Can the new Zipp 202 NSW wheels transform an aero bike into a climber?

Zipp has relaunched the 202 wheel with the new Zipp 202 NSW. It’s a set of hoops that’s long been in the Indiana-based company’s lineup. Prior to 2004, 202 referred to the brand’s hub, but that year, lightweight hoops debuted with that name. Carlos Sastre rode 202s to Tour de France success in 2008.

With the launch of the new Zipp 202 NSW wheels, I want to take you on a spin through their features. Also, I’ll give you my first impressions from riding them. I did a quick aero-bike-to-climber’s-bike conversion to see what kind of difference a set of wheels can make.

Just how light are these climber’s wheels?

The Zipp 202 NSW wheels are quite light. No surprise there. Officially they weigh 1,090 g. “When we advertise a wheelset weight, it is advertised with tape and valves,” said Zipp product manager Nathan Schickel. “Also, we’re advertising the 90th percentile heaviest wheelset possible. That means out of 100 rims, the 90th heaviest wheel rim, if that were inhabiting both the front and rear wheels. There’s where we get that 1,090 g wheelset. More than likely, consumers are going to receive a wheelset that’s under that 1,090 g.”

He’s not wrong.

I weighed my set, with valves and tape, a few times. My test hoops came in around 1,075 g.

The features of the Zipp 202 NSW wheels

Each lightweight 202 rim is made with roughly 50 pieces of carbon fibre. The spokes are stainless steel: J-bend Alpina Hyperlite spokes in a 20-hole, two-cross setup. Zipp did consider carbon spokes but “developmental hurdles” led the company to steel. Also, the wheels were plenty light and aero, so carbon spokes seemed less important.

Those spokes are laced to Zipp’s ZR1 SL hubs. They use lighter hub shells than the standard ZR1 and a ceramic bearings system. The company says they weigh 310 g. My rear hub has a XDR body, but you can get HG11, Microspline and NSW.

The 202’s inner rim width is 23 mm. Each rim is 35-mm deep. You’ll notice that even though these are NSW rims, which feature variable depth or sawtooth profiles, these 202 NSWs lack the signature look. “We chose to move away from sawtooth on that 35-mm rim because it is so shallow,” Schickel said. “Sawtooth is purely designed around stability in crosswinds for deeper wheels. We realized we don’t need a sawtooth at this depth because we’re shallow enough that crosswinds don’t affect it as…