Expanding greatly on its heritage of conquering the Spring Classics, this 303 wheelset maintains its ideal-for-every-terrain 45mm rim depth but adds a significantly wider internal width to provide greater performance and ride quality in almost every measurable way. Road bikes are more versatile than ever, no matter the road surface, but just as fast as before. The 303 S offers an entirely new rim profile and design to optimize rider performance on this new breed of bike. This wheelset is tubeless for disc-brake bikes, allowing the ability to run wide tyres at lower pressures for race-ready speed on or off the pavement.
The 303 S is among our lightest wheelsets, optimized for top aero performance with a 28mm tyre but capable of handling gravel tyres up to 50mm wide. The key innovation is in the 303 S’s rim design. Its 45mm rim depth is the same as its predecessor, the 302 Disc brake. But its external rim width is 2mm wider, at 27mm, and its tyre bed is a full 7mm wider, at 23mm internal width. That rim platform is designed to be the fastest with a 28mm tyre. The wide rim optimizes tyre profile to allow lower tyre pressure. That helps to reduce rolling resistance and provides a more compliant ride. The result of all this is a 10 watt savings vs. a top peer wheel in total power required to ride 40kph on a flat road with a 28mm tyre, according to internal Zipp testing. This groundbreaking wheelset also features all-new cosmetics, setting the rider apart from the pack, and comes at an attractive price (NZ $2,675).
We hope to have these under review shortly. Stay tuned for a more in-depth article about the wheels, ride quality and their performance. The Zipp 303 S Series is just the beginning. Watch for more advanced speed coming from Zipp on May 28