– Ride Faster: Gear & Kit – Further, a wider tire offers less wind resistance, only if it comes up narrower than the rim per the rule of 105 we’ve talked about earlier. Notre avis : grâce à ses jantes aluminium recouvertes de carbone, les Vision Trimax Carbon 40 se placent dans la gamme des roues très solides pour un usage quotidien. These hubs or their internals are used in many of the best road disc wheels. I only tested a few DT Swiss wheels including the ERC 1100 in this review. More in my review of how to ride faster. They also accelerate and climb better than most. This is my review of their rim brake model. They are used on many top-performing wheelsets. We want you to be beyond happy with your purchase from My Bike Shop! Like the Roval CLX 50 Disc, there just weren’t that many all-around wheelsets that really did road disc bikes justice a short while ago. Rolling resistance, at aero speeds, would likely matter little between, say a 28mm, 60psi tire on the 4.5AR and the same model 25mm, 70psi tire on the 5.6 disc. You may still be able to find some in inventory at stores I recommend and link to in the review above. I’ve not reviewed them and haven’t seen any actual posts from reviewers I trust that have ridden them enough to provide independent feedback on their actual performance. If you are a racer or enjoy the competition of group rides, lateral stiffness matters more to you than compliance, aka vertical stiffness. I rode 100 miles and 10,000 feet on the Reynolds wheelset in the Vermont mountains on a horrible rainy day with swirling winds coming at me from seemingly every direction and often when I was crawling up steep passes or “gaps” as they call them up there. I found the RapidAir a b*tch to get off the 4.5AR and 3.4AR hookless rims so would be swayed to the Pro One even though the Schwalbe doesn't wear as long. A light steady touch on the tiller will keep them on course. I love to train in the mountains and typically don’t ride my road bike unless I head out to climb in the canyons. Il Cliente è tutelato dalla legislazione europea in merito al GDPR 2016/679 (regolamento generale sulla protezione dei dati) per quanto concerne la protezione dei dati e privacy. Like you think they are a thing of beauty and your write up on the WTO 33 was favourable, but have you ever tested the 45 or have any comment? Bleeep….bleeep….bleeep….bleeep…. Cheers, Steve. No info on who designs, makes, tests them, and where to get sales/service support. There are several, relatively or brand new third-generation wheelsets I am currently evaluating, one of which may be a better Best Value choice than the second generation wheelsets now available at low prices. !…….but did not your article which suggested NSW was a pig to fit some tyres! – To net it out, per the TSE equation for the Firecrest, you may save some energy/watts with the wider tire (same as you would with that same wider tire on most any 25mm rim) but you wouldn’t get any more contribution to your speed from lesser rolling resistance (if you lowered the pressure) or wind resistance. We also needed to put sealant in the tires for them to hold air for any length of time. Click Road Bike Wheels – How To Choose The Best For You, Click on any red statement below to go directly to that part of the post, Third generation carbon disc wheelsets now outperform rim brake ones, A handful of performance criteria matter most when choosing between different wheelsets, You have a half dozen good options to choose from including a Best Performer, Compare wheelset performance, prices, and specs for the wheelsets I reviewed in this chart, Why I may not have included wheelsets you’ve heard about. From my experience with other 19C rims, the benchmark 25C Continental Grand Prix 4000S II at 100psi measures very similarly to the Schwalbe Pro One at 80psi. With the more than capable and relatively quiet ENVE alloy hubset, the 4.5 AR weighs remarkably little – 1569 grams – given its size. At a market price starting at US$2550, £2700, €3000 depending on the hub choice, it also costs more than others. My measurements showed that the Zipp 303 Firecrest Disc 30mm external rim width didn’t measure 105% mounted with four 28mm tubeless tires including the new Schwalbe Pro One TLE and Spech Rapidair that you were interested in and also with Zipp’s own Tangente Speed RT28. While I know it is popular with some, I personally don’t care for freehub zinging. There are a growing number of deeper, mid-depth aero (60mm and up) carbon disc wheelsets that you can read about here. It’s out there. But, my experience with the Aero 46 DB found them as good in crosswinds as the NSW despite a very different design. https://cyclingtips.com/2020/09/specialized-and-roval-have-stopped-investing-in-tubulars-heres-why/. The latest Easton, centerlock Vault hubs roll smoothly and coast with a rich (versus tiny or variable) freehub sound. About 80% of our road riding is done when the wind is coming from a 0 to 10-degree angle (or “yaw”) and 50% is done between 0 and 5 degrees based on field testing done by Flo Cycling. Steve. After taking a look at the article, it’s hard to tell what