BikeTechReview.com

Zipp 808 vs Specialized Tri-Spoke

Santiago Botero won the 2005 Dauphine Libere stage 3 ITT by one second over Levi Leipheimer.  Each of these individuals chose to ride a traditionally spoked wheel, with Botero opting for the latest technologically advanced wheel offering from Zipp – the 808.  Would the outcome have been different if Botero had chosen a different wheel for this TT?  Since quite a few ProTour and US domestic pro’s (along with countless amateur TT specialists) ask me questions such as this, I decided to take a look at the aerodynamics of the Zipp 808 versus the less traditionally designed Specialized Tri-spoke/HED3.

Editor's note 09/01/2010: for an updated ranking of current wheels using some of the criteria outlined below, check this BTR page out...and now back to your regularly scheduled reading!

The well-oiled marketing machines in the bicycle industry are constantly touting the latest and greatest technology.  With so many different brands available and broad-sweeping claims made, we consumers can often times become confused.  In the next few minutes, I will help you wade through the facts and provide some unbiased data on the high-end wheel offerings.   In the end, it should be possible to determine exactly what you get when you spend $800 on a set of the hyped-up high performance wheels.  However, we first need to investigate how I approach the wheel selection/evaluation process.