Josh works with 27 engineers in America’s auto racing heartland, Indianapolis. It is a revelation speaking with someone who knows carbon fibre wheels so well, someone who can cut through the myths and the marketing to lay the facts on the table. If you are prepared to let down your defences and indulge in a very technical insight, it is well worth tapping Josh Poertner’s fountain of knowledge and learning a lot more about carbon fibre wheel technology.

A Single Strand of Carbon Fibre

Our journey with Josh Poertner begins with carbon fibre fabrication. I started by asking about the selection of carbon fibre for Zipp wheels.

JP: People are often surprised at how hands-on carbon fibre production is. People like to use the term hand-made and pretty much all of the carbon is hand-made.

The actual carbon production is the graphitisation of the polyacrylonitrile fibre, it’s turned into carbon strands. It’s bundled into a K count, how many thousands per bundle, typically 3K or 6K or 12K and sometimes 24K.

Most of what we use is unidirectional carbon and that is a bunch of parallel running 12K’s or 24K’s that has been pre-impregnated with an epoxy resin and then it’s frozen. The other one that you see a lot in the brake track and the tyre weld of the carbon clinchers is a woven fabric. Typically they have different stiffness properties. When you weave an over-under, the fibre bends. The more bends you have, the poorer it’s going to perform in those directions. If you fracture it, the fracture will run one weave length and terminate at the cross points. Unidirectional carbon aren’t nearly as damage tolerant – it can run the entire length of the strand.

We tend to put woven [carbon fibre] where we drill holes. If you think of drilling in uni-directional [carbon] you can get a run [fracture]  like in nylon. We use woven where we need toughness and also use woven where we have impacts. Woven has higher elongation failure rates, because of the crimping. It can take compression before it actually begins to interlaminar shear.

The range of Zipp Wheels at Ausbike in 2012

Three Dimensional Kevlar Stitching

I am standing with Josh in front of the complete series of ZIPP wheelsets, from the 202 tubular and firecrest carbon clincher through to the 303′s, 404′s, 808′s and disc wheels. Picking up and looking at the construction in more detail Josh continues.

JP: The core of the rim is uni-directional and here, where the powder holes are drilled and the impact zones are, you see woven. Even the tubulars have woven under the ceramic brake surface, just for impact toughness. One of the things that is new on the firecrest wheels is that we have replaced the woven material on the inner diameter with the three dimension stitching technology.

Tens years ago all of the rims were woven; we were really the first to go to an all uni-directional, but we still had woven on the inner and outer diameter. You will notice every single rim on the market today has a [carbon fibre] layup that looks just like my rim. We really set the standard on that. That was a lot of [us] saying “let’s take the woven away from the areas you don’t need it”, which is in the sidewalls.

In the inner diameter we have replaced woven with sewing. The fibre is continuous, tip to tail, so there is no actual seam in the entire rim. Where you have the holes you have what is known as open hole compression, and open hole compression is a hard thing for carbon to resist. You can either drill the hole where the fibers end, and that’s not so strong, or you can push a pin through and mould the hole, and the fibers bend around the hole and they are still not so strong. Nobody has really come up with a great open hole compression solution. If you look at the Boeing 787 they are doing the window surrounds with a three dimensional weave, almost like a grading. It is three dimensionally woven and from that we actually had the idea; what if we three dimensionally stitch or sew?

Conventional wisdom was that you can’t sew prepreg, it’s not going to work. It took about two years to develop the sewing technique, the machines, the coding, and the process.

The stitch on the outside is called the the cover stitch. There are three needles, three puncturing threads and two covering threads. The covering threads give you essentially the same keel resistance as the woven fibre would give you and the added benefit is if the carbon fails, the first thing that fails is the glue. The carbon fibre is ten times stronger than the resin. The failure, whether it is impact, or whether it’s open hole, it is always going to start with an interlaminar shear. You have two carbon parts that are really strong, they are only held together by glue. When there is an impact, or a spike in the load, they shear. What we have done is sown a re-enforcement. Carbon is on the XY [plane] and on the Z is typically glue. We sew through in the Z axis with kevlar, so now to have interlaminar shear you have to physically break those [kevlar] fibers.

