Winner of a gold medal in 2008 under Jan Frodeno, the Zipp 202 has gone from being considered a hill climbing specialty wheel to being a versatile ultralight performer that does everything pretty darn well. The changes made to the Zipp 202 over the past few seasons have made it not just light, but also more aerodynamic than average (32mm deep rim with dimples) and more durable than previous iterations. The 202 climbs and descends well, while not being far off the back compared to many other options with much deeper rims on the flats.

Rims: The new Zipp 202 is available in tubular only and uses Carbon Bridge Technology , which places a 6 bundle Kevlar layer on the capstone of the rim to distribute pressure better than carbon fiber can on its own. The Carbon Bridge thus makes for a stronger and better protected rim that puts up with the pounding of Paris-Roubaix (where it has been piloted to top five finishes) better than ever. Zipp claims that there is a 28% improvement in impact resistance on the 202 with Carbon Bridge Technology than previous generations without and we can verify that the number of cracked rims we see has diminished to a very low number since the introduction of Carbon Bridge Technology - CBT is doing its job. Deeper wheels like the 404 and 808 saw an even larger improvement in impact resistance.

Hubs: The 202 also comes equipped with Zipp’s next generation hub – the 88 in the front and 188 in the rear (the numbers stand for their weight in grams). What the 88 and 188 offer compared to the 82/182 hubs they replace is fully adjustable bearing preload, a super-oversized 17mm axle (to maximize stiffness), higher load capacity bearings and the option to use tighter seals to keep out more moisture and grit. Yes, the pair weighs 12 grams more than the 82/182, but the 88/188 hubs are stiffer than ever and directly address one of the few valid criticisms of Zipp’s previous hub design (that they were more susceptible than average to water permeation). This is 6 grams of weight per hub that was well placed.

The current 202 offers external spoke nipples once again, which we like because it makes the wheel much easier to true and no one really likes removing and reinstalling tubulars. Excellent Sapim aero spokes still connect the hubs to the rim and the Zipp 202 still weighs in well under 1100 grams (1080 grams a pair on the average), making it one of the lighter wheels on the market.

Who is it for? If you want ultralight in a package that is versatile enough to be used on any ride, the 202 is worth careful consideration.