Wheels
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
FSA K-Force Carbon RD-888
Mavic and Zipp are usually the first names to spring from people’s lips when they’re talking about aero wheels. But while that pair may have the highest profile, they are far from the only stalls in the deep-section marketplace. FSA isn’t exactly a newcomer to that market but is hoping its K-Force wheels will help […]
Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL Powertap
Mavic Cosmic Carbones were one of the original high-performance deep-section wheelsets to emerge from the famous French brand many moons ago. Now available in various weights and rim combinations, the latest SL version can also be purchased with a Powertap 2.4 wireless rear hub (£1,365 for rear wheel alone) fitted in the factory. The usual […]
Erox Mega 500
Having impressed us over at 220 Towers with their Quarra Extra Speed bike, the leading Swiss brand Erox is back with its Mega 500 carbon wheelset. Despite the first use of the word ‘mega’ since 1988, this carbon wheelset is truly impressive. Spec-wise, the Mega 500s boast 55mm deep section rims, weigh in at a […]
FSA TT Rear Disc Carbon
Depending on which research you side with, aerodynamic components should either smooth out the air flow around them, or be as slim as possible so they slip through the air with minimum disturbance. FSA’s rear disc wheel, available for Shimano drive-trains and for tubular tyres only, definitely fits into the skinny category. Its flat carbon-fibre […]
Lightweight Rear Tubular Disc DT
This is not just a lightweight disc wheel – this is the Lightweight disc wheel. At 820g for the rear road version, there isn’t another disc near it for weight, and that individual quality transcends to its instantly identifiable (and slightly hypnotic) looks. Apart from being round, a rear wheel has two further properties: it […]
Bontrager Aeolus 5.0 ACC
These Bontrager-branded aero wheels match a Steve Hed-designed 50mm deep-section carbon fairing with an aluminium rim and Bontrager hub. They come in at 1,660g per pair so aren’t a mountain climber’s first choice (Lightweight’s carbon set comes in at 1,000g), but equally they won’t hold you up on rolling terrain. Rather than the spokes attaching […]
Specialized Roval Echappe E5
Specialized has a gift when it comes to making things look good, and has now applied its magic to this new interpretation of the Roval wheel brand. Specialized has also added its frame-proven E5 Metal Matrix material to the aero-section rims to create a tough hoop that can tackle the worst roads. Hidden-in-the-rim nipples for […]
Bontrager Classic
Designed to take on the cobbled races of northern Europe, these retro-styled rollers are equally ready for your local council’s worst repairs. We’ve heard good reports from big riders who’ve absolutely hammered these wheels and ours remained true even after venturing off-road. The slightly soft spoke tension takes plenty of sting out of rough sections, […]
