When we gave our top engineers in The Nest advanced development lab the task of shedding more weight from our lightest carbon clincher wheelset, the 202 Firecrest, while also improving rolling friction, aerodynamics, and braking, it was a very tall order. When we asked them to do all of this without sacrificing durability, it looked like an impossibility. But the NSW advanced development team delivered on every request and built the ultimate climbing wheelset, a climbing wheelset strong enough to use on every ride.
Engineered to be the fastest accelerating carbon clincher Zipp has ever made, 202 NSW flies up the toughest climbs, and then shaves even more time off of the descents to follow. And because extracting greater speed on the mountain is only half the battle, we built 202 NSW to deliver the lowest aerodynamic drag available for a rim of this depth for speed everywhere else.
In order for a climbing wheelset to be world beating it has to do more than simply deliver low weight; it has to deliver uncompromising performance on every level. This is why Zipp engineers in The Nest chose to enhance the world’s fastest climbing carbon clincher, the 202 Firecrest.
With a new lighter carbon fiber layup for the 32mm deep 202 NSW they’ve dropped weight where it matters most, at the outer edge of the wheel, while maintaining the durability and lateral stiffness that Firecrest is famous for. Then they reduced aerodynamic drag with ABLC Sawtooth™ technology and used ImPress™ graphics to ensure that nothing stood between the air flowing over the rim and the dimples made to smooth that flow. Knowing that there is no benefit to a wheelset that climbs fast and descends slow, NSW engineers incorporated our Showstopper™ brake track for the most confidence inspiring rim braking performance available, whether the road is wet or dry.
To further improve the wheelset’s rolling efficiency, the 202 NSW rim is laced to our groundbreaking Cognition™ hubset. Built around our Axial Clutch™ freehub technology, the Cognition rear hub is engineered to maintain speed when coasting by disengaging the ratchet mechanism. This technology enables the Cognition rear hub to deliver far less rolling friction than wheels using conventional freehubs - a real advantage when fighting through rolling foothills or when spun out on long descents.
Engineered for speed when approaching, ascending, traversing, and descending the world’s toughest mountain roads, Zipp 202 NSW is a wheelset that can only come from one place, The Nest, where the world’s fastest wheels are made.
