Campagnolo announced this week, the update of its mid-level clincher wheelset, the Zonda C17, which now features a wider rim section (17mm internal/22.5mm external), for optimal use with 25-28mm tires.
Like its predecessor, the new Zonda C17 continues with differing front (24mm) and rear (27mm) rim heights, along with a newly machined rim profile in order to shed some weight.
In addition, the hubs continue to incorporate the same oversized aluminum flanges, cup and cone bearing set-up, 16/22 aerodynamic, radical spokes and Campagnolo’s MEGA G3 spoke system on the rear hub – which made the previous version such a successful wheelset.
In addition, the company’s MoMag nipple placement technology has also been carried-over, which Campagnolo says not only creates a more solid rim bed, but eliminates the need for rim tape as well.
The Zonda C17 will be available with either Campagnolo or Shimano/SRAM freehubs, with a claimed weight of 1,596g for the pair.
more from Campagnolo…
Campagnolo’s Performance Workhorse Updated and Improved
The Campagnolo Zonda wheelset has become somewhat of a staple in the Campagnolo wheelset range. While it won’t be seen under the bikes that will roll down the streets of Paris on the last stage of the Tour, it has become a victorious wheelset in other ways. It has won over many hearts and souls as it is one of the most reliable wheelsets available and that reliability doesn’t come with any reduction in performance. The Zonda is such a safe bet for your time in the saddle that it has become one of the best sellers of all times for Campagnolo. With performance above and beyond any other wheel in its class, in addition to reliability that would be the envy of any wheel, seeing the Zonda mounted on even top professionals training bikes doesn’t seem out of place at all. With a wheel so dialed in, so universally appreciated and so successful the engineering staff at the Campagnolo headquarters in Vicenza made every effort to maintain all of the performance and durability characteristics of this fantastic model while incorporating improvements where possible. Building upon such a universally appreciated wheel was to be no easy task and after much consideration an improvement strategy similar to that of the Shamal Ultra wheel upgrade announced earlier this year was implemented.
Keeping the rest of the wheel as close to the previous version as possible while adding a new and more efficient, performance-oriented rim was the recipe used to bring forth the all new Zonda C17. The completely redesigned rim for the Zonda takes its design inspiration from the growing trend that sees the use of increasingly wider tires, with 25mm clinchers becoming the standard if not the new minimum sizing for road riding and racing. With this increased popularity of both 25mm and 28mm tires the wheel needs to be designed in a way to optimize the tire/wheel interface. The new wider C17 rim ensures a more efficient shape of the tire, improving cornering grip and safety while reducing aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance. A seemingly small increase in width offers a surprisingly different riding experience, one that is sure to leave any cyclist pleasantly convinced that this change is for the best.
The new C17 rim has been structurally optimized and ensures a surefooted grip on clincher tires as well as an even better braking feel when compared with previous versions. These benefits come with all of the tried and true design characteristics of the previous version of the Zonda rim:
The hubs continue to incorporate the same technology that made the previous version such as successful wheelset:
This newest version of the Zonda wheelset comes in at a 1596 grams placing it as perhaps the lightest C17 wheelset in its segment while still living up to its reputation as an indestructible performance product.
Zonda C17
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