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TECH NEWS
Zipp_Road_30_CL_HeroZipp release 60 and 30 clincher wheelsets
Zipp’s newest wheelsets aim to bring aerodynamic performance to more affordable price points, with the launch of the 60 Clincher and 30 Clincher wheelsets.
The company that specialises in wheels has generally focused on the high-end, where it's leading the way with aerodynamics in wheels like the 202, introduced last year. The release of these two new wheelsets looks to signal an interest in offering slightly more affordable wheels that offer some of the technology found higher up the price range.
30 Clincher wheels
The new entry-level 30 Clincher uses a new hybrid toroidal (the bulbous rounded shape we’ve seen on Zipp’s 404, 303 and 202 wheels) aluminum clincher rim with an aero profile that has been proven in Zipp’s work on top-end wheels. The rim has a wide 21.5mm profile and 30mm deep.
At the centre of the wheels is an all-new proprietary hub, comprising a 7075-T6 shell and high precision steel bearings. Sapim CX-Ray spokes are laced between hub and spokes, and nipples are external for easy maintenance. The freehub will work with 10-speed and 11-speed cassettes.
This wheelset has all the credentials for being a good year-round training and racing wheelset, light enough for sportives and fast enough for attacks on the peloton. They’re available in March and are priced £675 for the pair.
They weigh 1655g: 765g for the front and 890g for the rear.
60 Clincher wheels tap into top-end aero technology
Spend a bit more on the new Zipp 60 Clincher wheelset uses a carbon fibre rim with an aluminium braking surface (similar to older 404 and 303 wheelsets - new Firecrest wheels use a carbon braking surface). There’s the unmistakable dimpled surface, unique to Zipp wheels, which improves the aerodynamics of the rims. It sits between the 303 and 404 in Zipp’s catalogue.
The rim depth is 58mm and borrows the toroidal rim profile that Zipp first introduced on its top-end wheels. This ‘fat’ rim profile is claimed to be more aerodynamic than a V-section deep section rim. The carbon fairing is fused to an aluminium rim using their M2CM technology.
Weight for a pair is 1820g, putting them in the same ballpark as similar wheelsets from other brands. That breaks down as 850g for the front and 970g for the rear. The freehub is 10-speed and 11-speed compatible. External nipples allow for easy wheel tuning.
They’re available in March and will cost £1,200.
More at www.zipp.com | www.fisheroutdoor.co.uk
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
Latest Comments
- hawkinspeter 3 hours 13 min ago
Interesting theory - how many points does it take for them to drive carefully?
- eburtthebike 3 hours 36 min ago
At the end of the consultation in May 2025, a decision will be taken.........
- Grahamd 4 hours 39 sec ago
The absurdity of it deepens when you realise that those points were acquired by the age of 26.
- David9694 5 hours 35 min ago
BAM!
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"Polartec Power Shield RPM fabric – which has a 10,000mm hydro head to keep wet weather out, and an industry-leading breathability spec of 30,000g...
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Oxfordshire councils are quite capable of letting you down too!...
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'each spoke' (single) and 'leaf spring' (made of many leaves) seems contradictory.
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I guess Morrissey could claim it.
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I do see a lot of delivery riders (on illegal e-motorbikes) with their faces covered...
- David9694 9 hours 26 min ago
Stuff like this seems more relevant than ever after the Trump victory. sorry not a funny
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17 comments
Just added UK prices, £1200 for the 60, £675 for the 30's. The lowest ever priced Zipp's
£1200 / pair according to Fishers B2B
The Zipp 30's look identical to their parent company's SRAM S30AL wheelset, the thing is - for the money being asked for them you could get SRAM S30AL Gold wheels with Ceramic Speed bearings. Having a pair of these myself i feel i'm getting the most bang for my buck without paying over the odds for the brand name stuck on the rim.
