Light-weight, the German ultra-premium carbon wheel producer, has chosen relaxation day on the Tour de France to launch what it’s calling a “new period in carbon wheel engineering”.
People who bear in mind the final time we noticed a Light-weight wheel on the Tour de France was probably in 2007, when German pro-rider Marcus Burghardt collided with a yellow Labrador, tacoing his entrance wheel and sending him flying over the bars.
Since then, regardless of some controversy on the time, wheels like their Obermayer 50’s have remained an unique and arguably cult product, the place their legend in hill climbing and dash circles is barely actually revealed to people who can afford them, and the odd fortunate journalist. For a lot of diehard followers and some of these within the know, Light-weight make the greatest carbon wheels on this planet.
Spokes move by the hub shell the place they’re bonded on to an tailored DT Swiss 180 hub shell
(Picture credit score: Light-weight)
Even for journalists, they’re as uncommon as rocking horse deposits, and we now have to go way back to Simon Smythe, one in every of my most esteemed predecessors, to search out proof of their lore. Simon reviewed them for Biking Weekly again in 2018, saying that “as a pure climbing wheel they merely can’t be beat”.
The brand new wheels, not not like the otherworldly pricing of the outgoing fashions, retail at a rare €6,990 for the highest spec Meilenstein Artwork Schwarz ED wheelset, or simply €6,550 for the bottom spec mannequin.
Light-weight, because it did within the Obermayer, makes use of an progressive development technique which sees the spoke bonded into the rim, at reverse factors within the rim of the wheel. On this case, the spoke passes by a particular flange on an aluminium hub physique (based mostly on the DT Swiss 180) the place the passing spoke is bonded with adhesive to the hub shell, completely.
The interior rim mattress width is now a extra up to date 23mm
(Picture credit score: Light-weight)
The unconventional manufacturing approaches proceed on this newest incarnation of their wheels, the place the rim itself, measuring 45mm in depth, makes use of reusable inserts to mould ribs contained in the rim profile – known as Alpha Rib Expertise or ART for brief – which they declare provides class main lateral stiffness. This could fear unattentive pedigree breeds all over the place.
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The model additionally claims that CfD and wind tunnel work accomplished within the design of the now extra typical, up to date, aero rim profile places them forward of the competitors when lateral stiffness is about towards aero efficiency and weight.
The Obermayer wheelset measured simply 18mm inside and 19mm exterior. Dimensions which might be a blade to the shoulder of an errant canine now that they are presumably unfoldable.
Fortunately, the brand new rim design is extra blunt, and brings the a lot girthier rim profile into the vary of latest wheel launches from different manufacturers – with an inside rim width of simply shy of 23mm (22.9mm) and exterior rim width of 28.6mm. The wheels are designed round a 28mm and bigger tyre profile and are of a hooked design.
Extremely stiff wheels really feel nice on easy tarmac, and low ranges of lateral flex can create nice cornering sensations.
(Picture credit score: Light-weight – Michael Blann)
Lateral motion on a wheel rim is often measured by assessing the deflection when weighted. If the info is to be believed, these wheels usually are not simply stiffer than the outgoing mannequin in that aircraft, however stiffer than the equally costly Partington R-Collection MKII, which retail for a equally interstellar sum, however are in the identical miniscule ball park in terms of mass. If the load claims show to be correct too, Meilenstein Artwork will now be some 70g+ lighter than the outgoing mannequin they exchange.
We requested for aero knowledge to help the efficiency claims in respect of the 20 spokes, which seem wider gauge than typical carbon spokes. This was not obtainable on the time of going to press, however these wheels are marketed for the needs of sprinting, and climbing, the place the model clearly selected to prioritise, or maybe extra pretty, think about, each stiffness and aero, over out-and-out aero numbers. The wheels are it claims, 20% extra aero than the final mannequin.
Saying the load is extraordinarily aggressive understates the info considerably. The wheels are available in decrease than a lot shallower profile wheelsets like Roval’s Alpinist, which suggestions the scales at 1250g.
While the Light-weight’s keep true to their model title at a meagre 1190g +/-3%, claimed weight, the equally bonkers Partington’s will need to have been on their radar all through the event of this wheelset. These, fear the scales at round 1170g, so these extraordinarily unique wheels, from a model already recognized for creating a few of the stiffest using, lightest and most unique disc brake wheels on this planet, are definitely nonetheless within the recreation.
We have but to journey them after all, however with the brand new figures in hand, I might not wager towards the entrance wheel if these new Light-weight’s comes up towards a wandering Labrador ever once more.
Specs
Wheelset Weight: 1.190 g (+/- 3%)
FW: 550 g | RW: 640 g
Rim Depth: 45 mm
Inside Rim Width: 22,9 mm
Exterior Rim Width: 28,6 mm
Rim Design: 700C | hooked | closed rim mattress
Optimized Tire Dimension: 28 mm+
Tire Sort: Tubeless-Prepared
Spokes: 20 Full-Carbon Entrance/Rear
Hub: Proprietary Penta-Fly | DT SWISS EXP 180
Freehub Methods: Shimano | Sram | Campa
Brake System: Disc Centerlock
Spacing: 12×100 | 12×142