Carbon fiber wheels sound like a good way to throw money at a cross bike with little return. Not so, says Rob Karman, who is impressed with Zipp's carbon hoops.
First introduced at Interbike last year, Zipp's cyclo-cross specific wheels differ from their road brethren in three ways: the rims have an extra layer of carbon which Zipp claims increases their impact resistance twofold while only adding about 40g per rim; the hubs have been modified with extra seals to keep grit and grime out in the muddy conditions 'cross is famous for; and the wheels use Sapim Race butted (2.0/1.8mm) spokes for added strength. A full technical description of Zipp wheels can be seen in our recent review of the 404 road wheels.
So what does this mean in the real world? We got our hands on a pair of 303 'cross wheels and beat on them for about a month to find out.
Read Rob Karman's entire Zipp 303 'cross wheels review here.