Clincher Wheel: Like the tubular version, the 808 Clincher excels whenever the situation calls for an all-around wheelset with a heavy dose of aero attitude. The deep profile and 16/20 front/rear spoke count will satisfy even the most focused time trialists and triathletes, yet it's minimally affected by crosswinds and stiff enough for sprinters like CSC-Saxo Bank's J.J. Haedo.

Plus, with the combination of its 82mm profile and Zipp's M2CM rim technology, the 808 Clincher is perhaps the most rugged racing wheelset on the planet, having outperformed all comers in drum impact testing in both the U.S. and Europe.

Tubular Wheels: We're not ready to say that officially, but we will say that the fully redesigned 2009 version is the fastest road racing wheel ever. The new fully toroidal tubular rim uses design cues from the 1080 and Sub 9 development to further reduce the drag by 8-25 grams over the original 808. The new shape yields to a savings on the road of 2-7 watts of power for a pair of wheels at 30mph, not to mention the real-world benefits of added stiffness and improved braking due to a slightly wider rim and angled brake track.

At 1462g per pair with 16/20 front/rear spokes, the new 808 Tubular is finding a home with more and more triathletes and road racers. Maybe Fabian is right, after all.

All 2009 Zipp wheels (Excludes Disc Wheels) come with Steel Skewers & valve extensions.