BikeWheelsets.com

Specialized Roval Rapide SL 45 Wheelset

admin — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 11:31:05 +0000

Specialized Roval Rapide 45 Wheelset

Specialized are best known for their complete bikes, although for a long time they’ve made many of their own components. Just like with their bikes, which are top quality at every level and good value, so are their components. Now, Specialized makes their own wheels too, but you’d never know it – they don’t carry Specialized branding. Enter the Roval line of wheelsets. Just as with their complete bikes and bike frames, there’s a Roval wheelset for every budget, and the Roval Rapide SL45 is getting near the top.

Race quality wheelset

The Roval Rapide SL45 is designed to get you into racing. It isn’t a pro-level wheel with all the features you’d expect of a spaceship and so light they’d blow away, but then the Rapide SL45 doesn’t cost as much as a spaceship either. This wheelset is marketed at riders who are getting into racing for the first time, looking for an all-around wheelset that’s strong enough for training but light enough to behave respectable on an entry-level racecourse. Best of all, they are priced accordingly.

For around $1500, the Roval Rapide SL45 offers you a handsome carbon rim, but unlike many flashy carbon race wheelsets the Roval Rapide SL45 comes as a clincher, meaning you can use them for training too. The 45mm rim depth is nicely aero, and if this is your first set of ‘section’ wheels, you’ll really notice the difference. If you plan to do mainly triathlon, 45mm is a perfect starting rim depth – enough to give you an aero edge but not so much you’ll get blown over in a cross wind.

So many great features

Specialized must have subsidized the Roval Rapide SL45’s development somewhere along the line, because these wheels are the perfect all-around package and are dripping with clever design features. ‘Double Drive’ rear spoke lacing gives you excellent power transfer, there’s a carbon center to the front hub to take a little weight off where the hub isn’t carrying power, aero spokes…it’s the same technology you’d find on Specialized’s race specific wheelsets. Sweet titanium skewers complete the package – just like the pros have!

Why aren’t they real racers?

The simple answer is that the Specialized Roval Rapide SL45 wheelset is heavy. At 1595g they aren’t made of lead, but to get the convenience and strength of the clincher rim, there’s a little too much aluminum on these wheels. That means, when it comes to the climb, you’ll feel the difference between theses wheels and a wheelset designed with only weight loss in mind.

If you already have a brilliant race bike and several years of racing behind you, then you might consider the Roval Rapide SL45 as a truly sweet training wheelset, but you won’t want to race on them (although they deserve a place in the wheel car). However, if you are getting serious about your riding, want a wheel that will make your training a lot more fun, and which can carry you to the finish line in your first foray into racing, then frankly, it would be hard to find a better wheelset for your $1500.

Specialized Roval Fusee Star Wheelset

SummerK — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:29:52 +0000

Specialized Roval Fusee Star Wheelset

Roval is the brand name for Specialized’s own line of wheels. Just as with absolutely anything else from Specialized, you can expect Roval wheels – whatever the level – to be good value and good quality. Even at the lower end of the price range – the domain of stock wheels and beginner upgrades, anytime you get a Roval wheelset you’ll know you’ve got something worth every penny you’ve spent.

Entry level rider

So, go and take a look at your brand new road bike dripping in Specialized logos. If it’s your first ‘real’ road bike, and it’s perched on a Roval Fusee Star wheelset, then you should be very pleased with yourself. This wheelset isn’t going to set the world alight, and if you progress to regular racing it will be one of your first upgrades, but for now they should make you pretty happy. They will certainly get some approving nods from your new friends on the club rides.

First of all, the Specialized Roval Fusee Star is plenty fast enough for those club rides. If you get left behind, it won’t be because of your wheelset. They aren’t the lightest, they don’t pretend to be aero, but they do have excellent hubs and spokes and they roll very sweetly indeed. When you try to contest the sprint to the coffee shop, expect them to transfer your power well, and not to flex or creak or otherwise complain. They are handsome, reliable, and efficient workhorses, and they will get you where you need to be. You just might not be the first one to get there!

Stock or starter

Most people will get the Roval Fusee Star wheelset with a complete bike purchase. All too often the wheelset is where bike manufacturers skimp when it comes to complete bikes. I guess they expect you to upgrade the wheels first, or they figure you won’t notice if it’s your first good road bike, since you’ll be so blown away by the bike itself. Kudos to Specaialized for making an excellent starter wheelset for their entry level road bikes, which even if you upgrade, you’d be wise to keep as a perfectly respectable training or spare wheelset.

