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Zipp Rolls Out Crazy Wide 303 XPLR Gravel Wheels and Zipp XPLR bars 

Zipp 303 XPLR SW clpseup
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The industry has been nudging toward wider rims for quite some time now. We’re finally starting to see an adherence nearly industry-wide. On the other hand, Zipp has been on the “wider is faster” train for a while, and they are blowing the doors off what we think “wide rims” are. Meet the new Zipp 303 XPLR wheelset with a mega-wide 32mm internal rim width. 

Zipp 303 XPLR SW Gravel Wheelset – What is it?

Zipp 303 XPLR SW rim
(All photos: Jordan Villella/BikeRumor.com)

The Zipp 303 XPLR SW wheelset is “Zipp’s fastest gravel wheel ever.” How? They attribute this increase in speed to its mega-wide and deep rim and purpose-driven, wide-optimized gravel tires.

Was that a typo — 32mm?

No, not a typo and I’d be the first to admit — I’ve had quite a few typos. The new Zipp 303 XPLR SW (and S series) measure 32mm internal and 40mm external. 

How did we get here? The team at Zipp started with the tire and went backward, designing a wheelset around the idea of a great-rolling, aero-efficient tire. They did this by focusing on some key gravel racing and riding elements.  

  • Gravel racing is getting faster, whether due to athletes or equipment. The average speed of the winners is bumping up yearly. 
  • Current generation gravel wheels exhibit poor aerodynamic efficiency with gravel tires.
  • Low tire pressures are the key to unlocking speed on gravel. Only some manufacturers are designing for this but haven’t gone far enough to support lateral cornering loads at lower tire pressures.
  • Current gravel rim designs do not help prevent pinch flats while using lower tire pressures.

How does the new Zipp 303 XPLR differ? 

Zipp 303 XPLR SW tire mounted

Right now (I say that, as it could change overnight), the preferred tire width for gravel is anywhere from 38-50mm with varying tread patterns. The current gravel wheel offering in the industry has an external rim width of 28-30mm. Zipp claims this creates an aerodynamic mismatch when you use a 40mm+ gravel tire, leaving watts, speed, and possible victories on the table. 

With that narrower rim and broader tire, the tire-wheel interface looks more like the bulge of a lightbulb. The lightbulb look is faster, and according to Zipp testing, the efficient pairing of wheel and gravel tire of their 303 XPLR SW design provides a 5-watt aerodynamic advantage over a leading competitor (not named). 

Low Pressures Go Faster

Zipp 303 XPLR SW dimples

We all know now that low tire pressures significantly increase speeds on roads and gravel. But how do you keep a tire’s correct “feel” and integrity with lower pressures? In cyclocross, the tires are glued to the rim so riders can go as low as they want, only indebted to the skill of their tubular glue job. In gravel, however, if the wheelset has a narrow tire bed with low tire pressure, it will cause the tire to collapse, fold, or squirm while cornering. 

Zipp 303 XPLR SW bead width

To combat this, the new 303 XPLR SW’s wide tire bed increases tire stance, claiming to allow for lower tire pressures without tire squirming under corner loads. That means decreased vibrations while maintaining predictable corner control and unbroken traction while climbing. The 303 XPLR SW claims to also help reduce pinch flats thanks to a rim edge that is 77% thicker than previous models, decreasing the chance for damage when the tire bottoms out on the rim edge upon impact (more on this later).

What about rim depth?

Zipp 303 XPLR SW

A deeper aero rim might be better if we look at gravel speed now that most events are raced with an average of 22mph or more for the leaders. Wouldn’t a deeper rim be stiffer and heavier? Zipp feels the tire volume and wide-rim bed should even that out. The 303 XPLR SW is large for sure, but still pretty light at a claimed 1496g (1573g, actual weight on our scales with tape & valves) for the set.