3D Kevlar Stitching on the Zipp Firecrest wheelset

It is the nature of wheels, [where] you have to have holes for the nipples, you have to strengthen them. We have found that this [technique] is stronger than any preexisting technology.

The three dimensional stitching is patented, as is the kevlar stitching that runs along the top of the tubular rims for reinforcement, called Carbon Bridge Technology.

The Carbon Bridge Technology allowed this to be the first carbon wheel to finish the Paris-Roubaix and, ultimately, win the Paris-Roubaix. We spent two years developing the technology and trying to convince the riders to try it and the first year we tried it [in 2008] Martijn Maaskant finished 4th, and the next year we won. Tom Boonen later said “I don’t think the race can be won on an aluminium wheel ever again”. We worked with Boonen and Specialized this year where took them into the Arenberg forest, the Carrefour de l’Arbre and to some of the flat paved sections at the end. You could see in the power meter 24 – 26 watts lower at the same speed on the carbon wheel and over the 265km distance, that’s 700 plus calories of energy not burned by riding the carbon wheel.

The Comfort of Carbon Fibre

Just like steel, alumnium and titanium, carbon fibre has material character traits, though it is not necessarily what it seems to be.

JP: People tend to want to always believe that carbon is comfortable and that is not necessarily true. We laughed at the early days when they had carbon seat posts and riders would say it has so much damping. We also make speaker cones out of carbon fibre because it has so little damping. If you want damping, you have to design it in. Take an old school Zipp 440 wheel that we created in 1991, that has a V-shape. It is essentially a triangle and there is nothing more rigid than a triangle. You can add all of the damping you want, if you don’t have the spring rate it really doesn’t matter.

The History of Zip 404 Wheels beginning with the original ‘straight edge’ 404

If you look at our wheels [now] there are no straight surfaces anywhere in the rim. It is all curved and the rim bulges out. You actually have a bit of compliance within the rim section. Now that I have a spring rate, I can then actually add damping. It is really about systems design. Something doesn’t damp because it is carbon.

American Verses Chinese Carbon Production

The majority of the bicycle frames and parts are made in Asia, though ZIPP is one of the few exceptions to the rule with design and production in the United States. Josh Poertner share his position on keeping it local.

JP: The western world has done a really good job of giving its knowledge to Asia in the search for higher profits. We have stayed away from that; everything we sell, we make. Everything we do we consider to be our secret and I consider that to be our advantage. My engineers sit 50 feet away from the guys who actually make the product and that gives us a really different outlook on things. We can move quickly, we can take big design risks in advance development of products.

The original Zipp 303 was a 28mm wide tubular rim with sidewalls that intentionally give about 1.5mm radial compression within the rim section and we started sewing the outer diameter. We started in 2006 saying “we’re going to win Roubaix on this wheel”, while the conventional wisdom was “we’re not even going to ride carbon wheels at Roubaix”. That is the kind of process that I don’t think anybody is willing to undertake in China. You spend the time and money travelling there and back, and now you have a mould – if you don’t use it, they’re going to sell it to some other guys. You need to get to market and make money.

For us, everyone in my company comes from an auto racing background. We are in the home of auto racing in America – Indianapolis. We have 30 composite shops in the greater Indianapolis area, guys making racing car chassis, wings, custom driver seats. For years we made driver seats, steering wheels and wings. We have done engineering work for multiple Indy 500 race winning cars. That’s the background of our crew and our team, so we really try to leverage that to change the cycling experience.

Computers verses Wind Tunnels verses Marketing

Advanced modelling and prototyping on computers aides the design process, though this hasn’t replaced wind tunnel testing. If anything, it makes it more complex, particularly with market pressure to constantly be innovative, lighter, stiffer and faster. So what do you get when you put a marketing in the same room as engineering?

JP: You can’t delude yourself. Everything we do in Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) that you have to make a decision on, you also have to take to the wind tunnel, because there is always that risk. It’s not easier on the computer, but you can pick out a lot of data that you can’t get in the wind tunnel. The wind tunnel essentially gives you three data points and a consumer could say “but you didn’t have a bike”. Then you put a bike in there and they say “you didn’t have a rider”.

