This week has seen Zipp, Rapha, Brooks, Café du Cycliste, Pactimo and Zwift all launch new products. Here’s the tech lowdown on each.
Zipp launched the 404 Firestrike in 2014 and the wheelset is now available as a tubular, while the original clincher has also been updated. The wheels are strictly limited edition, with just 404 sets of each to be available.
The key feature of the 404 Firestrike Tubular is what Zipp have called Carbon Shield, which, according to the US firm, is a new carbon fibre layup designed to improve the strength of the wheel. Prototype wheels were tested during the 2013 season, including on the five-star Carrefour de l’Arbre cobbled section of Paris-Roubaix, and were reportedly returned undamaged. The wheels are now being used by the Axeon Cycling development team.
Both the 404 Firestrike Tubular and Carbon Clincher are based around a 58mm-deep rim with Zipp’s Showstopper brake technology, which introduced a silicon carbide surface to the moulded brake track to reportedly improve wet weather performance, which can suffer when using a carbon wheel.
The 58mm-deep rim has a maximum width of 27.8mm and the revised Aerodynamic Boundary Layer Control technology (the dimples) is said to smooth airflow through more frequent and smaller vortices, to improve stability and control on blustery days. New features on both the tubular and clincher wheels include titanium quick release skewers, CeramicSpeed bearings and Zipp’s ImPress direct-print black razor graphics, which save a little weight over traditional sticker decals.
Both wheelsets use 24 Sapim CX-Ray spokes at the front and 18 at the rear, laced on to Zipp’s 88/188v10 hub. Claimed weight for the tubular wheelset is 1,395g, and 1,620g for the clincher. Both will set you back £2,750 respectively.
Website: Zipp
