Components
VO2 V:Race 88
Ride lighter than they weigh and come at a price that won’t leave you destitute
Zipp 808 Firecrest
Pricey but if you want something special for race day, don’t look any further
Easton EA90 RT
Ride well, but not as fast as deeper rims. Tubeless tech can exasperate, too…
Rolf Prima Carbon Disc
This flat, carbon, tubular tyre disc comes with a titanium hub body and SRAM, Shimano or Campag options. It weighs in at 930g, accelerates quickly and, in the acid test, doesn’t feel draggy uphill. There’s an increasing tendency to design discs with certain frames in mind, so the disc deals optimally with the way air […]
TorHans Aero 30
Torhans has spent extensive time and money in the wind tunnel, and features such as the 72° rear trailing edge of the 887ml bottle that sits in line with most head tubes bears testament to this. Details like aero fairing for the straw is either impressive or excessive, depending on your take, but with Chrissie […]
American Classic Victory
Not the lightest or cheapest wheels on the market, but neither the heaviest nor most expensive. This means these wheels also occupy a very competitive niche, but they come out fighting. Built with heavier riders in mind, and built to last, they are solid, dependable and very well made. Machined braking surfaces add predictable stopping […]
DT Swiss RRC 1300 Clincher
This is a lot of wonga for a wheel and to buy a matching front you’ll have to stump up another £900. Although clinchers have their advantages, the set-up will always be heavier and, although this disc only weighs 1,200g (joint lowest weight on test), the tub equivalent is 1,050g. DT hubs are used by […]
Quest Disc Wheel
Based in North Harrow, Questbikes is an independent bike shop with its own range of branded cycles and parts. Conceived and developed by customers and staff, including members of their Team Quest club, the range includes this cracking value disc wheel. Coming with carbon-specific pads and a conversion kit so you can use it on […]
Reynolds Element T Disc Wheel
The Reynolds disc was consistently the quickest in our test. It’s amazingly stiff and, even when trying to get it to flex and rub on the brakes (with exaggerated rolling), it stays true. It always feels like it’s slicing the air effectively and there’s wind-tunnel data to back this up. There’s no doubt that its […]
Fast Forward Carbon Disc Clincher
The first clincher wheel on test, this one comes with an alloy braking surface. The upside of this is improved braking, especially in the wet; the downside is more weight – at 1,445g (1,195g for the tub equivalent) this is the heaviest on test. Whether braking performance is that much of an issue on a […]
Cole Disc Wheel
With asymmetric decals, the Cole disc certainly looks the business, and you get a fair bit for your money, including a padded bag, QR skewer and carbon-specific pads. The combination of a silky-smooth hub, wind-tunnel-proven aerodynamics and low flex give a fast, stable and responsive ride. Weighing in at 1,380g, it’s the heaviest of the […]
Elite Aeton Triathlon Drinking System
The Elite Aeton is one of only a few aero drinks bottles on the market with the downtube-mounted Speedfil and Profile Design Aerodrink its closest rivals. In terms of capacity, the Aeton holds 750ml (compared with 900ml in the Profile and 1,200ml in the Speedfil) so it comes up a little short there, but this […]
ENVE Smart System 6.7
Let’s deal with the elephant in the room first – the £2,250 price tag. It’s £350 more than Zipp 404s, £405 more than Easton EC90s and a staggering £1,155 more than our ‘Best on Test’ Strada 88mm wheelset (issue 258, 220). However, once you see what’s gone into developing them, splashing this much cash seems […]
Cole Trispoke
This new Trispoke from US-brand Cole is a real high-quality offering. It’s full carbon with a 58mm-deep rim, 64mm spoke profiles and a weight, on our test model at least, of 736g, which is reasonable for a wheel of this type. It runs on sealed bearings that are super-smooth out of the box – give […]
Selle Italia SLR Tri Gel
What do Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow and the Selle Italia SLR Tri Gel have in common? They all boast an uncommonly large nose. But while Streisand and Manilow are big successes despite their beaks, the SLR Tri Gel is a triumph because of it. Big noses are common in tri-specific saddles, as more padding can […]
Panaracer Extreme Duro Pro
These aren’t the most supple tyres in Panaracer’s line-up but they come with a casing that’s tough and reasonably lightweight – hit an unexpected object in the road and chances are that the sidewalls will survive intact. There’s a puncture-breaker running underneath the tread that provides superb defence against all kinds of sharp stuff – […]
Continental Gator Hardshell
Strong and durable, Gatorskins have to be the most popular training tyres out there, and the Gator Hardshell takes things a step further with even greater toughness. We didn’t puncture once in these despite autumn thorns littering our regular routes. Conti’s dense polyester anti-puncture breaker belt – they call it Poly-X – extends right into […]
Crud Roadracer
Mudguards may serve a useful purpose by keeping the rooster tails of rain spray off you and your mates, but people are often reluctant to use them. That could be due to the fiddling required to fit them or possibly the rattling and rubbing they cause when riding. But most probably it’s because they make […]
