Zipp Super-9 Rim Brake Disc Wheel

The Zipp Super-9 Rim Brake Disc Wheel is the rear wheel that time trial and triathlon athletes have mounted when the goal is the lowest aerodynamic drag possible. A completely solid carbon disc with no spokes, no spoke holes, and no visual interruptions, it eliminates the rotating drag and turbulence that spoked wheels generate and replaces it with a continuous surface from hub flange to tire bead. Zipp has been making disc wheels since the company's founding in Indianapolis in 1988, and the Super-9 is their flagship expression of that specific idea: a rear wheel built for one purpose, optimized without compromise. This is the rim brake version — designed for QR-axle TT and triathlon frames that run traditional rim brakes — a spec that has become increasingly specific as disc brake bikes have come to dominate the market, and correspondingly harder to find in a new, quality-built wheel.

The disc is built from UD (unidirectional) carbon fiber, which orients the fibers in a single direction to achieve consistent stiffness across the disc surface without the layup variation you get in woven carbon constructions. The exterior carries adhesive decals in white — clean and high-contrast against the matte carbon surface — with the same visual identity that makes Zipp disc wheels immediately recognizable in a TT start house or transition area. There are no spokes to tension, no nipples to seat, no spoke beds to worry about. The structural integrity of the wheel runs through the disc itself, braced by the hub flanges on each side. The rim profile is symmetrical, which keeps the wheel's behavior consistent regardless of yaw angle and simplifies the aerodynamic geometry from the manufacturer's side.

The aerodynamic argument for a solid disc rear wheel is direct. Air moving over a spoked wheel sees repeated interruptions — the gap between spokes, the boundary layer disturbance each spoke creates as it rotates, the turbulence that trails behind each spoke at race speeds. A solid disc replaces all of that with a single continuous surface. At the rear of the bike, the wheel also sits in the wake of the frame and rider, which partially shields it from the crosswind sensitivity that makes disc wheels inappropriate on the front — rear disc wheels experience less yaw variation than front wheels and are correspondingly more stable in mixed wind conditions. The result is a rear wheel that contributes aerodynamic benefit without introducing the handling unpredictability that a front disc would create.

The Super-9 runs a clincher tire setup — tube-type, not tubeless — with a 17mm internal rim width and a 125psi maximum tire pressure. It is a 700c rear wheel with a quick release rear axle, compatible with standard QR rear dropouts. The hub on this build is Zipp's 188 model, configured for Campagnolo freehub compatibility, using cartridge bearings and a standard Campagnolo cassette body. Riders running SRAM or Shimano drivetrains should note that RA Cycles carries the Campagnolo driver body version here. The brake surface is carbon, which requires brake pads designed for carbon rim brake wheels — Zipp's own SwissStop or equivalent carbon-compatible pads — rather than standard aluminum-rim pads. Maximum recommended system weight (rider and equipment combined) is 250lbs. This is a single rear wheel; it does not include a front wheel.

At $1,195 — regularly $1,999 — this is one of the more straightforward opportunities to get a new, brand-name carbon disc wheel at a price that would normally buy a quality mid-depth spoked wheel. New premium disc wheels from reputable manufacturers typically run $2,000 to $3,000 or more, and the Super-9's track record across professional triathlon and time trial racing positions it firmly at the top of that category. The right buyer is a TT or triathlon athlete on a rim brake QR-axle frameset who wants to close the gap between their current rear wheel and the fastest available option. If you're on a Campagnolo drivetrain and a rim brake TT bike — a setup that many experienced triathletes have long since paid off and have no reason to retire — this is the wheel that puts your rear end where it belongs.