Even if your bike didn’t come with the Roval Fusee Star wheelset, there are some good reasons to get a set. If your bike – not a Specialized, obviously – came with a rotten wheelset, then for only about $450 you should be able to get a Fusee Star wheelset and vastly improve your riding enjoyment. If you want to spend most of your budget on a decent set of wheels to get into racing, then use your spare change to get a set of Fusee Stars to use for rough weather training rides or a spare set on race day for the wheel car. The Specialized Roval Fusee Star wheelset does more than just get you home – it gets you home smoothly, quickly, and in style!

Campagnolo Hyperon One Wheelset

admin — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:28:29 +0000

Campagnolo Hyperion One Wheelset

Most seasoned racers will know the Campagnolo Hyperon Two, since it is a stalwart of tubular racing wheels. Even if you don’t ride Campy, chances are you’ll have checked out the Hyperon Two on someone’s bike at a race, even it was just glancing over to see what that seriously fast looking wheel actually was. Everyone knows that Campy’s Hyperon is a really fast, high quality wheel, but it has a couple of problems. The first one is a personal issue for many riders – it’s Campy. If you are a Shimano devotee, then look for another wheel, because Campy just won’t do, and frankly that’s a shame. If only Campagnolo would make their already excellent wheels a little more compatible…

The other downside to the Hyperon is that it’s a tubular wheel, which means it’s really only for race days. If you’ve ever ventured out on a training ride on a tub, and found yourself calling your increasingly irate spouse to come and get you when you get a flat, then you’ll probably be thinking ‘if only they made decent, fast, race quality carbon clinchers!’ the good news is now just about every wheel manufacturer does, and Campagnolo is no exception – enjoy the Hyperon One wheelset.

No clincher compromise

Just because the Hyperon One wheelset is a clincher doesn’t mean there have been any major cutbacks on quality. First of all, even being clinchers they come in at 1380g – that’s right, a clincher wheelset under 1400g. Not bad! The completely carbon rim is exactly the same as the Hyperon Ultra Two, which is frankly a far more elite wheelset, so you are already getting a bargain with the Hyperon one. I can hear you now – ‘but doesn’t that mean the clincher is fragile?’ Well, no. Campy has taken rim pressure, braking surface temperatures, and the extra abuse a clincher will get when it rolls out on a training ride all into account.

They’ve put a little extra thought into the design to handle these issues for the Hyperon One wheelset, working with a differential spoke lacing pattern to retain stiffness and add some strength, and they’ve built the rear wheel a little deeper (23mm instead of the front wheel’s 21mm). This gives the rear wheel a little more weight carrying ability, and makes it a tad more aero where you need both features most – at the back.

A few provisos…

That said, this is a clincher version of a tubular design. That means you have to make a few allowances. You don’t get the carbon and ceramic Hyperon Ultra hubs; instead you get aluminum ones, a little heavier but carefully built to roll pretty nicely for aluminum. Where other wheel manufacturers compromise their carbon tubular rims with heavy aluminum braking surfaces when they make their clincher models, campy has opted to keep the weight off. That means – like with the Hyperon Ultra Two wheelset, you must use Campy’s own brake pads (although a set does come with the wheels).

All this means that you get some top-end performance from a very lightweight wheel, and you should expect to pay for it. At around $3300 this is clearly a serious wheelset. It is expected to race, climb, and corner, but unlike its fancy-pants Hyperon Ultra Two relation, the Campagnolo Hyperon one wheelset comes with the convenience of a clincher. This means that your big bucks really get a wheelset that can do most of what a serious road rider needs. Think about it, how much would a set of decent tubular race wheels plus a set or two or training wheels cost? Probably more than one set of Hyperon Ones, and you won’t enjoy your training rides nearly as much!

Reynolds Sixty Six Wheelset

admin — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 11:26:36 +0000

Reynolds Sixty-Six Wheelset

Reynolds is best known for their top-end carbon race wheels, and they have a clever new collection to offer serious racers quality and choice at a competitive price. With the Reynolds Sixty Six wheelset, racers get a seriously fast deep section wheelset that deserves to be on the bikes of even the pro tour racers. In other words, if you are ready for something mega fast in your bid to climb the categories or get you comfortably placed on the podium, then the Reynolds Sixty Six wheelset is perfect.

Just for racers?

