Brand new Bora wheels
New wheelset from the Italian marque leaves little room for rim-brake romanticism, writes Michelle Arthurs-brennan
Campagnolo’s newest Bora Ultra WTO wheels have been designed for disc brake-only groupsets, do not require the use of rim tape with tubeless set-ups and feature a new spoke design where the nipple is hidden from view, while still allowing for spoke tension adjustment at home.
Campagnolo has been making its Bora wheels since 1994 - but this latest iteration comes with some very modern twists.
The new wheels are available in three rim depths, 33, 45 and 60mm, and retail at £2,810 a pair.
The 33mm option comes with a 21mm internal width, whilst the 45mm and 60mm pairs have a 19mm internal width which has been optimised for the use of 25mm tyres. The jury is out with regards to the ideal rim and tyre combos for aerodynamics but
Campagnolo says it found the narrower internal width aerodynamically faster.
All three options use Campagnolo’s ‘Hand Made Ultra Light Carbon’, with weights at 1,385g (33mm), 1,425g (45mm) and 1,530g (60mm).
The ‘C-lux’ carbon finish used does not require laquer, which saves weight, while the rim bed is undrilled which means that tubeless tyres fit without the need for tape. Clincher tyres are still compatible.
Campagnolo has not gone down the route of using hookless rims, bucking a trend we’ve seen with recent releases. The company cites the restrictive nature of the current recommended maximum tyre pressure (72psi), along with tyre compatibility, as the reasons behind this.
Aero Mo-mag nipples and G3 spoke lacing
The new nipple design is engineered to offer superior aerodynamics. Named ‘Aero Mo-mag’, this is an evolution of the previous ‘Mo-mag’, and Campagnolo has had it patented for three years.
The design sees the nipple seat embedded within the rim. Campagnolo did note that the nipple seats/ plates are a “nightmare to get inside the rim,” but stated that so far they’ve never had one break. In the event a breakage did occur, it looks like this would be a warranty job – not something you or your local bike shop could fix.
The process means that the nipples and valve holes can be moulded into the rims, doing away with the need to drill into the carbon and therefore creating a stronger wheelset by reducing localised stress on the carbon – as well as negating the need for rim tape. Glass-fibre reinforced polymer plates between the rim and nipple improve seat angle and alignment, increasing durability.
The spoke tension can still be adjusted, via a tool that is supplied with each wheelset. Campagnolo hasn’t listed the aftersale price of this tool. You probably don’t want to lose it.
The wheels, of course, use Campagnolo’s instantly recognisable asymmetric G3 spoke lacing, which is designed to be stiff under load.
Bora Ultra WTO hubs
The wheels use Campagnolo’s Bora Ultra WTO hubs, with the brand’s own Cult ceramic bearings.
“The new nipple is engineered to offer superior aerodynamics”
The front hub boasts a carbon body, with aluminum at the rear and a 36-tooth pawl ratchet driver body; as standard the wheels use Campagnolo’s N3W freehub body (which accommodates 11, 12 and 13-speed cassettes) but the wheelsets are also available with freehub drivers for Shimano HG or SRAM XDR.
The hubs use a standard 100/142mm thru-axle, using the centerlock-compatible splined AFS rotor interface.
Of course, ceramic bearings are a must at this price point and Campagnolo claim that these offer 40 per cent less friction when compared with the brand’s own standard sealed steel option.
A brand’s own windtunnel test always has to be taken with a pinch (or, an absolutely massive tablespoon full) of salt, since we don’t have the full details of the protocols used and so this data can be misleading.
However, Campagnolo’s data showed the 45mm wheelset’s performance against Swiss Side’s Hadron 45 wheels, with less than five watts difference – positive and negative – across a range of yaw angles. Swiss Side does carry out testing and development for external brands so are considered a reputable benchmark for making such comparisons.