Zipp Circumferential variation in Drag Force and Side Force

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with the Zipp 808 rotating with rake

CFD Oilslick Plasma simulation with the Zipp 808

The problem with any sort of measurement device is that you have an uncertainty that is a percentage of your number. If I put a wheel in there, my uncertainty is maybe 8 grams. If I put a bike in there, it is maybe 20 grams. If I put a bike in there with a rider, it could be 100 grams. The problem is that if you are trying to find a change in your wheel, that may only be 15 grams, but there is too much noise. In the wind tunnel, you can see a lot of numbers that the marketing guy calls “better”, but the engineer has to call the same. “That’s 15 grams better, but our uncertainty is 20″. As a responsible engineer, I can’t call that better.

Ninety nine out of one hundred companies in this industry are marketing companies and are buying stuff that someone else is making. Of course, they can go in and say “this is the best”, “this is better”, and we can’t do this.

What we can do in the computer is steering torque. None of the wind tunnels worldwide is measuring this and that is something that we can model. We can measure the steering torque and the centre of pressure and iterate that design in the computer and watch that move.

We sent a team to work in the wind tunnel to develop Yaw moment measurement.  Because we have made changes and helped the wind tunnel make changes, other companies are benefiting from that. We’re willing to accept that. We were there first and basically created the science behind wheel stability, and our whole industry is going to benefit from that. Not a single wheel company here isn’t talking about stability, whether they have any idea what that is or not.

Zipp Wind Tunnel Testing measuring Yaw moment

When Carbon Fails

With the current trends, your next road bike is most likely to be carbon fibre, but not necessarily your next wheelset. Carbon wheelsets are often still reserved for performance rather than everyday riding.

JP: The problem with the wheel is that it sees a lot of heat because there is a braking surface, and of course the area you damage is also the brake surface. We spent three years developing resins that can handle the high temperatures for carbon clinchers; you will see over 400°F (200°C). Our rims can handle transience on the surface of 600°F (315°C). That is another thing with the wheels out of China that people don’t think about. They can soften up, warp and come apart. Tour (magazine) Germany did a nine wheel carbon clincher shootout and Zipp and Xenti were the only two that didn’t melt on the descent and fail through heat. It’s a very hard problem to solve.

We were late to the carbon clincher business because we were busy trying to solve that problem. I was beat about the head and neck by distributors and sales people saying “everybody’s doing it, it works, it works”… but guys, it doesn’t pass our testing! By the time we launched, it was a really well known problem “Oh, it’s hilly were I live – we can’t sell carbon clinchers, they melt”. Melt is not technically right, though is the word that people understand.

There is a thing called the Glass Transition Temperature, that engineers call TG, which is essentially how hot it can be heat-soaked before it starts to move, the epoxy will soften and it will be able to deform. Most of the product out of Asia is between 260 and 280°F (125 – 140°C), some of the good ones are 300°F (150°C). Some of the good US and European made wheels are in the 320 to 350°F (160 – 180°C) range. We are 450°F (232°C) and upwards. The Zipp 202 is a little bit above that still because it is a lighter weight product, so there is a risk that it gets hotter. With the 202 we have launched a new brake pad geometry that is 1.5mm taller radially and that is a 15% increase in surface area. Because it is radial, you are putting in more “swept” area on the rim, so the temperatures tend to run lower.

The Devil in the Detail

Josh is realistic about the performance gains that are possible when it comes to tuning your bike and wheels. It makes sense to split the elite performance athlete from the sports enthusiast. When it comes down to nitty gritty details of tuning a racing bicycle and wheels, when you are paying for your own equipment, there are limits, but also affordable options.

JP: The Mission Statement of my department is “Ultimate Customer Experience” and that goes for every aspect. People get so hung-up on one thing “We build the lightest”, but is that really the ultimate experience. [One of the problems of] an 800gram wheelset, is that part of what you are feeling in instability is that there is not much inertia. There are so many factors that influence it. For bearings, we are the only company left in the world spec’ing DIN P5 bearings from Switzerland. We use a steel bearing that is more precise than almost any ceramic bearing on the market and that’s a real part of the value proposition. Ceramic bearings tend to have low friction if they have ultra-high quality, but a lot of times to get the price point right, you will put a ceramic ball in a Chinese [ball] race. You can say you have ceramic, but essentially you are an ABEC 1, a very low grade race with a high grade ball. That’s not doing anything.