Well, the Reynolds Sixty Six wheelset isn’t cheap. At $2700 RRP, you need to be serious about your racing. With a 66mm deep section rim, these wheels are really made for fast racers in perfect race conditions – not for training in any weather. If you need competitive versatility though, don’t overlook the Sixty Six. That deep section rim is seriously aero – if you do stage races and need a fast aero wheelset for the time trial stage, or you also dabble in triathlon, then the Reynolds Sixty Six is multi-purpose. If you are looking for one wheelset for training and racing in all conditions – including the dreaded cross wind, then the Sixty Six won’t be your best choice. There are plenty of tough, light, wheels with a shallower rim depth out there for you that cost less too.

Mix and match

Now, if you are really into your racing, and you have the cash to build a perfect stable of wheels, then there is some extra hidden versatility in Reynolds top-end collection. Sure, get yourself the Sixty Six wheelset for still race days and the timed events, but then spend a little more and get yourself the Reynolds Forty Six wheelset too. Now you have the perfect mix and match collection of light, fast, and compatible wheels! It’s no accident; Reynolds has designed the Sixty Six and its shallower cousin, the Forty Six, to do just that.

Two sets of wheels? They better be good…

If you do opt for a twin set of the Sixty Six and the Forty Six wheelsets, then you are going to be spending a bit of cash. Is it worth it? You bet. The Sixty Six wheels alone ride like a dream. Deep enough to slice through the air, these wheels are truly fast with extra aero features like ‘swirl lip’ technology that actually creates a productive turbulence and gets the air smooth quickly behind the wheel.

Best of all, this aero wheelset has been designed with road racing in mind too. The carbon resin system Reynolds use makes these wheels tough enough even for a pavé race, and an improved braking surface makes the Sixty Six wheelset a lot easier to stop (something Reynolds hasn’t been know for in the past). Unlike many seriously aero wheels, the Sixty Six isn’t heavy – at 1447g, you’d be hard pressed to find a deep section wheelset that’s much lighter for the money.

Mix it up

If you like the features of the Sixty Six wheelset as much as we did, but you can’t afford to splash out on two sets of wheels and you need more versatility for your racing and training, then don’t worry. Reynolds has the perfect solution. You can buy – as a manufacturer’s wheelset from Reynolds, a Forty Six front wheel with a Sixty Six back wheel. This gives you a little more stability in cross winds, a little less weight up front, and a little more aero in the back. Not bad – and get the clinchers for easy puncture repair, and you’ll have a fairly durable, affordable wheelset that can do just about anything!

Campagnolo Ghibli Disc Wheel

admin — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:24:55 +0000

Campagnolo Ghibli Wheel

In a time trial situation, where seconds - or even fractions of a second - can mean the difference between a big win and not even making the top 10, your choice of bicycle and components becomes critical. This is never more so the case than with your choice of wheel. The material and design of your wheel will not only effect how much it weighs, and crucially, rotational weight, but more importantly for time trialing, materials and design will effect aerodynamics.

Most triathlons are non-drafting races. What this means is that you cannot use the rider in front to break the wind for you. Those of us who ride and race in a pack will know that riding behind someone, or several riders, cuts down the effort you have to make significantly. But in triathlon, and in time trialing you are on your own. Drafting is against the rules, it is just you and your bike against the wind. It is for this reason that so much time trial equipment is highly designed to cut down on wind drag and turbulence to allow you to slip through air resistance with the highest degree of ease.

Ultimate aerodynamics

One example of such equipment that you will see in the time trialist’s and triathlete’s arsenal is the disc wheel, and the Campagnolo Ghibli is one of the best. The Ghibli is a carbon disc wheel with a convex profile, making it as light as possible for all that material, yet carefully designed for minimal wind resisitance. The wheel is constructed using aramidic fiber, which owes its origin to the aerospace industry, and give the wheel a high level of stiffness and rigidity in its tensile structure.

This translates well to the road, and during our test run, we found the wheel to be stiff and responsive, even under the stressful conditions of the start and the “every-last-ounce-of-effort” sprint to the finish line of our test time trial. The wheel structure is concave, and it felt strong and smooth on the road. The hub also felt smooth, and rolled extremely well. It contains cup and cone bearings which have the advantage of being easy to adjust. That’s important because the constant high power outputs of time trials wreak havoc on hubs.

Pricey, but..

In the end analysis, we found the Ghibli disc wheel to be stiff and fast, with an excellent choice of hub construction. While disc wheels are not the right choice for every course you will come across, or for all conditions you will ride in, the Campagnolo Ghibli will take precious seconds off your time on a day where the wind is low, and the course flat or rolling. In the market for aero disc wheels, the Ghibli is a smart choice. Sure, at nearly $4000 it costs a lot (all decent disc wheels do), but if you are even thinking about a disc then you are ready to put your money where your bike is to get a top quality, specialist wheel.