How deep are we talking? The 303 XPLR SW rim is 54mm deep, creating an effective aerodynamic complement for large gravel tires at high speed. Zipp’s engineering team found that a 54mm deep rim creates the perfect aspect ratio for aerodynamic efficiency with a 40mm gravel tire at race speeds.

Zipp XPLR 303 SW Specifications 

  • Wheel Size: 700c
  • Rim Construction: Carbon – Hookless
  • Hub: ZR1
  • Rim Inside Width: 32mm
  • Max System Weight: 286lb / 130kg
  • Max Tire Pressure: 50 PSI / 3.45bar
  • Weight: 1573g
  • Driver Bodies: XDR or SRAM/Shimano driver bodies (Campagnolo N3W Driver body sold separately).
  • Lifestyle Warranty
  • Price: $2100.00

Zipp 303 XPLR S 

Zipp 303 S wheel
Image: ZIPP

The Zipp 303 XPLR S takes the tech of the SW above and trickles it down with a lower price. This wheelset borrows vital features from the 303 SW premium wide gravel wheelset, but it’s more attainable and robust. 

Nearly everything is the same as the 303 XPLR SW, but some weight-saving measures and weighing only 150g more than the top-tier version. The main difference is a non-dimpled carbon rim (similar to the 303 Firecrest and 303S), and the 303 XPLR S receives a more affordable hub. They also come with a weight limit of 286 lbs, like the 303 XPLR SW wheels.

Zipp XPLR 303 S Specifications 

  • Wheel Size 700c
  • Rim Construction Carbon – Hookless
  • Hub 76 / 176
  • Rim Inside Width 32mm
  • Max System Weight 286lb / 130kg
  • Max Tire Pressure 50 PSI / 3.45bar
  • Weight(g) 1642g* claimed
  • Max tire pressure 50 psi/3.45 bar
  • Lifetime Warranty
  • Price: $1400.00

Goodyear XLPR Gravel Tires

Zipp GoodYear XPLR Slick Tire Weight

Both wheels work best (according to Zipp) with Zipp-approved tires, and the wheels launch in partnership with Goodyear tires. The Goodyear XLPR Inter and the Goodyear XPLR Slick are the counterparts in the 303 XPLR wheel system. 

Goodyear XPLR Inter 

The Goodyear XPLR Inter (700×45) offers the most versatile gravel setup with 303 XPLR and can be ridden in most situations. The tread has a tight pattern in the center, while the more prominent side blocks offer grip and confidence when cornering. The dimension of tire beads is designed to ensure convenient assembly and secure retention on Zipp TSS rims (32c). Only Zipp-approved tires can be used on the 303 XPLR wheels. 

  • Weight: 450g
  • Price: $80

Goodyear XPLR Slick

The Goodyear XPLR Slick is a more of an all-road and fast gravel tread design. The center line is smooth, with slight knobbed sides to help dig riders out of sandy or lighter gravel. The XPLR Slick is 700×40 and measured 38mm on our test rims. The dimension of tire beads is designed to ensure convenient assembly and secure retention on Zipp TSS rims (32c). Only Zipp-approved tires can be used on the XPLR wheels. 

  • Weight: 431g
  • Price: $80

Zipp SL 70 XPLR Gravel Handlebar

Zipp XPLR 70 SL bars logo

Zipp announces a full-on gravel (I mean XPLR) bar optimized (but not only for) the SRAM RED AXS groupset to round out the gravel offering. 

The new carbon handlebar is purpose-built for gravel and all-road riding, designed with features that extend hand control and connect the rider with their machine. One super cool feature that exemplifies this is an overhang to cover the brake hose where it exits the hood. 

The new XPLR bar has a brake hose routing underneath the flat upper of the bar and exits tightly near (not into) the stem. This shelf creates a platform that mates with the brake lever, providing an ideal perch for your hands when on the hoods. Zipp calls this an optimized comfort zone, and they’re not off. It’s a very dialed position.