This industry can be really guilty of going for the marketing angle, but guys, if the ceramic bearings upgrade is less that $1000 for the wheelset, it’s not worth it. You get what you pay for. To give you a benchmark, our Zipp hub continually achieves top one, top two in independent mags. Tour magazine did a test a few years ago and we were number two in rolling efficiency behind the DT190 hub, with full ceramic bearings with ABEC 7 races. I look at that and go ‘we’ve got 30% larger flange diameter, we’re a couple of grams lighter, we’ve got a 2mm larger axle and we’re a good bit less expensive’. I think that’s pretty good.

Nine out of ten ceramic bearing upgrades will make my [Zipp] hub less efficient. Ceramic doesn’t necessarily mean efficient. There are a million Chinese made ceramic bearings that are being used for furnace carts and anywhere where you have something that is hot. That is suited to the application and ceramic doesn’t mean high quality and high grade. It is heat resistance against thermal growth, it needs to get hot and not change size like a steel ball. There are a lot of people out there trying to leverage that, but any one of those upgrades in my hub is going to make it roll way less efficiently, so you, as the consumer, may as well put the money in a bin and set it alight.

The best case scenario of ceramic bearings in a wheelset is 1 watt at 30 miles and hour. We sell ceramic bearings and they’re $1000, but we’re honest: “guys, it’s 1000 bucks for a watt”. Tony Martin, at the worlds, rides thousand dollar ceramic bearings. For the consumer, you can buy a better tyre and you’ll save twice that. You put latex tubes in there you’ll save 6 times that amount. A new chain on your bike can be as much as 6 watts compared to a worn chain. Just cleaning your drive chain is a couple of watts. 1 watt of ceramic bearings is about 3 seconds per 40 kilometres. I can find you a minute for the 40k for very little money.

With Chris Langdon, our distributor [echelon], we spent a year working with Kristin Armstrong on every little detail with multiple wind-tunnel tests, looking at different tyres and tyre pressures and clincher verses tubular. Really sweating the details, and she won, and in the end said she felt she really had THE advantage. That’s when she won by 18 seconds and had ceramic bearings and latex tubes, had every little thing dialled and you go “that’s what that’s for”. For consumers who say “I put ceramic bearings in my wheel and now none of my friends can catch me on the hill”, that’s not ceramic bearings. If you loose the national time trials by three seconds, ceramic will buy you three.

There’s fine and then there’s ZIPP

Zipp wheelsets and products are not within the reach of all riders, though Josh knows this: “We try and be at the pinnacle, but are not all things to all people.” For cyclists and teams who are in the line of sight of ZIPP, they can rely on an enviable reputation of quality and reliability that the company has achieved.

Josh feels a personal responsibility to his customers, and while marketing is part of any successful business, the innovation is not dictated by marketeers. “We try to make decisions based on research and based on science and the hardest part is at the end when we try to be honest.”

Zipp wheelsets and accessories are available in Australia through Echelon Sports with select dealers Australia-wide. You can also learn more about the technology on the Zipp website: www.zipp.com

Photos: 1-3 © Bicycles Network Australia, 4 – 10 © Zipp

Boca Bearing are a US company who specialise in ceramic bearings for industrial, mechanical and sporting applications. You would probably only consider purchasing bearings for your bike if you had a wheelset that was a little old and needed an overhaul, or if you are a high performance cyclist and want more (or really less) than a standard wheelset will offer in terms of rolling resistance.

Bearing replacement is usually the domain of professional bike mechanics and while it is still possible to do it yourself, you need to be confident in your understanding of hubs, as it is fairly easy to make a mistake. For this review, Aaron Dunford of Fusion Peak was bought in to be ‘the expert’; he brings years of experience as a bicycle mechanic and wheel builder to this investigation. On top of this, Aaron is also test riding the bearings which are going into his Bontrager MTB wheelset.

Why use a ceramic bearing?
Picture a bearing with balls between the inner and outer surfaces (called races). Traditional bearings use steel balls, either loose between the surfaces or sealed within some sort of container. Modern hybrid ceramic sealed bearings have ceramic balls inside steel races. Full ceramic bearings have the inner and outer races also in ceramic. The more ceramic components in a bearing, the greater the cost, but there are some advantages.

