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FEATURES: INTERBIKE WHEEL REPORT, PART TWO
Bob Sutton
October 15, 2010
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Enve Composites (the artists formally known as Edge) presented a set of
their Road Wheel 65s mounted on a beautiful Lynskey Helix OS titanium
bike. What appealed to me was the low weight of the clincher version,
only 1,472 grams when built with DT 190 hubs. That’s lighter than most
lightweight aluminum wheelsets, but remember, you’re talking about a 65
mm profile set-up. This wheelset would rock on the rolling terrain of
the Midwest, but could also be used in the mountains. Imagine! Enve Composites.
Profile Design has been designing their new wheel line for over two years and introduced the resulting nine new wheelsets to the masses at Interbike. We removed a pair of their full carbon (they also have an aluminum/carbon version) Altair 52 Clinchers, from the display for a closer look. The wheels are made with proprietary carbon and Profile’s own precision aluminum hubs. The wheels are built by hand to ensure the quality of each wheel. The all carbon 52 clinchers weigh a claimed 1683 grams. Profile Design
American Classic’s lightweight Magnesium Clincher 300 wheelset was notable because, as the name implies, the rims are very light 300 gram magnesium units. These wheels should be very quick accelerating and exhibit a ride unlike any other rim materials. The pair weighs only 1275 grams and sells for $1,599. This writer is anxious to put some miles on a set. American Classic.
Mavic had a huge display of wheelsets, but we know that you want to see
their ultimate wheel, the aptly named Cosmic Carbone Ultimate. This 40
mm profile wheelset weighs a scant 1,185 grams and is an aero rim to
boot! They don’t come cheap at $3,599, but that price also includes a
pair of Mavic’s new Yksion Griplink tubular tires.
Or…. You could just buy a new Felt F1 road bike and get a pair of Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimates as part of the package. It’s your money. Mavic.
Hed fields a broad array of wheels, but I headed straight for the Ardennes the moment I reached their booth. Several years ago I was lucky enough to spend some time on a pair and loved their responsiveness. Life was good until the RBA suits that dwell in the front office ignored my pleas and tore them from my grasp. I liked them a lot and still hold a grudge. What you need to know is that Hed renamed their alloy wheel line this year to all carry the Ardennes name, so the ones that I mentioned are now called the Ardennes SL. They weigh 1,450 grams, but you can shave that down to 1,390 grams if you buy their Ardennes FR (the Flamme Rouge) version. Hed Cycling
Handspun garnered a lot of attention with these hand-built double-twist track wheels. Then, on Friday some lucky Interbike attendee won them and took them home. Nope, it wasn’t us. This pair sported Velocity B43 rims and Miche Primato track hubs. Handspun Wheels.
Rolf Prima’s lightweight aluminum Elan clincher wheelset weighs only 1340 grams. That’s as light, or lighter than most carbon clinchers available today. Rolf Prima has been using their paired spoke design for years to enhance stability in the wheel and the added stability lets them spec lighter semi- aero rims on the Elan. They also take the extra step of CNC-machining the brake sidewalls to provide solid, consistent braking. Priced at only $999, this wheelset is a bargain. Rolf Prima.
Not content to rest on their laurels, Rolf Prima introduced their new TdF38 SL wheelset for 2011. This 1105 gram carbon wheelset is for you tubular lovers. It also features Rolf Prima’s paired spoke design, but uses only 14 spokes in the front and 16 spokes in the rear. The TdF38 SL is priced at $2,199.
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