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EB16: Zipp 303 finally goes tubeless! Plus new disc-disc & premium 202 NSW, more

zipp 303 firecrest tubeless ready disc brake road and cyclocross wheels
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“Nothing happens overnight. We took a look at how we wanted to introduce it and how we wanted to do it,” said Michael Hall, Zipp’s advanced project manager. “The 303 made sense because it’s such a popular wheel and a lot of people use it for cyclocross.”

Finally, Zipp has introduced a tubeless-ready carbon rim, and they’re starting with the 303. It replaces the disc brake 303 (the rim brake version remains non-tubeless and uses the regular rim), and it’s an entirely new design with a new carbon layup keeps weight the same as before despite growing wider and while maintaining the durability they’ve built into it over years of racing on the cobbles.

zipp 303 firecrest tubeless ready disc brake road and cyclocross wheels

So, what’s different? The old 303 Disc “looked” like they simply took the rim brake version and laced it to disc hubs. In reality, it was a disc-specific rim that just happened to keep the woven carbon area where the brake track normally sits. Why? Because woven carbon is very good at impact resistance, which is why they use it on a lot of their rims, even the full aero disc ones. But for this new tubeless one, they started with a 100% clean sheet and gave it a new molding process to create the tubeless rim bed with a machined bead hook. They maintained a hook because ETRTO does not recommend a hookless design for anything greater 72psi, and since this is a road wheel, they kept the bead to ensure maximum safety.

It’s still 45mm deep, but external width has grown to 29.9mm wide, up from 27mm, with a 21mm internal width that supports 25mm to 40+ mm wide tires. The dimple pattern goes all the way to the edges, with the “303” moniker molded in with them. Only the brand logo is decaled on.

zipp 303 firecrest tubeless ready disc brake road and cyclocross wheels

A molded notch and rounded center channel are designed to both ease tire installation and ensure a good seal.
There’s no minimum recommended pressure, and one of their CX guys has been running a 32mm tire as low as 15psi.

Setting it up tubeless requires tape, which comes preinstalled with a tape borrowed from SRAM’s mountain bike parts bin, along with a tubeless valve stem custom made to fit the rim bed shape. There’s no Zipp tubeless tire yet, nor is there a branded sealant or recommendation (they’ve done most of their testing with Stan’s, though).

If you’re not mounting up fat cyclocross tires, they say it’s aerodynamically optimized around 28mm tires, which match the rim width the best.

zipp 303 firecrest tubeless ready disc brake road and cyclocross wheels

They’re built on the proven 77/177D hubs, which have swappable end caps to work with QR and thru axles. It’s also compatible with 10/11 and XD Driver freehub bodies. Claimed weights are 1645g (760g front, 885g rear), price is $2,300 / €2,400 / £2,027, available in December.

zipp-202-NSW-Firecrest-clincher-wheel01

Next up is the new 202 NSW carbon clincher, preceded with a little history on their advanced project development.

Years ago, Team CSC came to Zipp and said they wanted something that could get them to the cobbles faster in the Spring Classics…faster than the wider box section alloy rims currently being used to support the wider 25-28mm tires most riders were using. So, Zipp sent a team over to test carbon rims with them and quickly found out that the then-current generation of carbon aero rims simply weren’t up to the task. So, they went back to the drawing board to create an aerodynamic wheel around those wider tires that was durable enough for Roubaix and Flanders. In 2007, the 303 came out, followed by the Firecrest clinchers in 2010.

Now, everyone wants those wider tires, so they’ve gone back to that drawing board, now tucked away inside The Nest (their black box idea lab). For the first 15 years, they were mostly focused on aerodynamic efficiency. Then came durability, followed by a more technologically advanced development process (CFD, more wind tunnel testing) to improve real world aerodynamic stability. By stability, they mean reducing the side forces placed upon the wheel in a cross wind, which can not only create drag, but also affect handling and control by moving the “center of pressure” further away from the steering axis (you want it to be as close as possible). OK, history lesson over.

zipp-202-NSW-Firecrest-clincher-wheel02b

The 202 NSW (Nest Speed Weaponry) expands the NSW lineup to the ultra lightweight 32mm rim depth of the 202 for their ultimate climbing wheelset. It uses a new dimpled ABLC Sawtooth aero boundary layer control that reduces high yaw drag for better crosswind stability.

zipp-202-NSW-Firecrest-clincher-wheel04

The Showstopper braking surface (317 sipes per side, which is also the area code for their office in Indy) creates better friction in both wet and dry conditions by helping to shed water. It also uses silicon carbide (SiC) to improve durability and also friction. Impress direct-print graphics saves weight over decals.

zipp-202-NSW-Firecrest-clincher-wheel05

The Cognition hubset comes with pre-set bearing preload and their Axial Clutch engagement system, which disengages the ratchet mechanism while coasting to reduce drag and noise so you can coast further and get a few free watts.