SRAM S60 Wheelset

admin — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 11:23:05 +0000

SRAM S60 Wheelset

If you are shopping for a do-it-all wheelset, and you want something that isn’t just versatile but is fast and robust, then you’ll probably be looking at the tried and trusted wheel merchants. Names like Zipp, Mavic, and Easton should be on your list, but don’t overlook SRAM. After all, if you like Zipp you’ll love SRAM. SRAM liked Zipp so much they bought the company!

Of course, SRAM wheels aren’t Zipp wheels. If you really have to have Zipp dimples, then you won’t find them on the SRAM wheelsets. What you will find though is a lot of Zipp technology, and a very good, stiff, strong wheel with some very intelligent design features.

The most versatile wheels in the stable

The SRAM S60 wheelset is one of the best buys in the SRAM line. Why? Because the 60mm rim depth is just perfect for those who don’t want – or can’t afford – specialist wheels for every occasion. If you want to be aero enough for time trialing or triathlon, if you want to be light enough for road racing, and tough enough for cyclocross, then look no further. These are some seriously versatile wheels.

Right out of the box, the SRAM S60 wheelset is impressive. Not only do these wheels look fantastic, they weigh in at under 1900g. That may not make them the lightest wheelset on the market, but it’s pretty good for a clincher, and after all, we wanted to test these wheels in some tough – even off road – conditions to see if they really could do it all.

Tried, tested, and true

We’ve grown to expect a lot of carbon wheels, since this is a pretty competitive market these days. At under $1400, the SRAM S60 wheelset certainly is attractive to the wallet. On the bike, they were exactly as expected. The 60mm rims had a conspicuous toroid shape (thanks to Zipp), and certainly cut through the air sweetly. Unlike the S80, there was no perceptible wobble in the swirling air of the pack or in gentle crosswinds. The convenience of a clincher is often spoiled on carbon rims by poor braking surfaces that keep you from trusting your ability to stop, but these wheels give up a little weight for an aluminum braking surface. This means a sharp stop, no slip or squeal, and best of all – no fancy-pants carbon only brake pads (which also makes it a lot easier to swap out for your old aluminum training wheels in bad weather).

The wheels climbed smoothly, stiff enough to transfer power well, and on the descents they stayed remarkably stiff and stable. They were light enough to climb nicely, although if you have the extra cash and climbing is your thing, the S60 wheelset is noticeably heavier than the much more pricey Zipp 404s. That said, for this money, these wheels came out of a long hard test ride – on the road – rolling like they just went out.

Next it was off to the cross course. Once again, just the right rim depth, the rim width fits most cross brakes just fine, and our rider really appreciated the stiffness and stability of the wheels. Best of all, despite sand traps, mud holes, gravel, drop offs, and some not very pretty remounts, these wheels finished a tough test ride just as true as they started. Not bad for the money, not bad at all.

Any down side?

Of course, these aren’t the lightest mid-section wheels on the market, but they are just about the cheapest you’ll find for this kind of quality. Is there anything wrong with the SRAM S60 wheelset? Yes – the decals peeled on the cyclocross test ride. Decals don’t make you go faster though (although you might feel like they do), so we’re willing to overlook that and say that if you have about $1500 to spend and want one set of wheels that can train, group ride, and compete in just about anything, then the SRAM S60 wheelset might just be the very best wheelset on the market for you.

Reynolds RZR 46 Wheelset

admin — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:21:49 +0000

Reynolds RZR 46 Wheelset

If you are even considering a wheelset like the Reynolds RZR 46, then you want to win races at any cost. This isn’t a wheelset for the fainthearted. You’ll probably have seen these wheels flying along under the bikes of pro-tour riders in the top races around the world, and there’s a good reason for that. They are seriously fast. Will you win f you buy them? Maybe, maybe not. One thing s for sure, if you don’t end up on the podium it won’t be because of your wheelset.

How much?

Well, at $6000, you’d almost expect these wheels to be motorized. After all, you really could buy a car for that kind of money. So what do you get when you dip into your 401K to get the Reynolds RZR 46 wheelset?