protocol they were using other than the stated -20 to +20 degrees of yaw (no weighting indicated) at 45 kph. 2 – If you want to buy Zipp mid-depth road disc wheels, the 303 Firecrest and 303 S introduced a few weeks before are your only options. Moose took these wheels for a ride down the 8-mile, 8% average grade asphalt road at Whiteface Mountain, home of the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. any comment regarding this? Also am a fair weather rider riding exclusively on pavement. It’s as high quality as any I’ve seen on a fine automobile. I’m after a a good general purpose disc wheelset for road (aero) and climbing. With that context, i was wondering whether, in your experience, the 4.5AR passes the 105% Rule for most tires (specifically the Pro One TLE or the Turbo RapidAir 2Bliss). Why the need for the grommet? These look special.”. – Light and Cool Helmets What is your opinion of tubular wheelsets? I am placing a pre-order for the Tarmac SL7 this week and I am hoping to create my dream build. if not, based on the information on the swiss side website, would you recommend them or not? Ryan, the new 28mm Schwalbe measure 29.0mm at 60psi on the 25mm internal width 3.4 AR wheels I recently reviewed. Vision SC 55 Disc Carbon Wheelset - Clincher - Centerlock - FW: … Thats how I decided to go for a climbing wheelset. A 45mm deep wheel with sub 1500g claimed weight tubeless ready with, Hi Steve, I'm wondering what you take is on the Winspace Hyper wheels. Thanks for the quick reply and all of your great information – definitely one of my favourite resources for bike information on the web. Wind tunnel testing has so many variables (speed, yaw angles and weighting, tire choice, wheel on/off bike, etc.) TOUR’s full testing protocol can be found here: https://www.tour-magazin.de/service/so_testet_tour/rennrad-test-in-labor-und-auf-der-strasse/a45576.html. Hello Steve! More Durable – The best carbon rim brake wheels are using resins with high melting points to make it much harder for riders to warp them when they drag the brakes. Several others are sold in low volumes or supported only within a limited geographic region or both. Bontrager doesn’t. > Vision 40 SC Disc Carbon TLR CL. Click, supports you by doing hours of independent and comparative evaluations to, You can support the site and save yourself time and money when you buy through the links. Applied to the ERC 1100, it means you aren’t going to get any special thrill or surprise, good or bad, from these wheelsets. Happy to support you, so do you have a direct link to Merlin for the WTO 45 or a code to use @ checkout? You can see the review of the tires and the best places to get them here: https://intheknowcycling.com/tubeless-bike-tires/#Prices. (Sorry that I just did.). I don’t know if that’s Moose’s daredevil approach to going downhill on bikes (and skis) that he prefers but I do know he arrived safely at the bottom and was so excited after the ride he sent me a half dozen texts about his descent (and climb). – Compare Prices, MY TAKE In addition to those, there are a number of developments specific to the all-around, carbon bike wheels for road disc bikes that I’ve summarized in this table below and discussed below it. Cost:  Purchase price, cost of ownership and replacement cost. Kevin, Thanks for the additional info. Thanks for reading. My guess is that it is the latter. The rear axle loosened and tripped up Miles when he swapped cassettes requiring readjustment to get it back into his frame. Taking them out of the box created one of those rare moments when I say to myself, “Wow. Wolfpack Tyre by 8 watts compared to a 100g Butyl Tube. The XXX 4s are “stiff enough” to climb and sprint but they are more in the middle of this all-around carbon clincher pack compared to others on this criterion. Consult other components. For enthusiasts, it doesn’t until you’ve gotten the most out of your training and technique and even then, perhaps only for those that are also racing at high amateur levels. After many rides, the wheels remain true and I’ve found the spokes are all still tensioned. Click the links, get your entry in – you could win...The competition closes on Monday 20th June at 10:00 BST and we will announce the two lucky winners in the GCN Show the next day. Internal width has a greater influence on the superior handling and ample comfort of these wheels. Yeah, the 4.5 AR’s width makes them stand out against other bikes when you are riding in a bunch or stopping for a break. The cotton tyre coupled with this lightweight tube created a If you own a road disc bike, you may be looking for that one all-around, carbon disc wheelset that performs well across a wide range of terrain. If I go with another wheelset, I’m paying full retail and may have difficulty where I’m located in getting good value on the C38s even selling them new, so we’re talking about a much bigger delta in price between Roval and Zipp/Enve. However, my take on rolling resistance, weight, and aero performance is their differences among the wheels I review in a given category (everyday tubeless tires, climbing wheels, and aero wheels