So I'm looking at possibly getting a set of tubular wheels, and of course I've looked at Zipp. My lbs guy said the firecrest are far beyond the others, except for the warranty, in which case the Bontragers have a better warranty. He also said their Aeolus Wheelset is awesome!!

My question is, the "old" 404 wheelset is on sale at around $1500. The new firecrest wheels are about $2300 for the 303's and a bit more for the 404's (tubulars).

Question is, what do you guys think about the firecrest? is it just marketing? has anyone ridden them? What about the Bontrager Aeolus? I didn't even know about them.

Thoughts? Feedback? Opinions?

I have both in clincher. 2011 404 clincher non-fc & aeolus 5.0ACC

the bontrager are not even in the same realm as the zipps. I'd put them in the same class as the cosmic carbone sl which I also have a pair of.

Enve......

Ultegra 6700 wheels are more durable imho.

Ok, thanks. I have those Cosmic Carbone's now, and I'd like the upgrade to be sufficient to tell the difference.

What are you looking for? Do you want no compromise speed?

The FC is really a faster wheel, especially for 23mm tires.

yeah, speed, around the 1200 gr. I've heard that the FC is significantly better, and yes, in 23. not a high a profile as the cosmic carbones.

Picked up my new 303 FC tubies with new vittoria corsa evo cx 320 tpi tires mounted for $1700 off the bay awhile back.

Holy cow dude!! that's a steal!!

I would bet that if you rode the firecrest and some other carbon wheelset of similar rim depth, you couldn't get a useful measureable difference. Yes i have ridden them. I bought boyds.

Hard to say. I own several sets of Zipps, including the "old" torroidal 404s, and the Firecrest 808s. I also have a front torroidal 808. I can tell a huge difference between the FC and the regular Zipps in cross winds...like night and day difference. The FC 808's are better in crosswinds than the old 404 and 808. If you can afford to have wheels that are pretty much strictly race day/event wheels, the FC Zipps are hard to beat.

Get the Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimate...1185 Grams

Measurable is different than noticeable. In this case, the speed difference is quite measurable even if not noticeable.

A handful of seconds in a 40k tt might be measureable, or lost in the noise. If you're at the pointy end of races, the fc might help, if not, they do look nice. I got to ride the former cervelo test team's power tap equipped tubular 303 fc.

The speed difference is there (as proven by wind tunnel testing) but you can't feel it. The difference you can feel with firecrest is in the crosswinds. The FC are noticeably better in crosswinds like tjspahr said. My 808 fc's are easier to control than the old 404's. The 303 fc's are easy to handle in major crosswinds. If you live in a windy area, I highly recommend the FC profile but other manufacturers are using something similar, HED for one, not sure who else.

^ Yep. The Hed Stinger 4 (40mm), 5 (50mm), or 6 (60mm) are worth looking at if you're in the 303 (45mm) or 404 (58mm) market, as are the Enve 3.4 and 6.7. You should also consider the 2010-2011 303s. At that depth your not going to notice the stability difference much, and the speed difference is negledgable. Since the Firecrests came out they've come down in price a bunch. I got a used set of Zipp built 2010s with a Powertap SL+ for 1300.

If they really are THAT good in crosswinds, then I'd be willing to give them a try one day. I always assumed that even the difference in crosswind stability wouldn't be noticeable and it was just part of their marketing story. If they are truly noticeable to where they make the difference between your bike feeling like a sail and staying in a straight line then they might be worth the cost in the end. I don't know about you guys but that's the one thing I hate with high-profile carbon rims. It would be nice to have my cake and eat it too.

I'd like to think I'm faster...but if that's not the case I definitely look cooler.


In all seriousness, everything I've read (and I did my research) the FC is hands down the better choice. Zipp literally dropped their design on the 2012 wheels to produce the FC because the results were undeniably better. I have the clinchers which come with a weight penalty but for my long rides, they are perfect. I'll be getting a pair of tubulars when I decide to race

The aero advantage of the 808 rear is so great that they dropped the full disc because of the crosswind advantage and stability without the loss of aero benefits.

I think you mean they dropped the 1080. They still make the 900, Super 9, and Sub 9 discs.

Shallower is faster

Unless you are racing why would you want any tubular tire/wheel?

correct...sorry

was that roubaix at the end and wasn't it won on a 303fc?

Sold my Boyds...yes, the difference is night/day between FC and regular deep V wheels. Regular deep V wheels are like weather vanes in a xwind. Zipps are noticeably more stable and stiffer. I also have a cheap pair of 50mm clinchers, Chosen hubs, Bladed spokes, they are smooth and roll wheel, but much more flexy, heavier, and you get blown all over the road when windy. I figure it a 6'4" dude can win Roubaix on a pair of 303s, they must be good enough for a pathetic Cat 4 like myself.