With SRAM's current sale prices at the time of this video, these 303S make an even stronger argument for anyone looking for a big brand wheelset for $1000 USD.
I have these wheels as well as the 404 Firecrests. The 404s are lighter, faster and have much quicker hub engagement. The 303s are great for the price though. Also, I weigh 200lbs before gear and have been riding hookless for 3 seasons with no issues. I ride 65 psi up front and 70 out back.
I have a 2nd hand set used for gravel and road riding. I had the same thought about riding hookless until I rode hookless. The bead holds just like hooked wheels. Yes they are not for higher pressure riding people, and I'm not trying to change your mind either. Just sharing my experiences with riding hookless. I do prefer hooked for the obvious reason but I'll ride either. 183lbs riding pressures of 58-68F/65-72R depending on surface conditions. Great video!!
New UK subscriber here! I've only recently come across your channel and loving the content so far. Especially the way you cater for the masses. Keep up the good work! 👍
I have the 303FC's since Feb 2023. I recommend to anyone with Zipp wheels to swap out the bearings at your earliest convenience. I swapped to Enduro Hybrid Ceramic's and the wheels now roll and spin so much smoother and longer - and Enduro bearings are not even the best out there. The difference was noticeable immediately. When riding the wheels with the Zipp bearings I was always questioning whether or not I had a little brake rub, and spinning the wheels by hand, they never spun very long. New bearings and all that went away.
I went through a lengthy evaluation process. I went forward with the Zipp 303 S at $1,000. ~$1,000 was my upper limit. I also evaluated Trek 50 Aeolus options and various Chinese wheel options such as the Elitewheels Drive 50. I have a Canyon Endurace bike with inexpensive and somewhat heavy aluminum rims, so I am hoping the upgrade will make a difference along with a recent tubeless tire upgrade. These factors influenced my decision: 1. The Trek Aeolus Elite 50 was the same price- but weighed in at 1.73 KG - which seemed excessive to me- even if I don't consistently go up 5% grades. 2. The Trek Aeolus Pro 51 is excellent- but Trek offered no discounts and it exceeded price-wise what I was comfortable with. It is not particularly light- but appears very well designed. 3. The Elitewheels 50 D was very tempting- but I was concerned about bearing issues and shipment of replacement parts to and from China, etc. 4. I had concerns with the Lun Hyper as far as stability in crosswinds. This may have not been justified. 5. I also had stability and rigidity concerns with the Ican Aero 50- the lowest cost option I looked at. 6. Regarding the Zipp 303 S- I had already purchased TLR tires that work with hookless rims. I am not sold on Hookless technology, but I felt given my weight and the bike's weight- tire pressures recommend by Sram were acceptable. I have 30 mm tires- which also helps with regards to keeping tire pressure under 73 psi. Zipp's warranty seems to be the strongest among most wheel manufacturers and there are local dealers. Finally, Canyon uses the Zipp 303 Firecrest on some of their higher priced Endurace models- and I trust their assessment the technology and its use on their bikes.
@@PatrickLino Thanks Patrick. I think I made a good decision- though of course others may differ on whether it was the best. One thing I do like about Zipp/SRAM is their life-time warranty that includes crash protection and coverage against damage from normal road hazards- especially give the that wheels I purchased are relatively low priced. Life-time crash protection is not offered by Trek and most other brands- and where it is offered- it is sometimes only on specific models.
Was wondering when a new video was going to drop. You’ve inspired me to build my own bike. So far I have the group set,saddle, and pedals. I am looking at frames and wheels. Thanks as always for the content!
Doesn't Zipp say to not run tubes at all except for an emergency situation? On another note, I love tubeless on the road. It has worked great for me. I've had punctures that I didn't even knew I had. I find where it sealed up when I change out the tires. But, if you run a lot of wheelsets, I wouldn't advise tubeless. At least use it only in the wheels you use primarily. The sealant will dry up and to make it worse, it will be dried up in one spot. A couple of years ago, I grabbed my climbing wheels for a trip to the mountains. I had enough sense to at least check the sealant level the day before leaving. I ended up taking my deep wheels with me because I didn't have the time to mess with the climbing wheels. My climbing wheels now have tubes in them.
Greetings from Logan Square. I got really lucky with my purchase of these wheels. I got the wheels for under $950 from Backcountry when they had their soft opening. I also got a set of 454NSW for so cheap from them. I use the 303s on my gravel bike and I love them. My only complaint is that I wish the hub was a bit louder. The same goes with my 454's.
