Black Inc, the component brand of Factor Bike, has announced its new ZERO Carbon Disc wheel will be unveiled on Stage 2 of the Giro d’Italia, an Indivividual Time Trail that will take place tomorrow on the streets of Budapest, Hungary. The Israel – Premier Tech team, featuring Giacomo Nizzolo and Alex Dowsett, will debut the ZERO which Black Inc say is their fastest Carbon Disc Wheel to date by an extremely significant margin. That’s thanks to an innovative new design that is said to push to the absolute edge of a bicycle’s functional and practical clearances to maximise aerodynamic advantages.
Black Inc ZERO Carbon Disc Wheel
The Black Inc ZERO Carbon Fibre Disc Wheel has seen three distinct prototypes over the last year of its development with the IPT Team. Testing on the road and in the wind tunnel has led to the final production wheel you see before you. Its unique lenticular shape is said to to generate as much as 20 watts of thrust for the rider when fully sailing at yaw.
To avoid compromising the smooth functioning of the drivetrain, Black Inc say they developed the ZERO Carbon Disc wheel to have an extreme asymmetrical shape between the driveside and non-drive side; the DS sees a ‘virtual 100mm rim’ design with a striking flat center section. The non-drive side, meanwhile, gets the lenticular disc profile.
The new ZERO was developed with the 2022 Factor Hanzo in mind; their integrated TT bike that was the first to go super aero under the UCI’s new, more relaxed rules around aerodynamics. Black Inc do say, however, that the wheel’s versatility should enable riders to run their fastest individual setups and achieve significant aero gains even when paired with other brands’ framesets.
The ZERO wheel is a pretensioned disc without traditional steel spokes or spoke holes, featuring a tubeless-compatible 21mm inner rim width that is aerodynamically optimised for a 26.2mm tire. It weighs just 1188g.
IPT rider Alex Dowsett said: “My relationship with the folks at Black Inc and Factor is great. It’s so fantastic to be supported by a group of engineers and designers that share the same precise attention to detail that I bring to my racing. At the top level, all those small details add up. The new ZERO is such an amazing piece of engineering. Whilst most riders see something similar to the competition, we know it’s really pushing the boundaries of technology. You can really feel the advantage of the bold design as it cuts through the air.”
Pricing & Availability
The new Black Inc ZERO Carbon Disc Wheel is available now direct from Black Inc at a price of $2349 USD / £1883 / €2234.
