Zipp 808 NSW Announced

The week of the Ironman World Championship has become an important venue for many of the sport’s major product manufacturers to make some noise about their latest and greatest products.

Roger Hospedales wrote about the new SRAM Red eTAP electronic shifting system yesterday. This morning we learned about a new wheel from Zipp – the 808 NSW.

Named after the “NEST” mini factory within the SRAM and Zipp headquarters, the NSW moniker is supposed to be akin to, say, Mercedes AMG models – a “finely tuned” version of the existing product.

The new 808 NSW wheelset is a speedier version of the Firecrest 808 that you’ll see a lot of out on the bike course this weekend. A touch wider than the Firecrest version (28.8 vs 27.5 mm), the NSW rims remain 82 mm deep and feature an improved dimple system and slightly different shape. The end result is a wheel that cuts through the wind better at higher yaw angles (when the wind is coming from more of an angle, which is the case more often than not when you’re out riding), and is also more stable. There are new hubs as well, which will allow for a 10-tooth cog, which will be a huge bonus for those who want to use SRAM’s 1x system. (We’ll have more on that later this week.) The hubs use a ratchet system that is controlled by magnets that disengage the ratchet system while you are coasting, providing a smoother, faster ride when you’re not pushing down on the pedals.

The NSW rims (which will only be available as clinchers) also feature a better braking surface, which pro rider Jordan Rapp swore by during the presentation this morning. According to Rapp the braking surface is as good, if not better, than an aluminum rim might provide.

These wheels will be used by a number of the top pros on Saturday, including Canadian favourite Brent McMahon.