First of all, don’t get the clincher option. After all, these wheels are for race days, not for trainng, and frankly these are going to be the umpteenth set of wheels you’ve bought, so you should have a set for the wheel care anyway. For speed, you get a 46mm carbon rim, the perfect depth to get an aero advantage, yet not so deep to throw you around in a cross wind. Look more closely at the rim, and you’ll see Reynolds’ patented ‘swirl lip’ technology, that doesn’t try to smooth out the air flow. Instead, it folds the air around the rim, to give the rim a little push. Of course, you can get swirl lip technology on a whole bunch of Reynolds wheelsets, so if that’s what you’re after there are plenty of light, fast wheelsets in the Reynolds stable at less than half the price of the RZR 46.

So why buy these wheels?

There are a few answers to this question. One is that you get all of Reynolds’ best innovations on one wheel. The RZR 46 is the only – and I mean only – wheelset to use an optimized, unidirectional laminate of high mod carbon and boron fiber. That means you get one crazy light, crazy stiff wheel. And the high mod fiber doesn’t stop there; there’s carbon hubs as well, and super fast carbon airfoil spokes designed by science geeks. No, none of your everyday bladed spokes here. That also means no clip on magnets for your cycle computer too – Reynolds says choose you magnet carefully and glue it on to a spoke..

Remember when I said don’t get the clincher version? Here’s why. The tubular wheelset weighs in at only 910g (the set we weighed came in at 880g). The clinchers come in at almost 1200g, and frankly for six grand, you can find wheelsets just about as light for less and put the difference into upgrading the rest of your bike. If you are really looking for the lightest, stiffest, fastest wheels money can buy, which is what the Reynolds RZR 46 aims to be, then don’t mess around and get the tubular.

The perfect race wheel

If you really need to win, and will spend anything to get yourself to the top of the podium, then there might not be a better wheelset. Of course, you need to be fast too, and you need to be light. A front wheel that weighs only 370g spinning on 16 carbon spokes isn’t going to be able to take a thrashing. If you buy these wheels, lighten up on the pizza (maximum rider weight is 220pounds) and look where you’re going. Reynolds makes big claims of durability, and the addition of boron fiber to the structure of the rim and the spokes does make this wheelset stronger than all-carbon comparable wheels, but you still need to be cautious. It’s rare I recommend a company replacement plan, but with this kind of investment, it might not be a bad idea here.

There is a lot more to say about the Reynolds RZR 46 wheelset. It is truly a case of completely rethinking race wheels, and every millimeter of it is designed to be light, stiff, and fast. If you simply have to win, and money is no object, then it would very difficult to suggest any wheelset other than the Reynolds RZR 46. Let’s face it, as you roll out of the neutral zone, everybody is going to looking at your wheels!

DT Swiss RR 1850 Wheelset

admin — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 11:19:46 +0000

DT Swiss RR1850 Wheelset

DT Swiss have a hard-won reputation in the bicycle industry for high quality components that are durable, lightweight and high performance. Individual components such as rims, spokes and hubs can be found on the best wheels in the sport. So when DT Swiss produce a wheelset, you expect an exceptional product.

A very competitive wheelset

The DT Swiss 1850 wheelset is without doubt a solid wheelset. Each wheelset is hand built and you can feel that quality in the ride characteristics. We put our test wheelset through some rigorous road conditions and they remained stiff, compliant and true throughout. The rims are constructed using “strength boost welding technology”, which definitely add a degree of comfort and security when the road throws up potholes or other obstacles that can’t be avoided. The braking surface also performed very well – if it is confidence in the descents you are looking for, a quiet, cool braking surface will go a long way to delivering it and the 1850 stopped solidly, and more importantly predictably, on steep and fast descents.

On the flat the 1850 wheelset felt like they were in their element. The DT hubs rolled beautifully as you would expect, but the surprise was that the wheels performed well as an aero wheelset. The semi aero profile and solid construction not only gives the ride quality a feel of aerodynamics, but also a sense of momentum – once you get these things up to speed, there’s no stopping them. Similarly, when it came time for the sprint, there was no hint of flex, and once again the solid feel of the wheelset lent a good deal of confidence when you most need it.

If only they were lighter…

The only area where I could offer any criticism is when I started to point the 1850 wheelset uphill. At 1850 grams (hence the name, at least DT Swiss aren’t hiding anything), this wheelset is not the lightest. Worse still, you do notice a slight lack of responsiveness when it comes to standing start acceleration and when you get out of the saddle to really push up the climb.

The DT Swiss 1850 wheelset would not look out of place as a high-end training wheelset, and would also work just fine on your race setup, but for their price of $1000 there are other solid performers among the competition that weigh as much as 300 grams less. The DT Swiss 1850 is an impressive looking wheelset which can do most things well, but these days for the money, you are entitled to expect more.

