ALTERNATE VIEWS
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303 Tubular
 In April 2010, the 303 Tubular proved once and for all that carbon wheels can do more than just survive on the fearsome cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. They can dominate. But Fabian Cancellara’s crushing victories for Team Saxo Bank – the first for any type of carbon wheels in the Cobbled Classics – were far from the whole story. Cervélo TestTeam’s Thor Hushovd and Roger Hammond finished 2nd and 4th at the Roubaix Velodrome, and all eight of Cervélo’s riders completed “The Hell of the North” without a single wheel incident on the same, stock 303s available through any Zipp retailer.
Those successes marked the culmination of an impressive run for the latest version of the versatile 303. At 1171g per wheelset, the 303 is even lighter than certain dedicated “climbing wheels” that sacrifice ride quality, durability, and aerodynamics in the name of light weight. Amazingly, the 303 optimizes all four metrics – with the results to match.
Since launching with Hushovd’s win at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in February 2009, the 303 has won everything from a Tour de France mountain stage with Cervélo’s Heinrich Haussler to the Tongyeong ITU World Championship Series race with Emma Snowsill to US national cyclocross championships with Katie Compton and Tim Johnson.
The 303 owes its toughness to a 27.5mm-wide rim profile designed to absorb bumps by flexing like a leaf spring. This improves on the already superb impact resistance of Zipp’s Carbon Bridge™ technology while offering a comfortable, forgiving radial compliance. At the same time, the wide rim increases the 303’s lateral stiffness for sprinting, cornering, and accelerations.
Especially with 23-25mm tires, the 303’s width also provides a significant aerodynamic advantage over narrower rims – even ones with much deeper profiles. With a fully toroidal aero shape, the 303 did its part to help Fabian ride solo for 40 windy miles at Flanders and Roubaix and build up a combined margin of victory of more than 3 minutes, including the victory celebrations. Despite its aero performance, the 45-mm rim depth and ABLC™ dimples keep the 303 stable in crosswinds, even for smaller riders like Snowsill.
Meanwhile, the 303’s tire bed has been designed to protect against tire damage and pinch flats at low pressure, and for more precise mounting of tubulars. In poor weather, riders will appreciate the improved brake modulation and stopping power of the angled brake track.
Bikeradar.com reviews the Zipp 303 May 2010
… The new Zipp 303 is the best-performing carbon tubular we've tried to date and if you can only have one set of race wheels, this is it. Click here for the full review.
VeloNews.com - Wrenched and Ridden April 2010
If I had the chance to buy just one super nice tubular wheelset for all the types of riding I do, this would be one of my top two or three choices, if not the only choice.
Read more here.
303s get 10/10 in Cycling Weekly's November 2009
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Cycling Weekly has been riding the all new Zipp 303s. Check out what they had to say....
Zipp 303: ruote ad elevata areodinamicità October 2009
Review of the Zipp 303 from the Italian Bicycle Show - EICMA. Click here.
If the 202 and 404 had a love child. July 2009
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Check out the all new 303 in the August 2009 issue of Road...
The Racing Post Reviews The All New Zipp 303 Wheelset June 2009
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Texas's The Racing Post had an opportunity to ride both the new 303 wheelset and the new 23mm Tangente tubular tire. Check out the review!
New Zipp 303 "Classics" Road Wheelset May 2009
BIKERUMOR.com 2009 SEA OTTER CLASSIC COVERAGE: Zipp’s new 303 wheelset is “Ready for Anything” and was designed with the cobbles of classics like Paris-Roubaix in mind. Despite being wider and taller, their weight is the same as the ‘08 303 wheelset, and Zipp claims they’re more aerodynamic! Built on their ultralight 88 and 188 front and rear hubs (named for their weights), the entire wheelset weighs in at a svelte 1182g (529g F / 653g R). The new hubs have 17mm axles with taller flanges, which improves the wheel’s stiffness. More...
Sea Otter Debut: Newly-Redesigned Zipp 303 April 2009
Triathlete Magazine's Jay Prasuhn had a chance to test ride the completely redesigned Zipp 303 at SeaOtter. Click here to read more.
TECH FEATURES: FIRST RIDE: 2010 SRAM FORCE AND ZIPP 303 WHEELS April 2009
Philip Booth of Road Bike Action gave the completely redesigned 303s a proper shakedown at SeaOtter. Even though the Zipp 303s are designed for the cobbles of the Northern Classics, our first impression is that they should not be overlooked as all around aero wheels. The 303s would be ideally suited to a fast century or high mileage rider looking for an aero wheel that is easy to control and smoothes out the road.
303 Engineered for Classics [pdf]
Challenged by the riders of Garmin-Slipstream, Cervélo TestTeam, and Team Saxo Bank to create the ultimate wheelset for the Spring Classics, Zipp has responded with a completely redesigned version of the venerable 303. After Thor Hushovd’s commanding victory in the Spring Classics opener Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the 303 quickly became the pros’ wheel of choice for the most brutal days of the season.
ABLC™ (Aerodynamic Boundary Layer Control)
Advanced Boundary Layer Control (ABLC) refers to the patented and instantly recognizable dimpled pattern found on most of our rims. ABLC smoothes airflow across the rim's surface and is tailored to every model from the 202 to the Sub9 disc. 2009 sees the third-generation of ABLC, with up to 4 times more dimples than before. Read More
VCLC™ (Visco-Elastic Constrained Layer Control)
Visco-Elastic Constrained Layer Control (VCLC) uses a vibration-absorbing material sandwiched between layers of rigid carbon laminate in the rim. When the wheel receives an impact from the road, much of the shock is absorbed by the VCLC system, delivering a 10% reduction in vibration. Read More
Carbon Bridge™
Carbon Bridge uses a Kevlar® thread in a co-axial helix stitch to bind sheets of carbon to each other in our tubular rims. Because Kevlar is 350% more impact resistant than carbon, it can disperse shock more evenly throughout the carbon laminate, making for a rim that is practically bulletproof. In particular, Carbon Bridge reduces the vulnerability of the rim's tire bed, the area most susceptible to damage from impact. Read More
88/188 Hub Technology
Every aspect of our 88 and 188 hubs sets a new benchmark. The standard steel bearings are the roundest in the industry. The 17mm axle is the stiffest of any road hub we've tested. The wire EDM-cut hub internals are the most precise. The SHIFT spoke hole technolgoy is the most durable. When it comes to precision and performance, there's really no comparison. Read More |
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