I have the 303 SE version of this wheelset. The SE version uses the same rim, but uses Scott Syncros hubs. I picked it up from a Scott/SRAM sponsored athlete with cassette and tires for stupidly cheap. I rode them for most of the season around Colorado, and found the wheels to be fantastic. For what it's worth, I do run tubeless with Silca Sealant (I ride MTB and gravel as well, so zero interest in using tubes unless it's for a puncture). The road quality around where I live is mixed, and I've gotten a couple of punctures that sealed itself while I was riding.
Tires plugs make tubeless work because a puncture that does not seal can be plugged and hit the c02 and your back off.. most cases no need to remove the wheel.
Would you be willing to share some thoughts about considerations when comparing these specifically to the Yishun RBDs you’ve also made a great video about? The overall price would be very similar for my location afaik. The weight is similar but favors Yichun, Inner and outer width seem close enough plus the wavy rims just look cool imo. Thank you very much and another great video!
Honestly I would purchase the Yishun wheels simply because they are HOOKED rather than HOOK-LESS. That is a tremendous deal breaker for me. And performance wise Yishun will be close to Zipp but for 1/3 the price.
What are the differences in hubs/bearings in the S vs FC? BTW I run 32 mm tubeless tires for road. Why run narrower? No data shows narrower/higher pressure faster.
I believe the hubs are the same, although you can probably find that out on Zipp's website. What internal/external width are the wheels you are running with 32c tires?
I have roval alpinist clx and the front bearings have a fair amount of drag at low speed but give them a good spin and the seals let go and spin as freely as the rest. There just as fast as seemingly wheels that spin for ever.
@@SNS1212 Here are my choices: 1- Full Speed Ahead FSA Vision TriMax Aero. 2- Amazon sells the Prime alloy bars under name brand: "CONTROLTECH Cougar Alloy Aero Handlebar"
I was thinking of buying these Zipp wheel set and wasn’t sure. After watching your video I decided to go for it. I agree with you to go with a tube instead of tubeless!
I just ordered the same wheels. Worried about the hookless and bearing issues. Thinking to keep it or return. But it a great value carbon wheelset in the market.
I like Zipp wheels but I’m excluded from riding their wheels 🙁 I was a bit skeptical about the 404 firecrest review you have done. I serviced my bearings and hub and boy it felt like a brand new wheel.
@@PatrickLino I am in the market for new carbon performance race wheels and the 404 was on the list. When your bike clearance limit is 28 mm max. Plus I am built like Jon Bones Jones your tire pressures will be 5.6 to 6 bars for performance. Too many limits on their wheels for me. The Elite Drive is on my short list now. Saw a GCN presenter riding a pair.
Ive ridden hooked and now have Enve hookless for the past 2 years. Just follow the pressure guidelines and all is well. Sure, this could be me justifying my purchase, but when Im out on the road I honestly pay it no mind. @patricklino will you stop riding these 303's since they are hookless?
Bruh did you even watch the video? These aren't my wheels to keep like I said. And following the "pressure guidelines" means if you weigh more than 80kg you're gonna have to run 30 or 32c tires. Hookless may be cheaper to manufacture, but it comes at the cost of rider weight limits.
Yes I watched the video. I know you have to give them back, but did you stop riding them after making this video? According to the internet hookless rims are 100% going to kill you. Why would you even ride them even on one ride?
@@ginomordocco4710 I don't recall saying hookless will kill anyone LoL. Again, did you watch the video 🤣? I made it pretty clear my negatives toward hookless. Safety was not one of the them.
Have you tried the Shimano 105 C46 wheels? I’m stuck between zipp 303s and Shimano. Shimano is hooked rim and price is the same in my country (950 usd a pair).
I’m just trolling dude. I watched the video and I am making myself feel better about having hookless rims. I’ve been watching your videos for a while now. Love your stuff. Just playing the troll on hookless. It does make for great content. Getting that algorithm going for ya. Was hoping more folks would jump in on how hookless is basically Russian roulette on bikes. It’s all ❤.
Top tier level of trolling, and I fell for it LoL. No matter how great the Chinese brands are these days, people will always have a demand from the major players.
I would not buy these! Had them for a year and had to replace the bearings four times... The shop noticed it was a manufacturing default. Did a bit of research and the problem is common. Go spend a little extra on another brand and be satisfied
@@PatrickLino Handlebars, stems and mounts no issues whatsoever, wheel rims and spokes are OK in my opinion, but those free hubs... I'd stay away from them.
