If you had to choose just one wheel, the 404 Firecrest should be your choice. With the depth and shape proven in all conditions, it’s the all-around performer and the standard by which all other wheels are measured. Its 58mm rim depth is a classic all-around performer that has carried athletes to victory in every kind of event and situation – every triathlon distance, breakaways, field sprints and hilly finishes.

The 404 Firecrest Carbon Clincher is where the Firecrest® Revolution began as the first deep-profile carbon clincher design to offer the superior aerodynamics, ride quality, strength and handling of a wider rim body. Yet the 404 Firecrest Carbon Clincher weighs 1,690 grams per set, providing best-in-class performance at a light weight.

At the center of the 404 Firecrest is Zipp’s 77/177 hubset with best-in-class durability and improved bearing protection with no pre-load adjustment needed. The result is improved stiffness, durability, simplicity and versatility.

• Optimized flange geometry and spoke hole attachment pattern with Sapim® CX Sprint spokes to optimize torsional and lateral stiffness and robustness.
• Includes newly designed quick-release skewers with a wider more ergonomic handle to provide more leverage for opening and closing. When closed, lever contours neatly with the frame.
• New robust hub platform with distinctive graphics.
• For those looking for a wider gear range, or tackling especially extreme terrain, an XDR driver body for 177 is sold separately and easily installed to allow for more cassette options including a 10-42. The hubset is designed to swap driver bodies without re-dishing the wheel.

Precision-engineered hubs along with Firecrest technology create something special. As Zipp proved with the pioneering (and Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders-winning) 303 Tubular, a wider rim offers greater vertical compliance for control and comfort on rough surfaces while increasing lateral stiffness for sprinting and cornering. The same holds true for Firecrest rims with clincher tires. And because the hook beads are farther apart, the tire itself takes on a more stable shape without adding rolling resistance.

Heavy continuous braking on carbon surfaces can cause spikes in rim temperature and tire pressure that impact performance and handling – especially with clincher tires. To solve this challenge, our U.S.-based composites supplier created a heat-resistant resin exclusively for Zipp. This technology improves heat dissipation so substantially that our Carbon Clinchers have never had a heat-related failure.

Each 404 Firecrest Carbon Clincher wheel comes with Tangente Platinum Pro Evo brake pads, Zipp Integrated Valve Extender with valve-core wrench, rim tape and quick release.