Zipp 303s - too good to be true?

Are you racing ? At gravel speeds they really won't be any better (aero) than some decent bomb proof alloy wheels.

Personally I'd be going for the best hubs and getting something handbuilt.

I'm selling a rear 404...
Just thought I'd mention it🤷‍♂️

With fatter tyres you're unlikely to get much aero benefit as you won't have a smooth transition from the tyre to the rim. Obvs they look really cool, which is pretty much the only reason I put 404s on my road bike 😉

My mate had a set, lovely and fast but a bit fragile and the hubs did need looking after, esp when it was wet.

If you're on the light side and look after your kit they should be fine.

I have a set on my gravel bike. Like the ride but needed new f&r bearings and freehub after 8 months riding in mixed (over Winter) conditions.

Wheels designed for road racing and built to be just strong and durable enough to withstand road racing. To be revered and brought out for your racing, then popped back in padded bags and replaced some some old ma40s for training on. Pricey and a bit fragile, but you persuaded yourself it was worth it for the marginal gains. And now being considered as a sensible option for a gravel bike.

These are different times we are living in.

Are you racing ? At gravel speeds they really won’t be any better (aero) than some decent bomb proof alloy wheels.

+1

Almost all the aero benefit in the rim is in cleaning up the tyre/rim interface. Mavic (I think?) even used to supply a strip you could insert between them to sooth the last little bit (obviously not UCI approved). And once you add a knobby tyre into the mix it'll act to stop the flow detaching by adding turbulence which overall makes whatever is behind it lower drag than it would be with a slick tyre. I'd be surprised if on balance a rim that almost made the tyre/rim almost completely round wasn't close to optimal.

Aero rims are popular on CX bikes only because they don't hold mud like box sections.

*they also spin to generate lift by the same effect

For gravel, get the Firecrests.

Expensive and fragile !!

i had a pair and the spoke flange on the hub exploded, luckily just as i was riding up the road

the local frame builder has a specific webpage dedicated to their ability to rebuild Zipp wheels 😉

Wheels designed for road racing and built to be just strong and durable enough to withstand road racing.

Zipps are bomb proof - I've been riding 404s on gravel roads long before gravel was fashionable. Bunny hop speed bumbs / kerbs all the time - never had to true one...

They are ok, aero optimised for 28mm but can take 45mm. Bearings are nowt special, no worse than bitex/hunt/novatec just replace with decent ones when they wear out. Rims are hookless so tubeless only on the latest ones. Not worth the RRP but deals to be found. There are definitely lighter/stronger wheels out there but a good budget option, We couldn't get enough of them at one time.

Had some on my bokeh, thought they were pretty good, certainly felt faster, however they were loosing air tubeless with the zipp gravel tyres, took the tyres off to run an extra bit of tape round the rims to make them a bit tighter when I noticed that the rear rim had cracks along the rim edge on the rear wheel, this was only after 4 rides so they were sent back for a full refund. I have since decided to stick with the original hunt 650’s, don’t think I’d bother again as nice as they were, once bitten twice shy.

convert

Wheels designed for road racing and built to be just strong and durable enough to withstand road racing

Very much marketed as a gravel wheel, and one of the cheapest carbon options on the market that I can see. The Hunt carbon gravel wheels are the only close competitors at the same price point,and they actually cost more.

rOcKeTdOg

There are definitely lighter/stronger wheels out there but a good budget option

That's how I was seeing them, a (relatively) affordable upgrade over my 300 quid Hunts. Would be on 45c tyres and wasn't really thinking about aero. Mixed reports though, leaning to Hunt carbons a bit.

I can recommend FFW tyros. Have them on road bike and they’re pretty fast if not the lightest. But they do state they’re suitable for gravel and have survived my mass, (cough 90ish kg) a few pothole strikes and a bunny hop escape up a tall verge.

Tyros look good, but 1675g vs 1540g for the 303s, and 150 euro more expensive to boot.

I have had a set for a couple of years, prob only done about 2k on them but no issues so far, love the ride. I'm 85kg and bunny hop potholes and off kerbs and that quite a bit

That’s how I was seeing them, a (relatively) affordable upgrade over my 300 quid Hunts. Would be on 45c tyres and wasn’t really thinking about aero. Mixed reports though, leaning to Hunt carbons a bit.

I've been pondering a similar thing to replace the Hunt alloy x-wides on my gravel bike. Was also wondering about a set of Stayer wheels, much more choice in terms of hubs and things but far pricier than the Hunt carbon gravel wheels so not sure if worth it.

The Hunt carbon gravel wheels are actually looking like the best option to me right now

303s on my gravel bike, 90 kg rider. Nearly a year old & only had to replace the rear bearings. Price (at the time, plus discount code) sung it for me plus the life time warranty over the Hunt option.

What sort of conditions and mileage have you done to kill bearings in a year? This is towards the disposable end of longevity. I'm considering these for a grav.grav build but normally I favour serviceable cup and cone style bearings, and have had 10 year + 30k miles on hubs like King R45 or Campy Bora's where just a bit of regular attention see's them running like new for ages, so that puts me off a bit. They are a mighty tempting price though. Am aware Zipp have had numerous hub issues since the originals, never actually owned any though.