@@DavidWright0301 I'm pretty much done with Zipp as a whole. Obviously unless they wanna sponsor me or something. But overall there are plenty of more affordable yet similar (or better) quality products on the market now.
![[Gegagedigedagedago] NEW Help Gegagedigedagedago Nugget escape from Nikocado Avocado Challenge](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hJWnwRC2Fz8/mqdefault.jpg)
With SRAM's current sale prices at the time of this video, these 303S make an even stronger argument for anyone looking for a big brand wheelset for $1000 USD.
Even with the holiday sales, seems like $1200 is as good as it gets... I still bought a set though! Thank you for the honest review
I have these wheels as well as the 404 Firecrests. The 404s are lighter, faster and have much quicker hub engagement. The 303s are great for the price though. Also, I weigh 200lbs before gear and have been riding hookless for 3 seasons with no issues. I ride 65 psi up front and 70 out back.
This is great feedback. Thank you for chiming in!
I have a 2nd hand set used for gravel and road riding. I had the same thought about riding hookless until I rode hookless. The bead holds just like hooked wheels. Yes they are not for higher pressure riding people, and I'm not trying to change your mind either.
Just sharing my experiences with riding hookless. I do prefer hooked for the obvious reason but I'll ride either.
183lbs riding pressures of 58-68F/65-72R depending on surface conditions.
Great video!!
Thanks watching! 💪🏾
New UK subscriber here! I've only recently come across your channel and loving the content so far. Especially the way you cater for the masses. Keep up the good work! 👍
Thank you so much Darren!
I have the 303FC's since Feb 2023. I recommend to anyone with Zipp wheels to swap out the bearings at your earliest convenience. I swapped to Enduro Hybrid Ceramic's and the wheels now roll and spin so much smoother and longer - and Enduro bearings are not even the best out there. The difference was noticeable immediately. When riding the wheels with the Zipp bearings I was always questioning whether or not I had a little brake rub, and spinning the wheels by hand, they never spun very long. New bearings and all that went away.
Good suggestion. Shame SRAM doesn't do this from the factory, considering the retail price.
Would you mind sharing what’s the size or the part# for the bearings?
@@chanc2 6903. You will need 4. I did not change the XDR body bearings, they were fine.
I went through a lengthy evaluation process. I went forward with the Zipp 303 S at $1,000. ~$1,000 was my upper limit.
I also evaluated Trek 50 Aeolus options and various Chinese wheel options such as the Elitewheels Drive 50.
I have a Canyon Endurace bike with inexpensive and somewhat heavy aluminum rims, so I am hoping the upgrade will make a difference along with a recent tubeless tire upgrade.
These factors influenced my decision:
1. The Trek Aeolus Elite 50 was the same price- but weighed in at 1.73 KG - which seemed excessive to me- even if I don't consistently go up 5% grades.
2. The Trek Aeolus Pro 51 is excellent- but Trek offered no discounts and it exceeded price-wise what I was comfortable with. It is not particularly light- but appears very well designed.
3. The Elitewheels 50 D was very tempting- but I was concerned about bearing issues and shipment of replacement parts to and from China, etc.
4. I had concerns with the Lun Hyper as far as stability in crosswinds. This may have not been justified.
5. I also had stability and rigidity concerns with the Ican Aero 50- the lowest cost option I looked at.
6. Regarding the Zipp 303 S- I had already purchased TLR tires that work with hookless rims. I am not sold on Hookless technology, but I felt given my weight and the bike's weight- tire pressures recommend by Sram were acceptable. I have 30 mm tires- which also helps with regards to keeping tire pressure under 73 psi. Zipp's warranty seems to be the strongest among most wheel manufacturers and there are local dealers. Finally, Canyon uses the Zipp 303 Firecrest on some of their higher priced Endurace models- and I trust their assessment the technology and its use on their bikes.
A very thought out breakdown. Thank you!!
@@PatrickLino Thanks Patrick. I think I made a good decision- though of course others may differ on whether it was the best. One thing I do like about Zipp/SRAM is their life-time warranty that includes crash protection and coverage against damage from normal road hazards- especially give the that wheels I purchased are relatively low priced. Life-time crash protection is not offered by Trek and most other brands- and where it is offered- it is sometimes only on specific models.
@@LJG999ab Being able to have local support is a big deal for a lot of folks. So it makes sense really.
Was wondering when a new video was going to drop. You’ve inspired me to build my own bike. So far I have the group set,saddle, and pedals. I am looking at frames and wheels. Thanks as always for the content!