I'd be interested to know where you could get a pair of Sram S30AL Gold's, with ceramicspeed bearings for £675. The pricing of the S30's puts it squarely up against the Dura-ace C24's, Fulcrum Racing Zero's and Mavic K10's which I think is bang on. They aren't exceedingly light, but they are certainly more aero than the aforementioned wheelsets.
Admittedly though, I have the Sram S27AL's, and I think I would rather go with the S30AL Sprint/Race than the Zipp S30's, as they are pretty much the same for less money.
I'd give them serious consideration if I was in the market for them.
Heavy again zipp...
I know its not all about weight but Zipp's always seem bloated compared to the competition
Well, not really, the 60 is bang on the same as a Mavic Cosmic, a wheel of very similar construction
Nothing beats a hand build set of wheels from a UK specialist with ££ spare to boot (even a rebuild on a good set of hubs). I wish the 'Industry' would stop pushing over inflated (sorry!) products like wheels at extreme pricing points. It's the same old if such & such can price at this so can we! I won't be seen dead with a pair of 'off the shelf' Mavic, Zipp, Enve, Hed wheelsets. I've had 3 hand built pairs built from Paul Hewitt Cycles then shipped to me and for carbon wheels how about wheelsmith.co.uk? A selection of rim depths & Chris King hubs half the RRP against Zipp, Enve equivalent.
Hmm. 20 rear spokes, radial DS and 1x NDS. All the power goes through the NDS spokes. I hope there is a wide flange spacing or the DS is really highly tensioned. Otherwise they won't be as stiff as they claim.
I have had my eye on these planetX 6cm rims:
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/WPPX60CCL/planet_x_60mm_carbon_clinc...
400squid, so tell me this, how can zipp or mavic's wheels be more than 4 times better: 'There’s no word on pricing yet. We reckon they’ll be close to the price of Mavic’s Cosmic Carbone SLR wheels at £1,700.'
Talk about marginal gains.
You have to ride both to understand the difference, Planet X wheels are worlds apart from zipps. I guess it depends how hard you ride them, the harder you ride them the quicker you will discover the difference.
I doubt there would be much difference in absolute performance against the clock. In the end people have different perspectives (and finances) but I'd have to be very sure before paying four times as much money for a superficially similar product.
In an in-depth article at Pez, Zipp claim their new Firecrest 202s (£2,000/pr) give the aero benefit of a much deeper wheel but with much better performance in crosswinds. Win-win or too good to be true?
@mybrain - you can't expect to buy the least expensive Mercedes for the same price as a Citroen C1 simply because it's their cheapest model. Zipp are a premium brand and their idea of 'entry level' is entry into their range, not what Halfords fit to their £250 Carreras. Surely that's obvious... isn't it?
I am quite willing to give both a try if you are offering. Okay, in the real world my frame cost £1500 new so I wouldn't or could't be putting £1700 wheels on it. Your bike would have to be +£3K in which case you might expect a decent pair of wheels anyway.
If you go grocery shopping:
Asda > Sainsburys > MandS > Waitrose > Harrods you pay more and more for smaller and smaller gains. Zipp seam to be targeting a high end sub-pro level with these clinchers. If you have the money fine, I am sure you will 'feel' the difference, but if saving a grand on aero wheels costs me 5 seconds on the road then maybe I just need one more training session.
The new 60 Clincher wheels use the latest trend in aerodynamics for a bulbous rounded rim profile, which is faster in a wider range of conditions and more stable in cross winds. That's a key difference right there - Zipp design and test all their wheels, they're at the forefront of wheel aerodynamics
Planet-X offer some very well-priced wheels, but they're not designing and testing them in wind tunnels and supplying many professional cycling teams, which all costs money. You need to consider such facts before making comments about products being 'expensive'
Entry level wheel are £600, entry level bikes are £450.
Get a grip on what is waht in term of affordability for your average reader.
I think it's more entry level in this context. Entry level for Zipp wheels, which are expensive.
Did you read the article? This is an entry level wheelset for Zipp, there's no mention of it being entry level in the wider wheel market