It seems like everyone just “knows” that Zipp's 999s are the fastest wheelset in the world.  Well, I finally got a pair and I'm not about to dispute that.   When riding a bike with a set of 999s though, the pressure is on, you better not ride like an average cyclist. In fact, I think just knowing you have a pair underneath you may make you pedal harder than ever before.

The 999s combine what is known as an 808 front with the 900 rear disc.  The 808 is an 81 mm deep, ovoid shaped and dimpled carbon rim with Sapim cx-ray spokes and Zipp’s 84/202 hubs.  Zipp’s rear disc wheel has been around since 1988, but has been improved several times to its current construction which produces a wheel less than 1000g, but which rides even lighter due to its ultra light carbon rim.  This results in a wheel with a relatively low perimeter weight, particularly when combined with an ultra light tubular tire, which means it accelerates and climbs better than other similarly weighted wheels. To explain this further, while the overall weight of a wheel is important, it is its perimeter weight, the weight of the rim and tire, which is most detrimental to climbing and accelerating.

It's a good thing I know of a place where no other cyclists or triathletes will see me training with a set of 999s on my bike - they'd think I'd lost my mind.  Isn't strange that you can ride all day long on $4,000 - $5,000 framesets, $800 cranksets, $250 saddles, $400 brakes and the like, but if you train with your $2,000+ wheelset, you're a nut.  That is definitely the worst thing about owning a set of 999s, you only get to enjoy them a few times a year. 

I for one would enjoy seeing wheels this good looking on my bike every day.  Their good looks, though, is not their best quality; these wheels have a great ride - good enough to ride every day. I’ve raced a set of Zipp's 404 tubulars in the past so I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised at the 999’s ride, but the whole time I was really surprised at how smooth and dynamic it is. I’m sure that part of this smoothness is due to the incredibly compliant ride of the tubular tires.  Nevertheless, the 808 front is remarkably forgiving and in combination with the rear disc is every bit as much fun to ride as a set of 404s.

For those of you who’ve never ridden on a set of tubular wheels and tires, the ride is significantly smoother and more compliant than clinchers.  The 999s with first class tubular tires, ride significantly smoother than top-flight clinchers.  The ride is so smooth, in fact, that you will want to use them every ride.  I did a back-to-back comparison between the 999s and my favorite clinchers and preferred the ride of the 999s. The 999s, with the turbine like sound of the disc, are also downright fun to ride.

We don’t have a wind tunnel so I can’t tell you how much faster the 999s are compared to a set of HED 3s, Zipp 404s or anything else.  I think you can get a good idea of that by reviewing the literature on Zipp’s web site.  I can tell you, though, that even on a blustery day, you can feel the difference in the speed you can maintain.  It’s not huge, but you can definitely feel it.  Even more surprising is that the blustery conditions did not seem to bother the handling.  I haven’t yet had the chance to ride them on beachfront roads with significant side winds, but based on what I’ve experienced thus far, I wouldn’t be too concerned about being blown off the road.