Campagnolo Neutron Wheelset

admin — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:17:48 +0000

Campagnolo Neutron Wheelset

The market for mid priced do-it-all wheels is becoming highly competitive. Manufacturers such as Campagnolo, Shimano and Mavic are able to produce wheels that are strong and reliable for a price that will not break the bank. Of course, strong and reliable wheels have been available to cyclists at reasonable prices for some time, but the difference with the new generation is that for your money you get strength and reliability, but you also get a wheel weight that would not make a top level cyclist (or even a pro cyclist) hide back in the pack.

Real versatility

And the Campagnolo Neutron wheelset really can do it all. I tested my Neutrons on a long training ride, and the first thing I noticed about them is that they climbed very well. At only 1550 grams for the wheelset, they are light, and wheel weight is one of the biggest factors to consider when you think about upgrading your bike, particularly if you enjoy climbing, or want to enjoy climbing more.

The Neutron also handled some rough terrain and harsher road conditions well. Over pot holes and over some dirt road sections, the Neutrons stayed solid and stable, and they always felt as though they could handle all I was throwing at them, or even more. And despite the rough treatment and my 200 pound frame, they did not require so much as a tweak with a spoke wrench on the truing stand when we returned to our starting point.

Not spidery at all…

In the sprints, again, the Neutrons were solid performers. Although they are light, they were stiff and highly responsive to acceleration. I felt no sign of flexing (despite my best efforts!), with good rigidity aided by the design of the rear wheel in particular with its asymmetrical drilling affording the wheel exceptional lateral stiffness.

Race, train, and get ‘em dirty

The Campagnolo Neutron wheelset is a clincher wheel which makes it an ideal choice for a good quality training wheel that could also be used to race, or to tackle various challenging rides over varying terrain. The Neutron’s strength and versatility also make it a good choice for cyclocross. The combination of strength, durability and responsiveness give it ideal characteristic for taking on the lumps and bumps you can expect on a ‘cross course. In addition, ‘cross calls for many tight turns and acceleration from, at times, almost a standing start, and the lightness of this wheel coupled with its stiffness form the important attributes you would look for in a wheel to make sure every ounce of power you put down in order to take off go into speed, and are not lost to flex.

The best bit? The Campagnolo neutrons can be found for around $700. That makes for an excellent all-rounder that presents extremely good value for money. What a great wheelset for your first real upgrade, and if you do spend a bit for a superlight wheelset later on, the Neutrons really should have an honored place as your best training wheelset.

Mavic R-SYS SL Wheelset

admin — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:08:27 +0000

Mavic R-SYS SL Wheelset

Despite an inauspicious start on the market, Mavic continue to forge ahead with the Mavic R-SYS range as their flagship clincher, which they claim is the lightest alloy clincher built wheel set available at 1385 grams. That may be, but it looked very much like they were doomed to failure when Mavic undertook a major recall shortly after R-SYS debuted on the scene.

What went wrong?

R-SYS is a unique wheel, as it is laced with carbon spokes. If that makes you feel nervous, you might feel vindicated to know that those spokes failed spectacularly when the R-SYS first was released, sparking the recall. However, Mavic went back to the drawing board and redesigned their carbon spoke, changing, among other things, from uni-directional carbon fiber to multi-directional carbon fiber.

So why all the fuss about carbon spokes? Is it really worth the trouble? The theory is that the carbon fiber spokes (known as Tracomp spokes) are highly effective both under compression and under traction. Under normal loads, wheel “deflection” is reduced, while under greater loads, flexing is reduced as the spoke cannot loosen.

Stiff wheels are fast wheels

The result is a super stiff wheel, and from personal experience I can attest that this is the case. The R-SYS SL is one of the stiffest, if not THE stiffest wheel I have ever ridden. I am not a small rider. At 190 lb, and in full sprint mode, the R-SYS remained extremely stiff and stable with no detectable deflection. That feeling of zero deflection was also highly comforting on technical descents, leaving me able to concentrate on the best line, rather than worry about how my wheels would react under heavy braking or to every bump and hole in the road.

So are they really that fast?

If there is one area that R-SYS could be criticized, it would aerodynamics. The carbon fiber spokes are round and fairly big, and do not fare as well as bladed spokes in wind testing. This will be of varying importance to you depending on the type of riding you do. If you are a competitive road racer with a penchant for the solo break, you might think twice. But for anyone else that recognizes that the biggest aero disadvantage your bike has is you, the R-SYS SLs are worth a look.