Ceramic balls are lighter than steel balls and roll faster. This means there will be less friction in the bearing, resulting in lower generated heat and a lower rolling resistance. It also means a longer life span.

The advantages of ceramic bearings are often viewed as a myth and, the fact is, even an experienced cyclist will find it hard to physically sense a difference between different bearings on their bike, all other things being equal.

Getting the right size
We faced our first challenge early on in simply getting the right bearings from Boca. An average rear wheel hub has three bearings and the front has two bearings; the tricky thing is that these bearings can be of different sizes and each bearing brand does sizing differently. To make it even harder, each wheelset model from a brand can use different sized bearing and even a new year’s model (from 2011 to 2012, for example) can mean different sizes.

To help with this complexity, the Boca Bearings website allows you to select a wheel brand and exact model in order to get the right sized bearings. For each bearing size you will find the different types of bearings available: chrome, steel, hybrid ceramic, and complete ceramic. For bearing selection, the important dimensions are the inside diameter, outside diameter and the width, so vernier calipers are particularly useful in measuring your current bearings first.

For the Mavic Ksyrium road wheels we were initially going to use in this review, we had the bearing dimensions but couldn’t match the model nor find all of the bearing sizes on the Boca site. We then tried to find bearings for some Bontrager mountain bike wheels and, though these wheels were not listed, we found matches for four of the five bearings, so we ordered them.

The ceramic hybrid bearings we received were three yellow sealed SMR6000C-2YS/C3 (ID 10mm OD 26m Width 8mm) bearings at US $17.95 each, and another yellow sealed SMR6900C-2YS/C3 (ID 10mm OD 22m Width 6mm) bearing at the same price. For the fifth bearing, the size was not a common one and only a chrome bearing was available, a little cheaper at US $11.95. This will be a good control bearing that we can later use for comparison.

Preparation before bearing installation
After a lot of planning it was time to get our hands dirty. We pick up the action with the old bearings already removed. Before considering getting the new bearings in, the hubs first need to be prepared, particularly if the wheels have already seen a bit of action. A good clean with a rag will get any grit out and a blade can be used to remove any burrs inside the hub and at the hub ends, so that metal shavings aren’t pressed inside when the bearings are fitted. After a coating of light oil (as opposed to grease) the hub is ready. The key to pressing in the bearings is to press them in perfectly straight, so don’t even think about using a hammer.

Bearing installation
Removing the old bearings and fitting the new ones requires specialist tools and, since all hubs are different, there is no single tool that will do it all. Aaron Dunford is mechanically adept and he had built some of the tools we needed for this job. Some tools were as simple as nuts and washers on a quick release skewer combined with the old bearings to safely press the new ones in; the quick release is used to slowly leverage them into place. Where the skewer doesn’t work, a long threaded bolt with properly placed washers and nuts becomes a tool that can hold the new bearing properly in place as a spanner slowly tightens to press the bearing in. Does it sound like DIY? Well it is, but in the hands of an experienced mechanic.

Fitting the bearings in the rear hub also means rebuilding the freewheel, and putting everything together the right way and in the right order. Having a professional rebuild the freehub and fit the bearings will give you peace of mind, given that a mis-pressed bearing could damage the hub and ruin the wheel.

The result
When we tested the Bontragers with the new bearings, the difference in rolling resistance was profound. It is a great sign when you can softly spin a wheel and watch it rotate for ages. The original bearings had already suffered years of abuse on sandy trails; for a brand new wheelset you may however find that the noticeable difference is marginal.

So how do these bearings ride? Let’s check with Aaron after he completed 500km with his Bontrager wheels and new Boca Bearings:
“Since the first ride I did notice a big difference in control and speed. I quickly accepted this as the new norm. From the first rides I felt that I could let the bike roll off drops with less pulling up, I could pump the wheel in the front end to pre load it and with the new bearings the wheel went forward instead of slowing due to the increase in friction. Also, at very slow speeds, my balance was notably better due to the ease at which the bike rolls. When doing a track stand, the response in the wheels to rocking gently is very precise and light feeling. So far I can feel no wear or hear any crunching.”

The yellow seal hybrid ceramic bearings are at the affordable end of the scale when compared with full ceramic bearings that will set you back US $60 – $80 a piece.

