Zipp 454 NSW Carbon Tubeless Disc front wheel

Zipp’s 454 NSW Tubeless Disc-brake is the ultimate road racing wheel. This wheel delivers everything the performance cyclist demands. It’s aerodynamically efficient and stable in all wind conditions. What’s more, a wider rim is designed for tubeless tires at lower pressure for reduced rolling resistance and vibration damping, so you’ll lose as little energy as possible out on the road. For best combination of aerodynamics and rolling resistance gains a 28mm tire is recommended on this wheel. While 25mm tires offer a small aerodynamic gain, the losses in rolling resistance from a 28mm tire outweigh the aero gain. Therefore for best performance ride a 28mm tire. The 454 NSW features Zipp’s most advanced technologies. Its undulating 58mm Sawtooth™ rim shape with Hyperfoils™ is the most aerodynamic and stable wheel. The 454 NSW features Zipp’s Total System Efficiency™ (TSE™), the approach at combatting the biggest enemies of speed: wind resistance, gravity, rolling resistance, and vibration losses. And gravity? The 454 NSW Tubeless Disc brake is roughly a pound (more than 400 grams) lighter than its predecessor! Zipp’s use of hookless (straight side) rims in the 454 NSW is integral to Making You Faster. With hookless, the transition between the tire and the rim is more seamless and aero. Zipp’s hookless rims have more efficient resin distribution, which means lighter, stronger wheels. At the center of the 454 NSW is the Cognition V2 Hubset re-engineered with an updated Axial Clutch V2™ mechanism for quicker engagement, lower friction, and improved durability.

Features

Cognition hubset rolls efficiently whether you are pedaling or coasting with Axial Clutch V2™ technology
The 454 NSW Tubeless Disc brake is roughly a pound (more than 400 grams) lighter than its predecessor!
TSE™ for greater efficiency and reduced rolling resistance
Sawtooth™ rim with Hyperfoil™ nodes and HexFin™ ABLC dimple pattern for top aero and crosswind-stability performance with an undulating 53/58mm rim depth
Zipp graphics applied using Zipp’s ImPress™ direct-print technology
Ships with 12mm front and rear end caps
Center locking rotor interface. Lockring is included with the wheels
Lifetime warranty.

Technical specifications

Size (wheels): 700c
Rim construction: Carbon – Hookless
HUB Cognition V2
Tire compatibility: Tubeless tires only
Rim depth: 58mm
Brake compatibility: Disc (Center Lock)
Rim - inside width: 23mm
Max recommended system weight: 250lbs/114kg
Max tire pressure: 73psi/5.0bar
Rim finish: UD fiber, Impress technology
Rim profile: Symmetrical
Spoke length ds: 248mm, 254mm
Spoke length nds: 252mm, 254mm.

Technologies

HexFin ABLC
HexFin ABLC dimples are the hexagonally shaped depressions found at each Hyperfoil of the Sawtooth shaped NSW rims. The angular shape of each dimple increases boundary layer mixing to help keep airflow attached to the rim for reduced aerodynamic drag and improved stability in crosswinds. To further improve the effectiveness of the hexagonal dimples, they are arranged in fin-shaped clusters made up of variable sized dimples that work in concert with each Hyperfoil of a Sawtooth rim.

Axial Clutch
With Cognition’s Axial Clutch technology, reduced this drag by disengaging the ratchet mechanism when coasting. With less internal hub drag a rider can pedal less when drafting in a headwind, achieve higher speeds when coasting in an aero tuck, or opt to stop pedaling a moment sooner before entering a corner and bank that wattage for use exiting the corner. Axial Clutch technology also allows riders to maintain speed through corners that don’t require braking input, thereby increasing corner exit speeds. Inside the Axial Clutch mechanism we use magnets, rather than steel springs, to move and engage the light weight Metal Injection Molded (MIM) ratchet rings for unmatched reliability and consistent operation. With 36 points of engagement that all interlock simultaneously, there isn’t a more secure freehub mechanism on the market.

TSE Technology
Zipp’s TSE Technology (Total System Efficiency) was developed by the engineers in the Nest Advanced Development Lab in Indy. This approach to carbon-wheel manufacturing means the Firecrest’s precise rim layup results in greater all-around efficiency for greater speed through reduced: Wind resistance, rolling resistance, gravity (weight + durability), vibration losses

ImPress
Zipp’s ImPress graphics technology, which prints graphics directly on the wheel, to help allow the dimples to do what they were design to do – help control vortex shedding, the rate at which air sheds off the wheel. Managing this is crucial to stability.

SawTooth
SawTooth is the name given to Zipp NSW’s patented variable depth 53/58mm rims. Developed utilizing the principles of the emerging science of biomimicry, Zipp engineers began the rigorous aero development process of SawTooth utilizing the wind tunnel, CFD, and real-world testing. The result is a rim shape that takes nature’s most elegant design solutions and combines engineering precision to deliver a wheel that performs unlike any made before. This patented new rim shape achieves something conventional aero wheels cannot; it simultaneously reduces both aerodynamic drag and side force for the ultimate in AeroBalance. Sawtooth accomplishes this with a series of patented fin-shaped Hyperfoil nodes along the inner diameter of the rim that work together with the new HexFin ABLC dimples for improved airflow. The result is Zipp’s highest performing wheelset ever realized with both aero-drag reduction and reduced side force at all wind yaw angles. This is important because higher wind yaw angles are where bike handling is most affected by the wind.

Hyperfoil
Hyperfoil is the name given to the individual nodes on Zipp NSW variable depth Sawtooth rims. Each of these patented structures features the HexFin ABLC dimples that help to stabilize handling in gusting wind by increasing wind vortex shedding frequency. The higher frequency vortex shedding produced by Sawtooth creates a greater number of smaller, less powerful, yet more predictable vortices leading to greater wheel stability. This added stability translates into greater rider control, thereby saving energy that is typically expended trying to hold a line in gusting wind. The result is a faster, more confident riding experience whether you are laying down power or descending sinuous mountain roads.