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.