The real test of these bearings is the test of time, and these wheels are due to see some good action both for training and competitive events on local and Canadian soils. Stay tuned, as we will return to these wheels in about six months and take them apart. In the meantime, you can take a closer look at the Boca Bearings for Cycling on their website.

Video of the bearing installation
During the bearing installation we ran a video camera and have packed it together in a super fast video.

The Francs are the top model wheelset from Swiss based company Swiss Side and have been created by Australian industrial designer George Cant and Swiss engineer Jean-Paul Ballard. The wheels are manufactured in Taiwan but are far from stock-standard, this is a purpose designed wheel set. They also come nicely presented in a wheel bag with a spoke tool and a magnet for your speedometer. And when it comes to the look, the Francs you have something a little different to the rest of the peloton.

While I wanted to put them on my bike I had a better candidate to test them: Andy. Andy rides a lot, he rides hard, he weighs in at 80 kg and he loves climbing. Having just blown two front spokes on separate mornings he was ripe for something new, and stronger. I set Andy up with the Francs and told him to ride.

“My first impressions of these wheels? – They look strong, aerodynamic and have bloody smooth hubs. I was damn surprised to see that the rear weighed the same as my Dura-Ace 7900 c24′s.”

To really give these wheels a solid test, I left Andy out on the road for four months before I got him back in for his verdict.

“Riding these wheels…well, they just worked. They felt as fast as my Dura-Ace wheels; a little stiffer and very predictable around corners. The hubs did their job like everything else. They are a good wheel set, one you don’t even think about! I noticed when I took them off that they where as true as day one. Negatives – the bike computer magnet doesn’t fit the spokes.” [The bike magnet issue has since been rectified (a magnet is included with the wheels)].

The Francs have ridden well, but as a young and relatively unknown brand in the world of Mavic, DT Swiss, Zipp, Fulcrum and Shimano, would Andy recommend these wheels?

“I would happily use these wheels instead of my Dura-Ace 7900 c24′s and am confident I’d get plenty of years out of them. So yes, I will recommend this brand to others for two reasons:
- They work and;
- I want to support a local supplier; they have a far easier support process than buying wheels online from overseas.”

Swiss Side wheels retail online and, as they are sent from overseas, this saves you some of the overheads of buying the wheels locally. Swiss Side do, however, provide local support for service and warranty. My only gripe with them was that I found that the quality of the skewers was average and would certainly upgrade them to titanium.

In terms of value for money, Andy said that he would pay over $1000 for these and found the $879 price tag very attractive.

At the time of publishing the Swiss Side Francs are sold out, however new stock is coming soon, so keep an eye out for them online at au.swissside.com/shop/franc-wheelset

They enter the market with three models, the St Bernard, the Heidi and the Franc, and on these names alone they are already setting the stage for being a little different. Ranged between (AUS) $329 for the St Bernard and $879 for the Franc, they are targetting entry to mid-range budgets, though are aiming to provide better value for money compared with the more well known and established brands. Particularly for the Heidi (retail $594) the value for money was quite apparent when BNA’s secret test rider (lets call him Cycling Stig), was surprised at the price, considering the weight of 1.5 kg and performance in both training and racing.

Overall, the wheelsets tick the boxes when it comes to price, quality and performance. The top model Francs also come with soft bags for transporting the wheelsets and have Swiss Side skewers. As with most of the cycling gear manufactured in this age, these wheelsets are made in Taiwan. George assures me that after years of experience with Taiwanese manufacturers, they have chosen both an experienced and qualified manufacturing partner and the development of these wheelsets means that they are very much an individual product and not stock standard. Each wheelset, including the entry level St Bernards, are hand built and this gives them a point of difference with mass produced wheels.

So that all sounds good… BUT…

Swiss Side wheelsets may not appeal to everyone, in particular the seasoned cyclist who would automatically tend towards a more well known product as well as a product that fits better with their own visual expectations. Technically the wheels feel good, the names and the artwork design of the wheelsets however, particularly the St Bernard and the Heidi, are out of the ordinary. Purely on this basis, the wheels can loose some appeal to the really serious cyclists where a sense of union and conformity is important to their cycling lifestyle.

