£949.99 for both Tubular or Clincher
www.upgradebikes.co.uk
As a rule of thumb function and price go hand in hand. I’m all for buying pricier components if it means greater reliability and performance but I reach a point where this can longer be justified. The point where you’re having to outlay some serious cash for a smidgen of improvement. For the best part of 15 years I’ve been this way especially as far as wheels are concerned. Before joining The KMP I’d generally plump for the safe and trusted combination of XT hubs on Mavic 717s or some such. Nothing flash but they do the job well. The Ford Focus of wheelsets. Now, being given the chance to ride the best part of £1000 in wheel shape, I was curious and a little skeptical as to what the difference would be. Worth the quite considerable extra money?
Well, yes and no is the simple and fence-sitting answer. They will make you faster. No question. The main difference I’ve noticed riding these carbon hoops is the rigidity. Stiff and noticeably so over alloy rims. Out the saddle and climbing there is no detection of flex. In fact I only really realised this when I went back to my old wheels and stopped mid climb to wonder if the QR was done up correctly. The also translates to downhill performance. They just track superbly and inspire confidence in your line choice. The mixture of lightweight and stiffness gives the bike a ferocious character. They crave to be ridden hard and fast and come in to their own when really pushed. Skimming over roots, transferring that power from the pedals into snappy acceleration, they are built and designed for speed.
They may not come on the radar for many riders either for price reasons or the perception that these are for race whippets. I would beg to differ. Sam Reynolds of DMR uses the same wheels for dirt jumping as I do for XC racing. These wheels are strong. Albeit I’ve snapped two spokes in the past year. The benefit with these wheels is that even with a snapped spoke the wheel still stays pretty much true and perfectly rideable. In fact I’m still riding with a snapped spoke for the past 3 weeks as I haven’t had the time to replace it and not noticed anything untoward. I’ve crashed more times this year then any other in my life and yet the wheels still don’t give up staying taught and true with no attention. Outstanding and I feel the addition to any bike would make a noticeable change in character. For the better making the bike precise, smooth and fast. The question comes down to how much of a price are you willing to pay. For me, having now ridden them for a year, I couldn’t go back to the old ways. Would you?
