Zipp's aerodynamic wheels and rim technology has dominated podiums in both pro cycling and and triathlon, but there is no doubt the competition was learning from the leader. Though the Firecrest design was dominant, Zipp's most secretive lab was working to improve upon it. When Zipp introduced NSW to the world, it came in the form of the 808 model. With proven speed, exceptional aerodynamics, better stability and safety, the 808 NSW promptly featured on winning bikes in both triathlon and professional cycling. The engineers at Zipp's Nest laboratory developed NSW for just this purpose. Winning. The Zipp 808 NSW Carbon Clincher Front Wheel was developed using over 40 different CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) concept studies and months of testing in the wind tunnel. The astonishing new design allows for up to a 34% reduction in crosswind side force, and reduced wattage from drag by 3-4%, or an estimated 90 seconds at 40km per hour over 112 mile distance. NSW proved to improve on the benchmark 808 Firecrest design, but the Nest engineers didn't stop at the rim design, developing the new Cognition hubset, and improving other existing Zipp technologies to make the best racing wheels in the world.

The 82mm deep 808 NSW Carbon Clincher Front Wheel is the perfect road race and middle distance triathlon wheel. With it's incredible stability and 705 gram weight, it can handle corners at maximum safe speed, and spins up immediately as you power out and onward. The internal width is 17.25mm, with a brake track width of 26.4mm, and max width of 27.8mm, so carrying a tires from 23-28mm wide means you can maximize the tire/wheel aerodynamic relationship carried through the ABLC Sawtooth™ rim dimple patterning. The advanced dimple design consists of 12 nodes that are precisely clocked to start aerodynamic shearing at a rate of 50hz at a rider speed of 20mph. Sawtooth accomplishes this by inducing small sheet vortices that shed at a low magnitude, but at a higher natural frequency, thus decreasing the laminar bubble effect on the aerodynamically shielded side of the rim’s profile to further reduce high yaw drag and improve crosswind stability while providing aerodynamic speed.

The hub design of the 808 NSW is also new. The set name is Cognition and while the real magic happens in the rear hub, the front hub was developed with a unique scalloped edge hubshell design that optimizes the stiffness of the lightweight alloy hub design to preserve the effective bearing bore diameter under load. It is hard to envision a hub shell flexing and reacting under high spoke tension, but it actually happens. In order to keep the Swiss steel bearings precisely in line with each other and the oversized alloy axle - for the lowest friction and resistance possible, the scalloped edges and even, high radial spoke tension, ensure the hub shape won't distort. This is type of detail that wins races and establishes record times. Every watt of energy conserved or gained through design saves valuable seconds. The Cognition front hub rolls faster for longer periods of time due to it's torsion defeating design.

Zipp laces 18 Sapim® CX-Ray lightly bladed, straight pull steel spokes in the radial pattern via Sapim's SecureLock external nipples. With the spokes disappearing into the hub, the overall effect is visually and aerodynamically very clean. The carbon clincher rim can easily handle the high tension required, and the wheel can easily be trued in the traditional fashion. Zipp's clincher technology is well proven and has made clincher use for events not only feasible, but common with today's top clincher tires like the Zipp Tangente series.

Braking with carbon wheels is a huge consideration for racing cyclists in particular, and Zipp's outstanding Showstopper™ brake track offers unparalleled braking and heat management through pairing of a directional, molded-in, texture with silicon carbide particles suspended in the surface resin in a molded groove pattern. That pattern has been matched with the surface and cooling channels of the included Tangente Platinum Pro Evo brake pads for incredible stopping power in dry or soaking wet conditions, in any terrain. The leading edge of the pad and first two channels efficiently wipe water and debris outward, cleaning and drying the braking surface, while the second two channels have maximum interference as the grooves create greater braking force without heat build-up.

With the 808 NSW Carbon Clincher, Zipp provides their Tangente Black Titanium Skewer, the Tangente Platinum Pro Evo brake pads, a Zipp valve extender by Silca, 20mm rim tape, a Tangente tube, and an individual Zipp wheel bag. All of which is expected, of course. Just raise the bar a little higher, Zipp uses ImPress™ technology to apply graphics directly to the rim surface, giving the wheels an even stealthier appearance without mitigating the aerodynamics of the dimple structures. The NSW design has already been featured on race winning road and triathlon bikes. While any athlete can benefit from the technology, we can see the 808 NSW's under riders who seek every legal advantage in the pursuit of maximizing human performance. Speed, stability, control, wind tunnel tested and confirmed aerodynamics. If you are an elite athlete pushing for every tenth of a second or fully maximizing every watt you can wring out, the 808 NSW Carbon Clincher Front Wheel has to be at the top of your wish list, whether you prefer to pair it with the 808 NSW Rear Wheel or one of Zipp's rear disc wheels like the Super 9.