Speed, strength, responsiveness, resilience, stiffness, comfort, control. All of these descriptive words have been used to review the Zipp 303 Firecrest Clincher 177 wheel concept. The 303 was Zipp's first wide rim concept, and that design was the genesis of the Firecrest design. The incredible aerodynamic results caused a chain reaction in the industry. Now Zipp has paired the convenience of the carbon clincher technology, with Firecrest results, and a new hub and lacing design for an incredible all-round wheel that as a set comes in at 1480 grams, yet is strong enough to conquer Paris-Roubaix and is rated for riders up to 250lbs. While the rim is pure engineering magic, the heart of this version is a hub concept that examined all the strengths and challenges of the previous version and answers every question, improves on excellence, and shaves off weight.

The 177 rear hub was engineered to replace the 188 and has proven to be a superior model. This design optimizes the strength and stiffness of the machined aluminum body and offset flanges, allowing for greater tension with the 24 straight-pull Sapim CX-Sprint steel spokes and standard Sapim external nipples. A completely new bearing system was developed with higher grade steel sealed cartridge bearings with pre-adjusted pre-load. No need to adjust your hubs, ever. The 17mm oversized alloy axle system is stout and carries the incredible lateral loads achieved while sprinting, climbing out of the saddle, and on high speed, twisting descents. The 177 hub is also more user friendly when swapping out freehubs, or changing to a SRAM XDR driver. There is no need to re-dish the wheel for such changes. Whatever the freehub, engagement is smooth, immediate and confident.

The Zipp 303 Firecrest Carbon Clincher rim has a wide stance that improves overall feel, handling and ride quality. It has a wider 26.4mm max rim width, with a 17mm internal clincher bead width. Firecrest rims have a near-constant width from brake track to spoke bed to improve aerodynamics and better control airflow. Zipp used Computational Fluid Dynamics software analysis to maximize the aerodynamics of the rim and dimpled ABLC surface while minimizing wind-produced torque, resulting in a rim design that is faster and better handling. The airflow is managed over the rim and passes more cleanly over the tire, which has less of a bulb-like shape than if the rim was narrower. The aerodynamics exceed that of the exceptionally fast previous generation 404 rim, yet is much more stable on any surface, and in heavy wind, with substantially improved braking. The brake track stays at 26.4mm at the center, to ensure compatibility with most road braking systems. The braking surface features the molded in-groove ShowStopper™ technology that ensures excellent stopping power in wet, dry, or hot conditions. Optimal performance is achieved with the supplied Zipp Tangente Platinum Pro Evo brake pads. The Silicon Carbide particles employed in brake track resin add extreme hardness, making the track impervious to incidental damage. This combination of tech is called Showstopper, and the results are impressive and effective.

Most road racers want the best of everything and a quiver of wheels to choose from. Unfortunately, we all can't afford such luxury. If you ride crits, road races, stage races, hill climbs, etc., and you can only have one wheelset, it has to be the 303. The carbon clincher technology means the convenience of clincher tires is raceworthy. Again, everyone would love tubulars as well, but again, you have to put your money and time where you get the best return. You can race and train on the same wheels, which leads to a comfort level that makes you a better rider. This rear 177 wheel weighs only 900 grams, and rides even faster than expected. All of those qualities are also the reason why the 303 Firecrest Carbon Clincher is favorite for serious riders who don't race. Every rider can enjoy the joy of riding pro-level wheels with incredible engineering and execution, from the master's of speed, Zipp.