Zipp's 303 Firecrest wheels have been popular with the cyclocross set, and now that road bikes and gravel racing has brought out more need for high quality tubular disc brake wheels, the engineers at Zipp have made the 303 tubular disc ready as a complete wheelset. The 45mm depth of the 303 is ideal for cross, as it sheds mud easily, yet provides incredible strength and even aerodynamic advantage. The wider tubular tire bed of the rim allows cross tubulars the wide stance and massive traction footprint the low pressure tires thrive with.

The 303 Firecrest tubular rim was already strong enough and ideal for disc usage, so Zipp didn't change the structure. The only variance was not keeping the normal brake track. These are disc brake specific rims, and cannot be used with rim brakes. Otherwise you get the same strength and resilience, along with the proven dimpled aerodynamics of these great tubular rims.

Zipp has developed a 6-bolt disc version of the 88/188 hub platform that rolls true and smooth, with excellent axle stiffness. The pre-load adjustable hubs can be precisely tuned, and employ large sealed cartridge bearings to handle rolling speed and torsional forces. The rear hub is spaced for 135mm dropouts, and both the front and rear use standard quick release levers. The front wheel is alced with 24 Spaim steel spokes in 2x pattern, and Zipp employs a virtual 3x pattern for the 24 spoke rear wheel. This crossing pattern is defined by hub flange spacing so that the crossing spokes overlap at three junctions, but only physically cross at two. This helps to manage disc braking torque on the spokes themselves, while keeping the wheel laterally stiff.... Read More