This is my 3rd video in four days. Hit the notification bell haha
Doesn't Zipp say to not run tubes at all except for an emergency situation? On another note, I love tubeless on the road. It has worked great for me. I've had punctures that I didn't even knew I had. I find where it sealed up when I change out the tires. But, if you run a lot of wheelsets, I wouldn't advise tubeless. At least use it only in the wheels you use primarily. The sealant will dry up and to make it worse, it will be dried up in one spot. A couple of years ago, I grabbed my climbing wheels for a trip to the mountains. I had enough sense to at least check the sealant level the day before leaving. I ended up taking my deep wheels with me because I didn't have the time to mess with the climbing wheels. My climbing wheels now have tubes in them.
Don't run non-tubeless specific tires.
I run 303s on 35MM Rene Herse tires @55psi. Fast rolling and extremely comfortable.
Nice! How much are the Rene Herse tires?
The best review of ZIPP 303S I saw so far
Well done 👍
@@agostinhofranco8433 thanks for tuning in!
Back to back videos! My man!
I'm either in full video mode or 2 month break. No in between LoL
Respect the workflow 😎
Greetings from Logan Square. I got really lucky with my purchase of these wheels. I got the wheels for under $950 from Backcountry when they had their soft opening. I also got a set of 454NSW for so cheap from them.
I use the 303s on my gravel bike and I love them. My only complaint is that I wish the hub was a bit louder. The same goes with my 454's.
Good stuff my man. I can see why the 303 S is so popular. Thanks for watching ❤
I have the 303 SE version of this wheelset. The SE version uses the same rim, but uses Scott Syncros hubs. I picked it up from a Scott/SRAM sponsored athlete with cassette and tires for stupidly cheap. I rode them for most of the season around Colorado, and found the wheels to be fantastic.
For what it's worth, I do run tubeless with Silca Sealant (I ride MTB and gravel as well, so zero interest in using tubes unless it's for a puncture). The road quality around where I live is mixed, and I've gotten a couple of punctures that sealed itself while I was riding.
Thanks for chiming in!
As Always kids this is the perfect thing to watch during recesses🔥🔥🔥 always the high quality vids. Love em
Thanks for watching!
Tires plugs make tubeless work because a puncture that does not seal can be plugged and hit the c02 and your back off.. most cases no need to remove the wheel.
Interesting...
Would you be willing to share some thoughts about considerations when comparing these specifically to the Yishun RBDs you’ve also made a great video about?
The overall price would be very similar for my location afaik.
The weight is similar but favors Yichun, Inner and outer width seem close enough plus the wavy rims just look cool imo.
Thank you very much and another great video!
Honestly I would purchase the Yishun wheels simply because they are HOOKED rather than HOOK-LESS. That is a tremendous deal breaker for me. And performance wise Yishun will be close to Zipp but for 1/3 the price.
@@PatrickLino thank you so much for the super quick response! I’m definitely a subscriber
@@r4geCinematic Thanks Moritz! Have a great rest of the week.
Great review Mr Lino!
Heyyy Luis! Thank you for stopping by!
Would you recomend to buy these wheels if I weight 82kg?
I like to ride on 28mm.
Nice review!
You’ll probably need to run 30mm based on the PSI limits for your weight
Great wheels and warranty but i wish it was hook. I'll gladly pay for a hook version even if it was $200 more.
Hooked and better bearings would make these a great buy for the price of a big brand.
@PatrickLino yeah, I really like zipp for their warranty but they need to bring back hook rims
I'll never go hookless.
It's a difficult argument for road.
What are the differences in hubs/bearings in the S vs FC?
BTW I run 32 mm tubeless tires for road. Why run narrower? No data shows narrower/higher pressure faster.
I believe the hubs are the same, although you can probably find that out on Zipp's website. What internal/external width are the wheels you are running with 32c tires?
I run Zipp 303S = 23mm internal I think.
BTW, correct me if I’m wrong, Fire Crest are made in USA and S are made in China?
Pat good review but I’d rather have hook instead Id feel safer keep up the great work 👍🏽
Hooked will always be the way to go...
I have roval alpinist clx and the front bearings have a fair amount of drag at low speed but give them a good spin and the seals let go and spin as freely as the rest. There just as fast as seemingly wheels that spin for ever.
Thanks for watching!
Off topic but now that we can't get Prime Components anymore, what would you recommend for bars?
How much do you wanna spend?
@@PatrickLino ideally around the same as Prime but if their are no other good options at that price point I guess I will move up.