The bar features shallow and wide drops for efficiency and comfort for the long haul. Moreover, SL 70 XPLR has defined locators marked on the drop and the bar top to place SRAM Wireless Blips easily.

Features Zipp SL 70 XPLR Handlebar 

  • Material: Carbon
  • Clamp Diameter: 31.8mm
  • Reach / Drop: 70mm / 115mm
  • Widths: 40cm*, 42cm, 44cm, 46cm, 48cm *Tested
  • Designed for integration with SRAM RED AXS
  • Defined locators for placement of SRAM AXS Wireless Blips
  • Hidden external routing for hydraulic hose routing into the stem
  • 70mm Reach, and 115mm drop allow a comfortable hood position and a shallow drop position
  • 5° drop Flare and 11° drop out sweep 
  • 240g for 44cm bar (40cm weight
  • Lifetime Warranty
  • Price: $320

First Impressions: The Whole 303 XPLR Experience

SRAM-RED-XPLR-ENVE-MOG

Like many, I was taken aback by the super-wide Zipp 303 XPLR wheelset and stoked to check them out and see for myself. I was given a tour of the Zipp factory before the launch, and I could see the product crafted in front of my eyes.

Zipp 303 XPLR SW setup

I could see the design and product testing that went into the wheels and the data churned after each test. Special care and deliberate intention are at the forefront of these wheels and the XPLR group. 

More DH Than Gravel

Zipp 303 XPLR SW rim width

The Zipp 303 XPLR SW wheelset is genuinely something different. They are wider than my mountain bike wheels and look more like Aero DH wheels than anything drop-bar-worthy. The rim wall is 4mm wide and super stout. Unlike other rims, the Zipp 303 XPLR has a squared-off, almost sharp wall. 

Mounting the Goodyear XPLR Slick tires proved to be no challenge, but I did notice the rim scraped my tire lever, leaving some plastic shards, something I’m not used to. I inflated the tires using the SRAM Tire Pressure guide and set them up to my spec with weight, bike weight, and gear. 

Zipp 303 XPLR SW hub

First Rides

My first ride was on lighter gravel with mostly road to and from. The wheels felt nice on the pavement; they spun up fast, held speed, didn’t pull in the wind, and were as stiff as any gravel wheel I could remember. 

Zipp 303 XPLR SW Goodyear Slick 40 measured

However, when I hit the gravel, the flats started. I immediately got a small cut that was too much for my Orange Seal. I plugged it with a Dyna-Plug and cursed my luck. Another 10 minutes later, another flat, this time in front.

Zipp 303 XPLR SW Goodyear tire slice

Same deal; Dyna-plugged it and moved on. Then I noticed I was hitting the rim nearly the entire time. The pressure was above what the SRAM calculator recommended (to be on the safe side). But yet the tire was bottoming out and hitting the sharp rim bead while leaning the bike.

Zipp 303 XPLR SW Goodyear tire boot
(Just made it home, thanks to a boot made of USPS mailer. Image: Jordan Villella)

This was a common theme for the next hour or so until a cut so large required a tube and tire boot. I decided to steer clear of the gravel and ride the road home. This ride ended with four fixable flats and one that required a tire boot – I was not impressed. 

SRAM-RED-XPLR-Installed-rotor--scaled.

Switch to WTB

I switched out the unusable Goodyear XPLR tires for WTB Vulpine 45mm approved for Zipp 303 XPLR use. This time, I went the wooded route; I would hit the rim whenever I went over a root while leaning on the bike, resulting in a flat or cut in the tire. Yes, the WTB tires lasted longer. They took no cuts more significant than 3mm and provided fewer flats, but not a home run by any means.

Zipp 303 XPLR SW clpseup

I decided to give my last Zipp-approved tires a shot, this time with the WTB Resolute 50mm tires. This mixture was right on, it let the wheels do the talking more than the narrower tires. The SRAM pressure calculator prescribed around 21PSI and the tires floated over the gravel with a nice mix of speed and comfort.

