Zipp 303s VS 404s VS 808s

Over the past three months the good people of Zipp, a division of SRAM were nice enough to let me borrow three pairs of wheels: some 303s, 404s, and 808s, as I'm sure you guessed from the title of this article.

My goal in the tests was to determine if A) having nice carbon wheels really made a difference B) whether the deeper dish wheels are difficult to control, especially in a cross-wind and C) which set of wheels is best for different types of riding.

Obviously I lack the means to do a truly scientific appraisal of each wheel sets's comparative worth, as I don't have a wind tunnel or a rolling-resistance simulator, but I've ridden a fancy wheel or two in my day and I know what a good ride feels like. Nonetheless, I tried to do my tests as scientifically as possible by riding the same stretches of road in similar conditions each time using the same tires. The bike I used was my Felt F4 but I tried the 808s on Cervelo P2 and P5 time-trial bikes just for fun.

*Note on the tires used: For all the tests I rode Vittoria Rubino Pros in both 25c and 23c clincher. I highly recommend the 25c tires for these wheels. My times were better, I was more comfortable, more confident in the corners and loose terrain, and they look better on the wide carbon rims.

Now on to the results:
A) Do fancy wind tunnel tested carbon wheels really matter? Yes. Versus the stock Shimano RS10 aluminum clinchers that came with my F4, the Zipps are stiffer and qualitatively faster at acceleration, braking, and prolonged efforts in the wind. As I wrote in my Felt F4 article, at high speeds when I intentionally wobbled the handlebars I could feel the RS10 wheels flexing. Not so much with any of the Zipps I tested. Also, by comparing my Strava times for the stretches I ride every day on my way to work and back I can see that I actually am a bit faster with the Zipps. Which Zipp is fastest for me I'll get into later.

B) How do Zipps handle a cross-wind? My experience with deep section wheels and cross-winds has been mostly negative: give me a little side-blast and I suddenly turn into a triathlete on his first ride off the trainer, swerving across three lanes of traffic, yelling "On Your Right!" I've ridden Reynolds, Velocity, Bontrager, SRAM, and several other deep-dish wheels and been blown all over the place. But with the Zipps, I was very pleasantly surprised. I don't know the exact science that keeps the Zipps on track even in a harsh and sudden Chicago cross-wind in the alleys downtown, but I suspect it has something to do with the thin, non-bladed spokes. The very bladed spokes on the SRAM and Bontrager wheels I've ridden in the past were especially vulnerable to side winds, even in the not-so-deep-dish versions relative to wheels with similar rims and round spokes.
Of course the 303s did better with wind gusts than the 808s, but not that much better. Riding alone I had no problem with controlling the 808s, even on the Cervelo time-trial bikes. However, riding in a double-wide pace line I would rather not have the 808s. The wacky turbulence from a group of legs and spokes spinning around all next to each other had me and my mediocre line-holding skills on edge the whole ride, especially when I grabbed for food or a water bottle. The 404s were fine, though. And the 404 in front and 808 in back handled well enough when I tested it with the group, though on that day we didn't have any wind to deal with.

C) Which wheels should I (you) ride? On the stretch of road I tested most -that is the 3 mile stop light, pot hole, and traffic infested sprint to work- the featherweight 303s were best. They accelerated and stopped more quickly than the others and my times on them were better in all conditions. Though on real rides without sudden braking, swerves, and dead-stop sprints the 808s were kings, assuming I was lone wolfing it instead of reacting to a pack. If I were to have only one wheel set it would be the 404s for their versatility, and if I didn't live in Chicago and was able to go forty or more miles without stopping I'd prefer the added aero advantage of the 808 rear 404 front, called the "606 combo".

Other considerations:
One of the nice things Zipp wheels have going for them in their braking ability. Seriously, most of the carbon wheels out there are useless when it comes to stopping, especially in the wet. Zipps brake fine all the time -new slogan, you're welcome. When it comes to durability, the Zipps were great. The idea of buying a super expensive wheelset just for racing is stupid and a waste of money. The cool thing about Zipps is that they're tough enough to use every day. I raged on the pair I borrowed, as have a lot of the customers I've sold Zipps to and the only issue I've seen is that the spokes get corroded from sweat (c'mon people, clean your body fluids off) and the bearings going out, which brings us to my final section-

Issues I've seen:
The dust seal on the bearings really isn't very good. After riding hard on the 808s in sand, rain, and dust I checked the bearings and they felt awful. I took apart the hub and found that whole grains of quartz had found their way in. The bearings aren't very expensive to replace but this could be a serious issue for a cyclocross racer or commuter who rides in everything.
Also, the soft aluminum freehub body took about 30 miles of hard riding before being completely grooved-out and ruined by my Dura-Ace cassette. Zipp really should switch to titanium or steel.
As I said before, the spokes and nipples do corrode. Please, clean your wheels every once in a while, especially if you spend a lot of time sweating on the trainer.
There are also some stories out there of people riding the brakes down mountains and having their Zipps explode on them. I didn't have that problem but on one of my top-speed tests I could definitely smell the burn when it came time to go from 35mph to 0 in eight bike lengths.

Overall, I think Zipps are my favorite fancy carbon wheel. At $2800 the Zipps are one of the more expensive options out there, but if you're rich, who cares? They'll last years and you might even look cool -until you strap on your aero helmet and CamelPack combo (hydration meets acceleration. Another slogan, you're welcome again)