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TECH NEWS
Zipp updates 202 and 303 Disc wheels with thru-axle compatible hubs
Zipp has unveiled new 202 and 303 Firecrest Disc wheels with thru-axle compatible hubs, future proofing the wheels for the switch from quick release to bolt-thru axles that some think is the future of disc-equipped road bikes.
Zipp has been offering disc wheelsets for while, and these newly launched wheels use the same rims, but with a redesigned hub. The new 77 and 177D hub, used on the latest 202 Firecrest clincher and 303 Firecrest clincher and tubular wheels, features interchangeable end caps that can convert the hubs from accepting regular quick release axles or thru-axles.
The front hub is compatible with 12x100mm and 15x100mm axles, the rear 12x135mm and 12x142mm axles. Those thru-axle standards are commonplace in the mountain bike world and of the few road bikes with thru-axles we’ve yet seen, most are adopting those standards. There are some rumours that the road industry might move to a smaller diameter thru-axle standard, to save weight, as a road bike isn’t subjected to the same stresses and demands as a mountain bike.
Visually the hubs are very different. They have a new “proprietary flange geometry and spoke hole attachment” that the company reckons optimises torsional and lateral stiffness, without increasing weight. The new hubs should be easy to spot as they feature ‘distinctive hub graphics.’ The hubs stick with the same 6-bolt rotor mounting system as the previous Zipp disc wheels, no sign of a Centrelock option.
The new hubs also have the bearing preload set at the factory, so there’s no adjustment necessary by the consumer. This is said to offer improved bearing protection. Zipp has also taken this opportunity to redesign the quick release skewers, now featuring a wider handle that should be more ergonomic and provide extra leverage.
A SRAM XD driver body is available for the rear hub, should you want to adopt SRAM’s 1x11 drivetrain on a road or, more likely, gravel or ‘cross bike.
The 202 Firecrest Carbon Clincher Disc wheelset weighs in at a claimed 1,495g and features a 32mm deep rim with a 25.4mm width, with 24 spokes in each wheel. The set will cost £1,825 and is available now.
The 303 Firecrest Disc wheelset is available in clincher or tubular versions. The clincher version weighs a claimed 1,645g - which SRAM claims is 35g lighter than the previous version - and uses a 45mm deep rim with a 28.5mm wide rime, and 24 spokes in both wheels. It costs £1,825.
The 303 Firecrest tubular wheelset tips the scales to just 1,400g with the same rim profile and spoke count. It’ll cost £1,750.
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.
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18 comments
As CapriciousZephyr points out, there are some thru-axle designs on the horizon that look to be a much better solution for road bikes than merely adopting the mountain bike thru-axle standards.
Both Focus and Colnago/Manitou have developed thru-axles that are extremely quick, and easy, to use
http://road.cc/content/gallery/128749-eurobike-2014-hands-focus-rat-thru...
http://road.cc/content/news/129590-first-look-colnagos-hex-lock-15-thru-...
Thank you Crikey, now I get it.
I was confused by seeing what looked to me exactly the same as a QR release, but it seems to be just a lever for the screw.
To be fair, the article is slightly confusing as it makes a big thing about the wheels being bolt thru compatible, but then shows pictures of the hubs in standard QR format.
Confusing? Really? Those are the photos provided by Zipp, if they had provided photos of the hubs in thru-axle mode, I would have used them
Also, on the subject of the hubs, the straight pull design doesn't look very aero. Obviously I have no numbers to back that up, but they would have a fairly large frontal area compared to a standard j-spoke hub? That hub body looks pretty large diameter too, even considering that it has to accommodate a 15mm thru-axle. I know it's a pretty small difference, but it's all in the details I'd image with aero wheels.
Also annoying is being a SRAM company, Zipp are presumably never going to license the much neater looking centre-lock disc rotor mount design from Shimano.
Centrelock is an open license now. No fee and no reason not to use it (many others are)
Pretty sure it was shimano who came up with design of centre lock discs, but if not they were certainly the first ones to adopt it widely and promote it in a big way.
Love the idea that any bike component manufacturer can 'future proof' their products at a single stroke, especially in an area so subject to changes in technology, manufacturing, design and aerodynamics
That crystal ball they've got must be worth a fair bit
@tom_w
yep, it the same rim 'rebadged' with a new graphic, rather than SRAM / ZIPP putting any real development money into making a 'disc specific' rim, which is what you need to do to realize the true potential of a disc-brake specific wheelset!
According to other sources, the new disc hubs used on this wheelset are also a rebadged SRAM MTB item....
Not really my area of cycling, but what exactly does the extra 1500 quid get you for the 202's over something like the Kinesis CXdisc wheels? Seems rather a lot to pay for 60 grams weight saving, so I'm guessing there are other benefits?
According to some fairly lively debate on the subject elsewhere it gets you an unchanged rim from the rim brake version, just with a sticker that carries on up over the brake track (unlike say Enve rims that are now ~50g lighter for the disc brake version). It also gets you hubs from some SRAM mountain bike wheels. The general feeling seemed to be that these were being rushed out to meet the disk brake market, but that you'd be better waiting for the next iteration that had a truly disc brake specific rim.
Um, no.
It makes for slightly slower wheel changes because you have to unscrew the axle, remove it, then remove the wheel, then replace the wheel, then thread the axle through, then screw it into the dropout.
It's a big fat axle that acts like a screwed in quick release.
And it stiffens up the frame/fork, aligns the wheel perfectly every time and (the main reason it's being talked about for road bikes) eliminates any chance of the wheel being ripped out due to disc brake braking forces.
Bit of a stretch to make those claims (apart from the wheel not being able to be pulled out).
And the single,provable positive point is curable on any design by going to a fully enclosed dropout & using a standard quick release.
Just saying...
It's worth noting, though, that there are at least a couple of much quicker through-axle systems that require only a quarter of a turn. I know of Manitou's QR15 system and Focus's R.A.T. The latter is already to be found on road bikes, namely the 2015 Cayo models.
I keep seeing stuff about thru-axles but would be enormously grateful of someone can point me to an explanation of WTF they actually are.
Quite simply, a thru-axle is a large diameter hollow axle that threads into a closed dropout
Supposedly it make for quicker wheel changes and more accurate alignment of disc rotor to brake callipers.