Zipp overhauls NSW rim shapes for wide, tubeless tires

New 303, 404 and 808 NSW wheels are now 19mm internally

Courtesy Zipp

Published: May 31, 2018 at 2:45 pm

NSW denotes Zipp's top-end product, and starting in June the 303, 404 and 808 NSW Carbon Clincher wheels will be available with 19mm-internal-width, tubeless-ready rims, along with the company's etched Showstopper brake track, dimpled surface and XDR driver compatibility.

Going forward, Zipp will continue to offer the same depth wheels (303/45mm, 404/58mm and 808/82mm) in its Firecrest line, which has a 17mm internal width. The Firecrest wheels have what Zipp calls Sawtooth dimpling for a claimed aerodynamic improvement, but they are not tubeless compatible.

In addition to the wider, tubeless-ready design, Zipp engineers have also overhauled the shape of the NSW rims to work best aerodynamically with 25mm tires.

The NSW wheels have Zipp's etched Showstopper brake track and the company's dimpled rim surface - Courtesy Zipp

The one holdout to the NSW tubeless lineup is the low-profile 202. It's possible that Zipp chose to omit tubeless compatibility from this wheelset to maximize weight savings.

The tubeless-compatible versions of the 303, 404 and 808 see slight weight increases of 75g, 65g and 45g, respectively, over the non-tubeless versions currently on the market.

The wheels all use Zipp's Cognition hubset, which uses magnets instead of springs to engage and disengage the ratchet mechanism.

The XDR driver body compatibility means that riders can use 10-42t cassettes — designed for use with 1x drivetrains — in addition to traditional Shimano HG cassettes where the smallest cog possible is an 11t.

The NSW wheels were optimized aerodynamically for 25mm tires - Courtesy Zipp

Zipp 303 NSW Carbon Clincher Tubeless

  • 1,500g claimed weight (675g front, 825g rear)
  • 45mm rim depth
  • 18 front, 24 rear spokes
  • £2,678 / $3,200 / €3,000

Zipp 404 NSW Carbon Clincher Tubeless

The 404 NSW Carbon Clincher Tubeless has a 45mm rim depth - Courtesy Zipp
  • 1,620g claimed weight (738g front, 882g rear)
  • 58mm rim depth
  • 18 front, 24 rear spokes
  • £2,678 / $3,200 / €3,000

Zipp 808 NSW Carbon Clincher Tubeless

The 808 NSW Carbon Clincher Tubeless has an 82mm rim depth - Courtesy Zipp
  • 1,855g claimed weight (857g front, 998g rear)
  • 82mm rim depth
  • 18 front, 24 rear spokes
  • £2,857 / $3,500 / €3,200