Zipp has a new subcategory of wheels called NSW, with the new 808 NSW Carbon Clincher being the first out of the gate with claims of better aerodynamics, reduced side force, improved braking and a new hubset with less drag than the current model.
Zipp launched the 808 NSW clinchers in the week before the Ironman world championships in Kona, Hawaii, but the wheels have already been ridden to gold under the Velocio-SRAM Pro Cycling squad that won the women's team time trial at the UCI Road World Championships .
The 82mm-rim wheels weigh a claimed 830g front and 980g rear (1,810g total), and bulge to a whopping 27.8mm at the widest point (26.44mm at the brake track). Internal bead width is 17.25mm.
Retail will be $3,400 / €3,000 / £2,350, and the wheels will be available in December.
Zipp claims the new wheels are 3-4 watts faster than the current 808s.
Zipp-sponsored athlete Jordan Rapp said he puts the new braking on par with hydraulic discs.
“The big revolution is the Showstopper brake track," Rapp said in a Zipp press release. "It’s no longer ‘as good as aluminum.’ It is better. Paired with hydraulic brakes, I’d say the braking quality is equivalent to disc brakes.”
The wheels also get new graphics that are printed directly onto the rim, instead of using stickers.
Finally, Zipp reworked its dimple design into something it calls Sawtooth, a design that Zipp claims reduces high-yaw drag and improves crosswind stability
