Dutch company AForce has come up with what they claim are “the fastest aluminium bicycle wheels”. Launching on Kickstarter right now, the Al33 clincher aims to offer the best features of costly carbon wheelsets in a more affordable alloy package.
- Over to you: are wider rims marketing hype or a real-world benefit?
- Buyers guide to road wheels
- How to choose mountain bike wheels
At the time of writing, the crowdfunding campaign has smashed through its €18,000 goal and it's close to doubling that figure with more than a week to go. AForce sent us a pre-production wheelset to try out and we've given them a first ride, so here are our first impressions.
AForce Al33 rims: what you need to know
- It's available with or without a funky black ceramic coating
- Super wide at 19.6mm internal and bulges to 26.2mm externally at its fattest
- 32.5mm deep
- It has a toroidal cross-section à la Zipp
- Tubeless ready and weighs a claimed 465g/1lb
We've discussed wide rims recently on BikeRadar and the general consensus seems to be that they are a bit of a no brainer — there's essentially no downside.
ADVERTISEMENT
The extra tyre volume they afford means you can run lower pressures with a reduced risk of pinch flats, and wide rims tend to be laterally stiffer than conventional ones for a given weight, without being any harsher riding (the opposite, if anything).
Toroidal cross-sections are more aerodynamic than slab-sided v-shaped rims, and they handle better in cross-winds too.
Braking bad
Sexy, coloured brake tracks have always come at a cost. Carbon is the obvious choice, but it’s never cheap and only the very best carbon rims offer braking that rivals that of alloy wheels.
The wheel deal
AForce Al33 wheelset first impressions
Braking… good
AForce Al33 wheelset pricing and availability
- Al33 with ceramic coating: €699 including VAT (approx £596 / US$788 / AU$1034 at time of writing)
- Al33 without ceramic coating: €649 including VAT (approx £553 / US$732 / AU$960)
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
via BikeRadar All the latest from BikeRadar.com http://ift.tt/2bQlaNu
No comments:
Post a Comment