Zipp 303 XPLR SW WTB resolute measured

This time, I experienced zero flats on my ride. The volume mates with the rim much better. As for aero advantage and weight, however… the Resolute isn’t WTB’s race tire; it’s more of a do-it-all tire with some knobs. The experience was much better with the 50mm tires, but not what I expected. I’m lucky the ENVE MOG frame could accommodate, but I’m guessing most would be pushed to the max with a 50mm tire on 32mm internal rim wheels. 

Yes – they are not the super fast race tires that Zipp launched with, but they still felt damn good. So could the 40mm (38mm) tires and 45mm tires be too narrow for the rim? No – I don’t think that’s the issue, but I’m going to reserve my full thoughts until we get the 45mm Goodyear tires on the 303 XPLRs and give them another go.

Zipp XPLR 70 SL bars drops

How about those bars? 

When I received the XPLR component (bars, wheels, and tires), I found that the Zipp SL 70 XPLR bars wouldn’t fit on my ENVE MOG test machine. How the handlebar routes the brake hoses interferes with the MOGs internally routed stem. Instead, I opted for the ENVE bars for my build, but I was curious why Zipp never created an internally routed stem. Considering these bars are for gravel racing, and an XPLR group requires a UDH. Most bikes that can accommodate are fairly progressive and will likely have internal cable routing. 

Zipp XPLR 70 SL bars tops

A Mix of My Favorite

Instead—I mounted the bars on my Specialized Crux with Shimano GRX 12-speed (gasp!). The bike didn’t catch fire, and the bar mated well with the shifters. The routing played well with the Crux’s external routing and gave the hoses a better entry point to the frame. 

The fit and control of the bars are great, like a mix between road (my go-to bars for road are the Bontrager RSL) and gravel (CADEX GX being my favorite). I went with a 40cm, which feels spot on for getting locked and loaded in an aero position with some ability to drive the bike in the single track. 

Zipp XPLR 70 SL bars guide

Touch Points

The drops are great. They have a slight indent that you can rest your thumbs on when in long, windy sections and are shallow enough to keep your head up. The Zipp SL 70 XPLR bars are an excellent option for riders looking to get more aero in the wind but might not be used to a full-on road race setup. The hooks on the lever position are excellent and create a near-perfect perch for your palms.  

Look for a full review of Zipp 303 XPLR SW coming early fall.

Zippspeed.com

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32 Comments
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tech9
tech9
3 months ago

32mm IW??? that’s freaking awesome.. Now if they could just use some bearings in their hubs that don’t rust out after 1 bike wash it would be a dream come true.

Seriously though..32mm IW is wider than my mtb/enduro wheelsets.. The move to wider tires and rims is a trend I can get behind!

FritzP
FritzP
3 months ago
Reply to  tech9

I had a crazy experience with my 303 Firecrest. While changing a cassette when the wheels had maybe 600 miles on them, I pulled the freehub body and there was zero grease on the pawls & springs. The springs had some light rust on them. There wasn’t any dirt ingress (kudos to the seal). The parts looked like they had been assembled dry and left that way.

When I contacted Zipp they were nonchalant and replied with a link to where I could BUY replacement parts.

Tom
Tom
3 months ago
Reply to  FritzP

I’ve sworn off Zipp for 20+ years now. Simply better and cheaper options out there.

Grillis
Grillis
3 months ago

No comment about the obvious rim damage?

Tom
Tom
3 months ago
Reply to  Grillis

yeah, noticed that too. Not a great headline, is it?

Antoine
Antoine
3 months ago

Pure sram. Good ideas, weird flaws and untested products. Customer pays for issues qc etc…

Czechmate
Czechmate
3 months ago
Reply to  Antoine

Campagnolo wears in.
Shimano wears out.
SRAM just breaks, gets recalled then reissued after a protracted redesign process and volumes of text explaining how there was no real “flaw” per se, that the issue was just a freak occurence due to their product being installed or used in an inappropriate manner.