The St Bernard (pictured) features a faux wood pattern. While this reminds me of the Swiss Alps with wooden chateau’s dotted through the valleys, and is enforced with the Old European style typography contrasting with the sleek red, black and white styling of Swiss Side, this could also throw off a lot of people who are after a simpler, modern and less conflicting look.

Jean-Paul comments, “With regards to the styling of road bike wheels currently on the market, we find the general state of affairs very bland and uninspiring. Therefore we have invested a lot of time and effort in developing wheels with character. The engineering design and the intended use for each wheel set model, has been coupled with developing a distinct character and graphic design artwork to go with it.

“In this way we strive to give the customer more than just a set of wheels but a story behind each one which has been created and developed with the particular wheel model from grass roots concept stage onwards. If the rave reviews from the circles of the graphic design industry and customers alike are anything to go by, then we believe we are onto something special!”

One of the striking features through the range of wheelsets are the black spokes broken by two red and one single white spoke, in the Swiss national colour. Particularly on the Francs, this is a lovely detail.

If you remember the extravagent Rock Racing team who’s team kit featured skulls and artwork more likely to be found in a tattoo parlour – the Heidi Wheelset with lime green typography on red is also a different look and suited to a rider who appreciates the puns and kitch of the Swiss Heidi. If you have a frame with dominantly red, white and black, the lime green is an attractive accent though this is not for the weak. If other cyclists in your bunch break into spontaneous yodeling, you will know why.

The Titanium Vuelo Velo with Swiss Side Francs

The top model 27mm deep aluminium Francs with aero spokes and seemless welding weigh in at 1,533 grams (excl. skewers).

“The Franc wheel set has been designed to challenge the Mavic Ksyrium SL, the Fulcrum Racing 1 and the Campagnolo Eurus” says Jean-Paul. “These wheels typically focus purely on stiffness with a large compromise to the aerodynamics. With the Franc wheel set we have put a much heavier focus on the aerodynamics and in particular drag reduction, without compromising the stiffness. We have achieved this through the rim profile design, the ‘clean connect’ spoke to rim interface, and the tapered bladed aluminum spoke. In this way we believe to have produced a more rounded wheel design which offers a more than competitive stiffness to weight ratio without compromising the aerodynamic performance.”

One interesting things about Swiss Side is a non-traditional approach to delivering their wheels. Instead of importing and working through distributers, a process that takes years to set up, they are utilising the internet and sending wheels from overseas directly to the customer. This significantly reduces overheads though for Australian customers they are still able to offer local support and warranty fulfillment.

While these wheels may not be for everyone – if you buy a complete bike and are looking to upgrade your wheels, or have a reliable second set, it could be worth your while to see what Swiss Side wheels offer.

Visit: http://au.swissside.com

These wheels were custom built, the setup is DT Swiss 240s hubs, DT Revolution spokes, DT R1.2 rims a 30mm deep semi-aero rim, Michelin Pro Race III tires and latex tubes. The wheelset weighs in at 1450g. My previous wheels were Mavic Ksyriums and the difference is noticeable, the Ksyriums being stiffer, and the DT Swiss are lighter. Note that the RR 585 was formerly the RR 1.2, it’s the same rim with a new name.

The rims can be built up with 20, 24, 28, or 32 hole count. With a 30mm deep and 19.5m wide rim. The 30mm cross-section height means you can have the wheels built with a lower spoke count without compromising durability. If they go out of true, you break a spoke, or you crash hard enough to bend a rim, they can be fixed relatively cheaply.

These are great race wheels with no real disadvantage to more expensive carbon sets. The DT Swiss isn’t as aero as a set of Zipp carbons, but you don’t get dropped because of your wheels!!

I have ridden these wheels over 2500kms, from social rides, training and racing, sprinting, hill climbing and time trialling and they have performed flawlessly.

They ride beautifully and stiff enough to be responsive and when you put the power out the power transfer is immediate. They absorb rough surfaces well so even in awful conditions and a rough road they roll absorb the shock. I rode them through some tough climbs and sprints without any noticeable flex. The 30mm deep rim gives you an aerodynamic advantage over other wheelsets.

DT Swiss wheels are comfortable and reliable on harsh surfaces, even on cobbles, fast on bitumen and perfect for rolling along in a club ride.

