Zipp NSW technology comes to 303 wheels, disc brakes to 404, 808

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This article originally appeared on BikeRadar

Better crosswind stability, great aerodynamics, a magnetic rear hub and a silicon carbide brake track. These are the main characteristics of the new Zipp 303 NSW wheels, which come in at a claimed 1,425g for the $3,100 / £2,150 set. In related news, Zipp also now has disc-brake versions of its deeper-rim 404 and 808 aero wheels, plus a new carbon stem and seatpost.

Zipp 303 NSW

After rolling out the NSW technology with its ultra-deep 808 wheels then the 58mm 404s, Zipp now has NSW technology in its popular 45mm wheel depth.

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For those familiar with the 303 family, the 303 NSW is similar — an aero wheel with a broad, 17.25mm internal width that swells to 28.50mm at the rims widest external point. Sapim CX-Ray spokes are laced, 18 front and 24 rear, to what Zipp calls “the most aerodynamically efficient rim design on the market”.

What is new with NSW is the external rim texture that Zipp says lowers side force on the wheels by causing aerodynamic shearing faster than a smooth rim of the same shape. Faster shearing means that instead of pressure building up and then all of a sudden shearing — which you feel as a jerk to the side — pressure is released multiple time a second. (50 times a second if you are going 20mph, Zipp says.)

“While playing with different dimple patterns, we stumbled upon something we didn’t initially understand,” Zipp's director of advanced development Michael Hall told BikeRadar. “This particular configuration has low drag, but at a certain yaw angle the side force just drops off the map.”

Zipp 303 NSW

• 1,425g (640g front, 785g rear)
• $3,100 / £2,150
• Available in May

Zipp 404 Firecrest and 808 Firecrest

• Quick releases front and rear
• 100x12 or 100x15mm front thru-axles
• 135x12 or 142x12mm rear thru-axles

Zipp 404 Firecrest Disc Brake

• 1,715g clincher (800g front, 915g rear)
• $2,400 / £1,920
• 1,545g tubular (710g front, 835g rear)
• $2,300 / £1,840
• Available in May

Zipp 808 Firecrest Disc Brake

• 1,975g clincher (950g front, 1,025g rear)
• $2,700 / £2,160
• 1,760g tubular (820g front, 940g rear)
• $2,600 / £2,080
• Available in May

Zipp SL Speed Stem and SL Speed Seatpost

Zipp SL Speed Stem

• 31.88 clamp
• 50mm clamp width
• $265 / £110
• Available in May

Zipp SL Speed Seatpost

• $265 / £220
• Available in May

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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