@@SNS1212 Here are my choices: 1- Full Speed Ahead FSA Vision TriMax Aero. 2- Amazon sells the Prime alloy bars under name brand: "CONTROLTECH Cougar Alloy Aero Handlebar"
Thank You!!!
Thanks for watching!
I was thinking of buying these Zipp wheel set and wasn’t sure. After watching your video I decided to go for it. I agree with you to go with a tube instead of tubeless!
@@mrbreeze2756 And they can currently be found on sale if you look hard enough.
I just ordered the same wheels. Worried about the hookless and bearing issues. Thinking to keep it or return. But it a great value carbon wheelset in the market.
How much do you weigh?
@@PatrickLino around 75 kg
@@himalvin1670 Wicked!
@@PatrickLino 😂😂？
@@himalvin1670 I weigh the same lol
I like Zipp wheels but I’m excluded from riding their wheels 🙁 I was a bit skeptical about the 404 firecrest review you have done. I serviced my bearings and hub and boy it felt like a brand new wheel.
Why are you excluded from riding their wheels?
@@PatrickLino I am in the market for new carbon performance race wheels and the 404 was on the list. When your bike clearance limit is 28 mm max. Plus I am built like Jon Bones Jones your tire pressures will be 5.6 to 6 bars for performance. Too many limits on their wheels for me.
The Elite Drive is on my short list now. Saw a GCN presenter riding a pair.
@@bigunitcyling I have a discount code for Elite Drive wheels if ya need it.
Can I use a 700 x 50 tubeless gravelking sk plus on this 303s ???
Check Zipp’s website for details 👍🏾
Ive ridden hooked and now have Enve hookless for the past 2 years. Just follow the pressure guidelines and all is well. Sure, this could be me justifying my purchase, but when Im out on the road I honestly pay it no mind. @patricklino will you stop riding these 303's since they are hookless?
Bruh did you even watch the video? These aren't my wheels to keep like I said. And following the "pressure guidelines" means if you weigh more than 80kg you're gonna have to run 30 or 32c tires. Hookless may be cheaper to manufacture, but it comes at the cost of rider weight limits.
Yes I watched the video. I know you have to give them back, but did you stop riding them after making this video? According to the internet hookless rims are 100% going to kill you. Why would you even ride them even on one ride?
@@ginomordocco4710 I don't recall saying hookless will kill anyone LoL. Again, did you watch the video 🤣? I made it pretty clear my negatives toward hookless. Safety was not one of the them.
I’d be happy to know how the 404 firecrest work when you get them back
I returned them.
Damn i was thinking ablut getting those. How do you feel about the Bontrager RSL wheels?@@PatrickLino
@@Enzo575 I havent tried them.
Have you tried the Shimano 105 C46 wheels? I’m stuck between zipp 303s and Shimano. Shimano is hooked rim and price is the same in my country (950 usd a pair).
I haven't tried Shimano wheels. Honestly I don't even know where they are sold, because they are not popular at all locally.
Why does he use a tube and according to the charts he is riding with too much pressure
I'm not gonna go through the trouble of running tubeless, for a set of wheels on loan for a week.
I’m just trolling dude. I watched the video and I am making myself feel better about having hookless rims. I’ve been watching your videos for a while now. Love your stuff. Just playing the troll on hookless. It does make for great content. Getting that algorithm going for ya. Was hoping more folks would jump in on how hookless is basically Russian roulette on bikes. It’s all ❤.
Top tier level of trolling, and I fell for it LoL. No matter how great the Chinese brands are these days, people will always have a demand from the major players.
What does Bomaye mean?
Google it
@@PatrickLino Wrestling move knee to the head? Just interested in it but ok
On the crit course at the end - but no hot lap 😂
Trying to commentate at 28mph with parked cars sounds dangerous.
I would not buy these! Had them for a year and had to replace the bearings four times... The shop noticed it was a manufacturing default. Did a bit of research and the problem is common. Go spend a little extra on another brand and be satisfied
Shame all the issues Zipp has, considering the price.
@@PatrickLino Handlebars, stems and mounts no issues whatsoever, wheel rims and spokes are OK in my opinion, but those free hubs... I'd stay away from them.
@@DavidWright0301 I'm pretty much done with Zipp as a whole. Obviously unless they wanna sponsor me or something. But overall there are plenty of more affordable yet similar (or better) quality products on the market now.
Only one question-are these hookless? If yes, then no.
Watch the video lol
got them for ~900€
SOLID deal!
Just ordered a set.
Nice!