The DT Swiss rims are stable under you sprinting, climbing or even trim trialling, the aero advantage might save you a second or two over 20ks, are light compared against a set of Mavic Kysiriums, have a consistent weld joint, stay true and look great.

As aluminium alloy rims, there are none of the breaking concerns as with carbon rims – with decent brake pads expect you can expect reliable and solid braking!

If you don’t want to spend $3000 on a set of purpose built wheels then you couldn’t go past looking at a set of DT Swiss wheels. Mavic wheels sets and other machine built wheelsets don’t have the quality wheel build as a pair of DT Swiss. DT has a smooth even weld joint which looks nice.

Something that was noticeable was they are comparatively noisy, competitors might hear you coming, especially when you get out of the saddle sprinting.

This set of wheels balances out technology and durability transformed into a stylish, fast and robust training or racing wheel set. I love these wheels and would suggest these to anyone looking for an all around/race/club/climbing rides.

Supplier Dirt Works http://www.dirtworks.com.au

Shimano introduces a 50mm deep profile carbon-aluminum composite clincher wheel set with model name WH-RS80-C50. It combines an aerodynamic rim profile and excellent rigidity with the convenience of clincher tire compatibility for everyday riding.

This wheel set features an identical rim technology as DURA-ACE WH-7850-C50-CL, in combination with a set of affordable – but highly reliable – RS (ULTEGRA grade) hubs. These hubs have been developed using SHIMANO’s proven cup and cone bearings that are well appreciated for their great durability and adjustability. WH-RS80-C50 features 16 double butted, bladed, stainless steel spokes in the front and 20 in the rear wheel. Compatible with 8, 9 and 10-speed SHIMANO cassettes. Weight: 1750 gr.

The price and availability has not yet been announced.

Mavic iO
The iO was designed as a Track wheel and since 2002 has been used by Pros for Time Trials. For 2010, the Mavic iO wheelset for Time Trials is available for sale.

Mavic have calculated that at speeds of over 50km/h, drag represents 90% of the overall effort with the wheels representing 15% of the total drag. Even with a slight cross wind, Mavic claim that on a 50km time trial with an average speed of 50km/h, the iO will save 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

The five spokes of the Carbon Fibre iO wheel mean a laterally stiff and rigid wheel to withstand the pressure and power from a performance athlete. The iO wheel set is part of the SSC range of Mavic products targeted to professionals.

Mavic gear is distributed in Australia by Groupe Sportif

Two Piece Hub
Two piece flange and hub that keeps the bearings free of tension – so they can spin more smoothly.

Staight Double Threaded Spokes
Stonger and with less play at either end therefore with smaller peak loads

Star Ratchet
The DT Swiss Star Ratchet System allows easy conversion to different axels and rotor types.

Open Crowfoot
Spokes with radial and crossed lacing for better stiffness and more direct ‘transmission’ of power.

Rim Insert / Torx Nipples
Inserts that hold the spoke nipple (on two sides) and thus allowing a lighter rim. The Tork Nipple mean that a truing tool has a better grip and truing is easer.

Concave Rim Profile
Concave walls on the rim to counteract spoke tensions

The DT Swiss XM 1550 Wheelset for Mountainbiking weights 1550 grams

The DT Swiss RR 1450 Road Wheelset weighs 1450 grams. (Note the correlation between the weight and product name.)

In Australia, DT Swiss is imported by Dirt Works Australia

More info on the Tricon system / materials / advantages on launch.

XM 1550 Tricon (Mountain Bike)
- Swiss made Light and stiff cross mountain wheelset
- SBWT welded rims
- High end Tricon hubs with high precision cartridge bearings and star ratchet drive system
- Open crowfoot: spoke pattern with combined radial and crossed spokes for high stiffness and perfect transmission of torques

(1550 grams set)

RR 1450 Tricon (Road)
- Swiss made / Lightweight and aerodynamic wheelset
- SBWT welded rims with Wear Control
- High end tricon hubs with high precision cartridge bearings and star ratchet drive system
- Open crowfoot: spoke pattern with combined radial and crossed spokes for high stiffness and perfect transmission of torques

(for Shimano and Campagnolo)

(1450 grams set)

In Australia, DT Swiss is imported by Dirt Works Australia