Yesterday I finally returned the set of Zipp 303 carbonclinchers that I've been borrowing from Athletes Lounge. I've taken a little longer than I had hoped to get a follow up post with my impressions of the wheels, so while I'm waiting for TurboTax to update so I can e-file my taxes, I thought I would make up for lost time.
Quick Facts on the 303's (From Zipp website)
| Total Weight | 1498g |
| Tire Bead Inside to Inside | 16.25mm |
| Brake Track Top | 25.14mm |
| Brake Track Bottom | 27.57mm |
| Recommended Tire Width | 23-32mm |
| Max recommended rider weight | 225lbs |
My setup:
Bike: Cervelo S2
Tires: Vittoria Rubino Pro Slicks I do most of my summer riding on these. One of the cheapest, most durable tire options out there that actually rolls fairly well. (I was definitely happy with this choice, as I was flat-free on the gravel, and both of my spare wheels got used by other riders, and that set of Rubinos went un-punctured as well!)
Brake Pads :Swissstop carbon (yellow) on Ultegra 6700 calipers.
Speed
These wheels are fast. They roll phenomenally well and handle nicely in crosswinds, largely due to the new Firecrest" shape. I felt that they caught a little more wind than I had anticipated, but I think this is due to the extra spokes that the 303 has. (18 Front, 24 Rear) as opposed to the 404 (16 front, 20 rear) Still, the wheels were predictable in the wind, and seemed to track smoothly.
Durability
Obviously, I can't comment on the long-term durability of the wheels, but I must say that while I had them, I put them through the hardest conditions one could encounter. I rode on chip seal mostly, did a hard run on several miles of rocky dirt road, and of course, 15 miles of large-chunk gravel road while racing. You would never know it. The wheels appear brand new and are completely true. This is after all, what they were designed for. Those extra spokes make for an incredibly solid ride, and you would be hard-pressed to do much damage without taking a hammer to the rim.
Handling/ Ride Quality
Carbon clinchers present an advantage over normal clinchers not only because they look ten times better, but because they are lighter rims. This means that these wheels spin up super fast and feel great when climbing. I loved stomping on the pedals to accelerate because it felt like the bike was actually floating above the ground.
The cornering may be the only drawback on the 303's and it is a small one at that. For those who prefer an ultra-stiff wheel for cornering, this might not be your best option. I noticed a stiffness difference between these and my Easton Ea90's, but honestly, it wasn't as significant as I had thought. I probably wouldn't use these in a crit, but any other application, they can handle with ease. I didn't notice too much of a comfort benefit or loss during my test, but I tend to feel every bit of road vibration because of my Cervelo S2 frameset anyway. (harsh ride)
User-Friendliness
The carbon clincher design is very appealing to many people, because not only does it make changing tires for different race conditions very easy, but you can also train full-time on these wheels if you choose. Zipp skewers are pretty simple and easy to use. There is an appropriate amount of force required to tighten one to a safe tension. Zipp freehub bodies tend to be pretty sturdy, and are the products of high quality machining, so swapping cassettes is a relatively easy.
SO WHAT?
At the end of the day, the 303's are an amazing wheelset. If you could only buy one wheelset, to use for everything, these would be the ones. This is a wheel you could run fat tires on for training, and not be frustrated in crosswinds, but then throw on some race tires and tear it up in a breakaway. To quote Ferris Bueller, "If you have the means, I highly recommend picking some up".
..Or head down to ALounge and demo the set that I used :)