Drew
Drew
3 months ago

I think that saying that this many flats was definitely not related to the rim is disingenuous. I’ve found that tires are more prone to pinching when they are put on a wider rim. Destroying multiple tires like that so quickly at higher than the recommended pressure seems a strong indication that there is something to this.

Tom
Tom
3 months ago

low pressure is great, until you bang the rims into something. I’m surprised that SRAM would recommend such low pressures that this happens, but maybe they need a real headline pressure to impress you – “jeez, I’ve been riding gravel at 45 psi, guess I REALLY need these wheels!” My impression – if you are going to ride really low pressures, you need a heavy casing tire, as I use on my MTB. Of course, it’s not light, and probably high rolling resistance as well. But it’s great in the chunk.

Dinger
Dinger
3 months ago
Reply to  Tom

Foam tire inserts are becoming more popular. Better protection of tire/rim at minimal cost of weight (for the lighter duty ones).

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
3 months ago
Reply to  Tom

I think it’s hilarious that 30psi is the lowest recommended pressure. At 90kg, I almost never ran my narrower 303 S wheels over 30psi with 45mm tires
*Low pressure with heavy casing tires is very slow. It only improves rolling resistance with flexy casings. Gotta pick your poison.

Jeffie
Jeffie
3 months ago

The first two sets of tires were too narrow for the rims whatever Zipp might say. That’s one key problem. What happened was the wide internal width changed the shape of the tire, stretching it wider and flatter, essentially. This exposed the weaker sidewalls to flat hazards that normally the tread would deal with. Tire design for gravel will have to change to widen the tread if this sort of internal width becomes the norm.
It sounds like a secondary problem is obvious the sharp edges on the rims. There’s no good reason for that, they need to ease (radius) them at least a bit more.
Not only will those edges cut tires more easily, they make the rim itself obviously more prone to damage, which you got.

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
3 months ago

Zipp definitely knows a lot of people will want this for their all-road bikes. 50mm will soon be the normal tire width we’re using on grave with a lot of people running mountain bike tires. You’d think a real gravel only wheel would be +40mm internally for optimized aerodynamics and low pressure.
*I think it’s funny that they say you can go as low as 30psi. At 190lbs, I’m running their 303 S wheels at 25-30psi with 45mm tires. Never been an issue at those pressures. I’d go lower with a 50mm tire but they’re a bit squirmy at the sidewalls.

Oliver
Oliver
3 months ago

What were you expecting to happen on 40s and 45s? They’re massively over-stretched on that rim. 50 min for 32mm IW.

Also, the wheel is massively overweight if your scale is somewhere near accurate … they’re usually + / – 15-20g.

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
3 months ago
Reply to  Oliver

These aren’t overstretched at all. A tire 3-4mm wider than the internal width is typically fine by ERTO standards. I’ve overstretched tires before for a front TT wheel but that’s with running a 20mm tire on a 21mm internal width rim. Never has an issue with that on the road but it was very likely a bad idea. This is totally fine though

Brent
Brent
3 months ago

Yea another “not following the stds the rest of the world uses, needing some special tires, trust us (like with the HL on the road) it will work”… hard pass. Learn how to make hubs, we haven’t seen a single generation of hubs without problems for the for the last 20 years (and probably more, was just too young)

Brent
Brent
3 months ago

moved from my phone to desktop screen! the rim got damaged being above recommended pressure levels…. well done Zipp

Brent
Brent
3 months ago

The way the tire is stretched exacerbated many of the problems ZIPP, THERE IS A REASON THE MINIMUM TIRE WIDTH AS PER ETRTO/ISO IS 58 NOT 40! (on those rim width…

Dinger
Dinger
3 months ago
Reply to  Brent

The ETRTO standard is antiquated. It is based on the percentage of the tire’s circular cross section should be constituted by rim. Tires don’t have to be circular in cross section, We’re just not to a place yet where proprietary rim/tire combinations are acceptable to riders.