respectively) aren’t significant enough to be a deciding factor when compared to other criteria I outline and evaluate. Best, Steve. I seldom even comment on the aesthetics of wheelsets or any bicycle component let alone open a review with the kind of praise of a product’s looks that I just did. I didn’t mention before that except from the DT Swiss wheelset, I also own a Mavic Cosmic Pro SL UST disc wheelset (it was a present). On the road, the i9.45s are full-throttle, road race wheels. – Electronic Groupsets If like me, you aren’t a racer, all that good stiffness and handling and climbing are still the things you want and that I enjoyed in this wheelset. No, it isn’t the phallic imagery of a Corvette and the XXX label of the latest Aeolus, though perhaps you could make that connection. Both in and out of the saddle I find these Reynolds wheels plenty stiff. The generation chart displayed near the top of this review shows how much has changed in the last few years. Perhaps it is surprisingly good to get a predictably good top-end wheelset from a company that has, for me, turned out only average wheelsets in the past. Faster – Wider rims mean you can run 25C tires to gain more comfort without incurring additional drag. They seemed to lack a design point-of-view about how to make great rims that, right or wrong, is clear and consistent at companies making high-performance wheels. When the flow is less interrupted or laminar, it “sticks” to the combined tire-rim airfoil, moving from one surface to the other more smoothly and creates less drag and more “lift” when you are riding at or above speeds of 18-20mph or 29-32kph. The Vision SC 40 wheelset uses the same CFD optimized and wind tunnel tested technology as the Metron SL. When I took them out of the box, I didn’t quite know what to think. It sounds like the 303 S isn’t for you and may not be for many riders. I have ridden the 303 S a handful of times but am not ready to comment on their performance yet. My issues; First off, many thanks for all your great reviews and buyer’s guides. Wheels like the blunt nose Zipp NSWs in road disc and rim brake versions at various depths are better than the old Firecrest used to be. Hi Steve, Steve, I wish you would consider testing the new Roval Rapide CLX. Not just about Roval but about a good-sized, competitive collection of carbon all-around road disc brake wheelsets we enthusiasts now have to choose from. Steve. While a lot of cars and wheels roll fast, it’s what happens in the moment of speed that makes life behind the wheel and in the saddle exciting. Thank you for your response. To see the full list, click this link, scroll down just below the wheelset photo and click “Tire Compatibility”. Independent testing is worth considering but the same variables can make some wheels look better or worse depending on the testing protocol. In this post updated with models introduced starting in 2018, I’ll take you through the rapid evolution of road disc wheelsets, tell you how I rate each of the latest generations of all-around carbon ones against the criteria that really matter, and recommend the Best Performer wheelset. They didn’t seem a whole lot more comfortable at 50psi using 28C tires either. One of the first to sell wheels using toroid-shaped, deep-section rims to gain aero advantage over 10 years ago, the company had only used their patented design for tubular or carbon-alloy wheelsets. So, the 4.5 AR won’t fit into the tarmac? – Value-Priced Wheels It’s a good all-around and among the better road climbing and gravel wheelsets. Tommy, Hope to test those later this year. Perfect!! Hubs and spokes? While all these criteria are important, some are more or less important depending on what kind of riding you do and what kind of bike you have. We're able to offer this because every bike must meet our rigorous and meticulous 72-Point Inspection before being sold and shipped, and all wheels and gear must meet specific certification standards as well prior to shipping. Hi Steve! 2021 Orbea ORCA M20iLTD-D. August 7, 2020. New 303 Firecrest being straight wall and no hook are apparently easy to fit tyres ie. As for DT Swiss, their new line of endurance wheels are only made for road disc bikes. I actually bought some Foundation 45 too, but decided against them after my tyre options being so limited. 2021 Orbea ORCA M25TEAM-D. August 7, 2020. Here are videos comparing the Chris King and i9 Torch and another comparing the Mavic 360 and DT Swiss. 2 – 303 Firecrest on specs seems lighter, is disc suitable, so would this be better than NSW or now only option?…..but being only 40 deep obviously not so aero, and lightness is one major factor to climbing ability, but so is stiffness, which again based on your report NSW was! I’d check with Cervelo to see how big the opening actually is in the chainstays, seat stays, and front fork for your wheels. The rear is a solid-looking thing with a hub shell shaped like the bottom 2/3rds of a nose cone as it increases in diameter toward the far larger drive-side flange. I reviewed a bunch of them in 2017 and the Gen 3s are noticeably better and I think worth paying more for.