Zipp

Super-9 Disc Rear Carbon Clincher

When Zipp got its start a little over a century ago, the company was nearly synonymous with disc wheels. After all, a wheel with a wind-cheating disc profile was the first product Zipp created, and it's how the company made its name in a world that had never seen disc wheels before. Today, Zipp still strives to create faster wheels in a market that is becoming more crowded every year by using extensive wind tunnel testing, pro feedback from the likes of the current world time-trial champion, and a host of proprietary technology. Designed to be paired with an 808 or 404 Firecrest carbon clincher up front, the Super-9 Disc Rear Carbon Clincher carries Zipp's aerodynamic torch admirably as an incredibly efficient choice for your next triathlon or time trial.

Through extensive wind tunnel testing, Zipp's engineers came to the somewhat controversial conclusion that clinchers are more aerodynamically efficient than tubulars. The engineers made this assertion by focusing on the well-established fact that the transition from the tire surface to the rim surface is highly instrumental in allowing airflow to stay attached to the wheel and creating less drag. As Zipp puts it, this transition area could work the most efficiently with a clincher design because a clincher's brake track can be molded to more closely follow the contour of the tire, tipping inward slightly rather than remaining completely parallel like a tubular would. This keeps the clincher tucked down into the relatively wide, 26.42mm tire bed, eliminating any light bulb effect and increasing air volume in the tire for a lower chance of pinch-flatting.

The Super-9 carbon clincher still features the dimpling pattern that's found on the 900 and the Firecrest models, which effectively smooths air flow in order to minimize drag. Zipp calls this its Aerodynamic Boundary Layer Control (ABLC). Essentially, this is a treatment to the carbon fiber, where the surface is embossed with over 4900 golf ball-like dimples in five different sizes. As a result, along the curved rim section, the dimples work to create a slight turbulence directly above the rim surface. This creates an artificial boundary layer that forces the laminar boundary layer towards the forward part of the rim in order to become turbulent. This process enables airflow to remain attached over more of the rim for a longer period of time, providing a lower level of integrated drag. The drag that ABLC creates is called skin friction drag. And although it's greatly increased, pressure drag (which is ten times higher than skin friction) is accordingly decreased. So, you experience less drag at effective wind angles between 10 and 20 degrees.

Zipp trust its durable 188 hub model to keep the Super-9 spinning smoothly, with internals manufactured using Zipp's high-voltage, Wire EDM technology. This specialized manufacturing process, usually reserved for avionics and Formula One gearboxes, allows Zipp to machine materials that are 50% harder at tolerances 20 times greater than standard machining and heat treating. The result is a sub-200g hub that's able to withstand the torque of a four-cylinder car engine.

According to Zipp, the Super-9 represents the new breed of "purposeful race wheels." You now have the ability to tune your tire selection to your event and the conditions of the day. The versatility of the Super-9's clincher design lets you make these last-minute race-day decisions and allows you to fully take advantage of the Super-9's speed. Please note that Zipp includes its new Tangente Platinum Pro Evo Brake Pads with the Super-9, and it does not recommend deviating from these pads, so doing so may result in a void of your warranty.