Zipp 202 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers: Really worth the money? Full review after spending much time on them!

For the past year, I have been riding on the Zipp 303 Firecrest carbon clincher wheels which have been a very pleasurable experience! The wheels are fast, lightweight, and let's face it, everyone loves the look of a deeper rim profile! If you're born to be a mountain goat, there's not too much that can hold you back from being the KOM on your club rides or local races. However, if you're not blessed with great power-to-weight ration, every bit of rotating mass can really hold you back from even keeping up with the group on those long climbs…

This is where the new Zipp 202 Firecrest carbon clinchers step in: Listed weight is at 1375 grams from Zipp (our set weighed in at 1340 without skewers or rim tape) which is a pretty impressive weight for 32mm aero carbon clincher wheelset. However, some concerns jump to mind: How big of a difference will these be from the deeper 303's? Will I be sacrificing aerodynamics? How durable will this wheelset be with less surface area to dissipate braking heat?

Pinarello Dogma 2 with New Sram Red on Zipp 202 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers.

Here are some of those questions answered after spending many miles on them!

Colnago C59 Italia 150th Edition - Customer Review

Here's a review we received from a customer with a custom built Colnago C59 Italia 150th Edition.

See what our client has to say about the gorgeous bike and his take on the Zipp 303 Firecrest carbon clincher wheels.

Another Beautiful Colnago C59, With A Twist!

The past few months have been a whirlwind of bikes going out to clients, so we're going to do what we can to post more pics of the times through the season. Here's a Colnago C59 Di2 build, custom built by our very own Tyler Miller, with a slight twist to accommodate the hilly terrains around these parts.

From afar, it's appears to be a C59 built with Dura Ace Di2 setup. However, let's take a closer look.

Zipp 303 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers - First Ride Review

If I said I wasn’t a victim of good marketing I would be lying, then again it’s only good marketing that I fall victim to in the first place. As consumers we learn about our products through the disclosure of manufactures and what they decide to share with us. With the hot release of the Zipp 303 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers. I thought to myself “were these the effects of good marketing”. At least That was what I thought. Then I rode them!

These are the 2012 Zipp 303 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers in the Beyond Black setup (with the exception of the decals which will be black) with black hubs, black spokes, and black nipples. The aero rims sits at 45mm tall with a brake-track width of 26.2mm while boasting a massive aero width of 28.5mm. These are equipped with the revised 2012 188 rear hub as well, adding more lateral stiffness to what is already designed to be a high performance wheel. As you read on, please keep in mind that I will be using references from previous rides with Mavic Ksyrium SL's, Shimano Dura Ace C24 clinchers, and Reynolds MV/C (same aero profile as the current Reynolds Thirty-Two carbon clincher wheels) carbon clinchers all equipped with the same Continental GP4000S 23mm tires on the same 2012 Pinarello Dogma 2 frame.  

FINALLY! The long awaited arrivals of 2012 Zipp 303 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers.

We've been seeing and posting news on these new 2012 Zipp 303 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers since earlier this year. We were teased at Interbike, given the chance to see the production model only to hear that we'd have to wait still before they arrive. Now, they're finally HERE and IN STOCK!

Beautiful, made in USA, and did we mention they're in stock?