Look at motorcycle rim/tire combinations and you’ll see much lower rim to tire width ratios, used in a wider range of much more extreme use cases than we can approach with bicycles. Despite wider rims becoming more and more popular, cycling is still way off the back in terms of wheel/tire optimization.

theKaiser
theKaiser
3 months ago
Reply to  Dinger

Tires don’t have to be circular in cross section (for example, car tires are not) but making them non-circular requires a totally different (and almost certainly much heavier) casing construction in order to hold them into a rather unnatural shape, as the air pressure is trying to make them circular. Also, we’re talking about bikes here, not cars. Substantially non-circular casing tires handle strangely when leant over. You are right that ETRTO specs are kind of old school, but I don’t see any substantial change to tire construction with these Zipp tires that would make them some sort of “Old rules don’t apply” game changer.

Also, regarding the wider rim/tire ratios of motorcycles, they have much stiffer casings, that are less prone to flexing to the point of bottoming on the rim, and in the rare event that they do, they are much less prone to cuts due to the casing/rubber thickness, and large rounded rim edge. That allows a you to have a much more exposed sidewall and rim edge without failures. With our comparatively incredibly thin bike tire construction, which can bottom on the rim easily with insufficient air supporting the casing, and which can cut easily, you can’t expect the same ratios to work. You would need to beef up the tire substantially, and with the added material, add tons of weight (somewhat important) and add tons of rolling resistance (very important).

Collin S
3 months ago

Man, this is the most damning/worst review ever. Having 6+ flats in 2 rides is pretty ridiculous. Well, this shows that Jordan/bikerumor is a bit independent from the bike industry. If they were in the pocket of Sram, they would have just politely sent the wheels back and never let this article see the light of day. Thanks for being honest.

carbonnation
carbonnation
3 months ago
Reply to  Collin S

@Collin S–I agree and would add ‘most honest’ review ever too! Those issues with the wheels & tires are ridiculous–even more so because it’s safe to say Jordan is not riding these like a fool or a newbie. Aesthetically the aero/fat tire/DH mashup rim is a bit brutal–imho.

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
3 months ago
Reply to  Collin S

It’s also possible these tires are just total junk Outside of just having the worst luck ever, someone Jordan’s size wouldn’t be getting flats like that with a decent tire. I really don’t see the width being a huge problem in itself.

theKaiser
theKaiser
3 months ago
Reply to  Veganpotter

He had similar issues with the narrower of the 2 WTB tires, no? Anecdotally, I had a similar problem to what he described many years ago when I got some 50mm internal MTB rims, running them with 2.35 tires. I’d thought they would give me better casing stability at low pressures, but never got to find out, as I got constant flats, to the degree that I had to run 10psi more than on standard width rims. Similar scenario to what he described too, where the rim bottom outs seemed worse at any sort of lean angle. I think the rim just gets too close to the ground when leaning, and the tire sidewall ends up suffering the consequences.

Charlie
Charlie
3 months ago

Hurry up folks,get in on the latest zipp beta test!

lee
lee
3 months ago

I was about to pull the trigger on a set but after reading this. Heck no! I’m sticking with my 3T 40/45 (29 IRW) and hooked.

Sam
Sam
3 months ago

These wheels are so sketchy. Not ETRTO compliant with the approved tires, sharp edges that apparently shred tires. Zipp hubs. Big no from me dawg

George
George
3 months ago

# bond the hooks.

seraph
seraph
26 days ago

That spot on the drops of the bar isn’t for your thumb, it’s for wireless blips.

Jordan Villella
Jordan Villella
23 days ago
Reply to  seraph

That makes a lot more sense! I do stand by my original thought, it’s a nice thumb hook, lol.

Anders
Anders
16 days ago

What source says the Resolute tires are approved? I cannot find any other article mentioning this

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