RACE WHEELS

Guy Kesteven tests 10 of the latest deep-dish speed wheels to find the best pair for you and your budget

The triathlon race season will soon be upon us, and there are few more proven ways with gear to shave speed off your bike split than with a pair of deep-rim race wheels. Get the right set and you can look to save 2-3% in drag, which equates to 50 seconds over a 40km Olympic-distance bike leg, close to four minutes over an 180km Ironman ride.

But what should you look for to find the right set of deep-section (a 50-80mm rim depth) wheels for triathlon racing? As a general rule, the deeper the wheel, the lower the drag,rag, so the temptation is always to go as deep as possiblee. Decent aerodynamic changes – blunter nosed rim profiiles, bulged centre sections, wider overall width – claim to have made the handling of deep-section wheels safer, too. But is that really true? And does a heavier weight compromise acceleration and climbing more than the aero gains are worth?

There was a time when only top rims had advanced aero and braking features that made them worth paying for. Now, even the cheapest wheels on test here are claiming performance parity. But are they really as fast and durable as the more expensive ones? Are fat rims always smoother and friendlier than thin ones? And are some wheels noticeably faster than others on the road?

Read on for our expert reviews of 10 pairs of 45-83mm wheels, from £800 to over three grand, to find out.

rim The wheels he ere use a full carbon rim to keep weightw low. Cheaper wheels use a carbon body bonded onto an alloy outer rim. hub Some wheels use narrow front hubs to reduce frontal area, while others use larger diameter hubss for stiffness....