Zipp 808 NSW Carbon Clincher Road Wheel

When it comes to wheel aerodynamics, few platforms enjoy the reputation of Zipp's 808s. This reputation is the product of results rather than marketing hype it's been vetted at the top tier of endurance athletics for years on end. Using only the past two years as a sample size, the 808 Firecrests were ridden to Kona glory by Kienle in 2014, and the all new 808 NSW Carbon Clincher Road Wheel helped propel Frodeno to the same title in 2015. While it's tempting to refer to these as successive or repeat wins for the same wheel model, the 808 Firecrest doesn't really hold a candle to the 808 NSW's rising star. Improved aerodynamics, a re engineered brake track, and a ground up revision of the lay up schedule all contribute to a faster, safer, and lighter platform than the one that Kienle rode just two years ago. Given the world championship success of the previous 808 platform not to mention our own experiences on them we admit to being a bit surprised by Zipp's decision to completely overhaul it but that's exactly what the NSW model is: an overhaul of an already revolutionary design. As alluded to above, the rim's braking and aerodynamics have both seen improvements with no sacrifice to durability, and the NSW 808's refined carbon lay up earns the set a claimed weight that's 75g lighter than the 808 Firecrest clincher. Despite the advancements to rim, which is the element of the wheel that Zipp's tag line of Speed Weaponry is typically associated with, we're actually most excited about the Cognition hub. Blasphemy, we know, but the Cognition makes a strong case for itself. We'd even go so far to suggest that the NSW's Cognition rear hub may be the most exciting innovation we've seen in factory wheels since Zipp first introduced its bulging sidewalls. The hub owes its sex appeal to Zipp's Axial Clutch freewheel design, which features two Metal Injection Molding MIM ratcheting rings one mated to the freehub body and one mated to the hub body. The two ring..