility in Speedway, Indiana to an expanded site in Indianapolis.
Zipp sells wheels, discs and other products (including cranks, hubs, stems and handlebars) through an international list of authorized dealers. They are also known for their high-performance silicon-nitride bearings, which have a notable roundness for the entire set of less than two millionth of an inch of imperfection. At one time, Zipp was also the industry leader making the Zipp 2001, a radical "beam" bike, which has subsequently been discontinued. Zipp also produced mountain bike wheels at its inception, but dropped the program later in favor of a more specialized road line.
The company was first to market with dimpled discs and rims (they also own the patent), to induce boundary layer turbulence and prevent detached airflow in crosswinds. Zipp has done pioneering research in aerodynamics, using various high tech wind tunnels, and has published advanced papers in this area. The company was also the first to produce disc wheels, deep section rims, and cranksets using carbon fiber technology.
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