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They use Metal Injection Molded ratchet rings that magnetically pull apart when coasting, using 32 points of engagement for quick action.

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Total movement is minimal, the pics above show it pushed apart between teeth on the left, and engaged on the right. Cognition debuted on the 808 NSW launched last year, but now it’s available on a more approachable size.
Claimed weight is 1,390g (640/750), width is 25.4 at the widest point, 16.25mm internal and 32mm deep. Price is $3,100 / €2,800 / £2,369.

Not shown, there’s also a 202 Firecrest Tubular disc brake wheelset with a new disc specific rim with dimple pattern all the way around. It’s 32mm deep and 25.4mm wide, runs their 77/177D hubs (110g front, 250g rear) which they tested using the same hubs through two entire pro ‘cross race seasons without having to change the bearings. $2,300 / €2,400 / £2,027

zipp-super-9-carbon-disc-brake-disc-wheel01

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The new Super 9 carbon clincher and tubular DISC brake DISC wheels completes their disc brake lineup across their carbon rim offerings.

zipp-super-9-carbon-disc-brake-disc-wheel05

The center portion of the disc is reworked to handle the braking forces – ply orientations were tweaked and they had to use a little more material. Outer portion of the disc is the same. They went solely with a Centerlock brake rotor mount because many of their OEM customers are spec’ing Shimano Di2 groups on that type of bike…and it looks sleeker. 1175g ($2375, €2111, £1987) for the clincher, 995g ($2075, €1844, £1736) for the tubular. Available in September.

zipp-ec70-handlebar-stem-stealth-matte-carbon01

zipp-ec70-handlebar-stem-stealth-matte-carbon03

The SL70 Aero cockpit is their best selling carbon handlebar. It and the stem get a  new matte finish
Bar has a 240g weight with 70mm reach, and the SL Sprint carbon stem is the stiffest stem in their line and comes in at 165g (100mm). Integrated top cap included.

zipp-vuka-evo-70-carbon-aero-bar-extensions02

New Vuka Carbon Evo extensions 70 & 110 (mm rise) get a multi radius bend with 20mm inward roll for better ergonomics. They have fully internal cable routing and include a bezel to integrate with eTap Clics shift buttons. Sand paint adds grip on the ends so you don’t need to add bar tape, and a longer 380mm length makes up for the shorter eTap buttons, so total length can remain the same as you’re used to. Weights are 140g/142g, prices are $128 / €134 / £114. Available now.

Zipp.com

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21 Comments
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Eugene Chan
7 years ago

Hmm 1645 grams is still really heavy for a wheelset with these specs. The new ENVE SES 4.5 AR Disc wheels are nearly 10% lighter despite being wider and deeper.

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
7 years ago
Reply to  Eugene Chan

Their new rear hub adds a good chunk of that weight, I’ve yet to ride them but they feel really awesome in your hands. The simple fact that ZIPPs are true out of the box and ENVEs often aren’t(I’ve sold plenty of each), along with the lower price would sell me on the ZIPPs and I’m not a ZIPP guy, I’d prefer HED wheels over both since IN THE BIKE, they tend to test faster on most frames.

Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
7 years ago
Reply to  Veganpotter

For all the trolling you do on every Enve post one would think by now you’d give up purchasing complete wheels from them and just buy the rims to build yourself. At least you’re persistent.

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
7 years ago

Its pretty annoying to have to true NEW $3000 wheels when you normally don’t have to do it with wheels from competitors. I want to want them, I love buying things made in the US. I just think a nearly $3000 wheelset should be true out of the box when most $1500 wheels are nearly always spot on. I’m pretty sure you’d be pissed if you bought a $3000 wheelset that was 5mm off in BOTH directions. I wouldn’t buy the rims myself because I don’t want to give them my money until their QC is up to snuff. Zipp had their issues too with crappy hubs, they just didn’t know what they were doing. Now, their hubs aren’t made in the US so that sorta sucks but at least they’re actually good hubs.

Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
7 years ago
Reply to  Veganpotter

Yeah, I read your statements the 30 times prior. If what you’re claiming is going on regularly across all Enve dealers social media would be blowing up about this. It isn’t. Our shop sells about 70-80 Enve sets a year for the past 5 that I’ve been there, I check every single one on a P&K stand and can account for an average of 3 sets a year that need any nipples turned. Never 5mm off unless it was shipping damage.

So you either support domestic manufacturing with a company that supports wheel builders as well. Or you go with questionable hubs that have never been anything less than a catastrophe, and soft rims=soft builds.

It’s your job to QC. Everything! I’ve called out Enve about when their carbon hubs go through finishing they were leaving an awful lot of flash around the spoke holes. It magically stopped. One email is all it took.

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
7 years ago

It’s happened, the disc-disc. Now, people can have quadrouble the braking that they need in events that don’t require breaking, along with less aerodynamics on bikes that are designed for aerodynamics!!!

I’m stoked on the 303s though, I’m hoping they move the tubeless ready bead to all their rim brake models.

Dave
Dave
7 years ago
Reply to  Veganpotter

i’d like to see a brake packaged on a 27mm wide rim that has the same leverage ratio that can be acheived over a 2mm rotor. disc brakes offer more mechanical potential than rim brakes especially on the increasingly wide rims that are being made

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
7 years ago
Reply to  Dave

Yeah, totally matters if you have enough friction between really wide tires and the road. With anything smaller than a 32mm wide tire, it’s not a problem at all.

Jeb
Jeb
7 years ago

As a long time tubular cross user (Tubeless on all my mountainbikes) I can’t help wondering how fragile those rims will be. In cross I run my rubulars low enough that I’m clanking my rims at least once a lap. For carbon tubulars this is no big deal as they are freakishly strong because they have no rim sidewall, with these i see expensive broken wheels really quickly.

Kyle Gisbert
7 years ago

The rear hubs eat bearings. Like, for breakfast, then you ride it after lunch (and new bearings) and then you need to have them replaced before dinner again. I am not a fan of the shells/axle/bearing configuration. The magnetic feeehub design is neat, but less than easy to work on. Zipp seems to have a hard time with hubs. Maybe someday they’ll figure it out.

Zach
Zach
7 years ago
Reply to  Kyle Gisbert

I’ve owned two pairs of Zipps and serviced many more….the biggest problem I’ve had is all their wheels come with Zipp hubs.

I am glad their carbon clinchers are catching up to everybody else.

Peter M. Pelychaty
7 years ago

What, no tubeless rim brake model?

thesteve4761
thesteve4761
7 years ago

So, for the 303 disc, they site ETRTO for why it has a bead hook, but then they are 4mm wider than ETRTO recommends for minimum tire size. Which side of the fence are they on?

Ripnshread
Ripnshread
7 years ago

So SRAM thinks Shimano’s rotor attachment standard is sleeker than theirs? Roflol.

tyler
7 years ago

for cyclocross – Light Bicycle Hookless TLR 22mm internal rim @ 360gr. /discussion.

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
7 years ago
Reply to  tyler

Those are shallow rims. Cross isn’t only about weight, there is a purpose to using deep rims in cross beyond aerodynamics.

tyler
7 years ago
Reply to  Veganpotter

strong, deep carbon clinchers are heavy. barring mud – ill take the lighter spin up over a theoretical advantage in the occasional sand pit.

tyler
7 years ago
Reply to  tyler

LB 22mm hookless on 240 SP CLs – 300 gr lighter with aerolites and 200 gr lighter with aerocomps.

beefier hubs, and did i mention theyre hookless?

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
7 years ago
Reply to  tyler

Theoretical advantage that everyone that wins(at a high level) is following. Also, on a really muddy day, your lighter wheels will very likely become heavier wheels by the finish, heavier than the wheels that started heavy and possibly by a very significant margin.

Dave
Dave
7 years ago

Interesting they are using MIM (metal injected molded) parts in the rear hub engagement system. Is that new? I’d expect those to last about an hour if any kind of foreign material makes it way into the hub. MIM parts are cheap(er), but the durability pales in comparison to a forged or even a cast part. That’s gonna be a weak link.

MaraudingWalrus
MaraudingWalrus
7 years ago

The folks to whom we’ve sold Zipp NSW wheels have been extremely happy with them. These hubs really are nice.

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