Has anyone in here got any experiene with Zipp 202 NSW and/or Enve SES 2.2 (both clincher/tubeless, rim brakes) and would care to share thoughts?
I am looking for a wheelset purely for climbing (up) steep hills, and while I realize tubulars would save me some more weight, I prefer clinchers/tubeless for ease of use… so between the two mentioned wheel sets, are there any particular pros and cons I should take into consideration?
Any and all relevant insights are appreciated.
YMMV but I’d only ever buy Zipp carbon wheels if I was going rim brakes. I used to work at a shop and we’d see tons of non Zipp carbon hoops come in that were delaminated and ENVE was definitely a brand we saw. Also a buddy of mine just bought some Enves and they delaminated after 6 mos.
I had Zipp 303s for 2 years and I never had an issue with them. I live in NorCal so the hills around here are steep and long and I love to climb.
Probably not what you’re asking for, but I’m not convinced on shallow carbon clinchers. Deeper wheels sure, but the shallow ones just aren’t that light. 202s are what, about 1450g? Even (alloy) Dura-ace C24s are under that and you can easily go lower with just an alloy rim and light hub.
If they are training wheels, go with light weight aluminum wheels (and even if they are training wheels, just train with heavier wheels). If they are race wheels, unless it’s a hill climb event, 45+ is probably faster.
When I was buying my ENVE rims some time ago I was recommend the 3.4, which I purchased. These are lightweight and give you a good mix of aero and climbing ability. Braking on the rims is a little dicey in the wet on fast downhills though, but if you are sensible and get on it early then it’s ok. I have these laced to Chris King Hubs which provide a decent combo. I preferred the ENVE over a fulcrum racing zero wheel for looks and for climbing. A fulcrum racing zero is a bullet proof and cheaper option which will save you a few thousand. You could use this money for other upgrades on your bike, training etc. You will lose a little speed on the flats with this option.
I have never ridden Zipp NSW so cannot comment on how they perform. Both ENVE and Zipp can always be rebuilt. A fulcrum you will just bin when done. Not sure about a dura-ace c24. I believe these can be rebuilt too,
I just went through a similar decision between the Zipp 404 NSW or the Enve SES 5.6, both rim brake versions. The deciding factor for me was Enve’s incident protection, which was recently extended to lifetime for the original owner.
Thanks for your input, folks!
I was somehow under the impression that my current Mavic Cosmic Carbon SL clinchers are heavier than they actually are; a quick comparison in a spreadsheet reveals that the weight savings an upgrade yields, are minimal. Hard to justify spending 3,000 USD to save a meager 30-100 grams.
So back to searching for other gains…
