Parcours Chrono £1,049 | 1,620g
Andy Turner puts a pair of deep section aero wheels through their paces
The Parcours Chrono wheelset is a deep section option, with the front and rear wheels designed specifically to take into account the different yaw angle (the angle at which the air impacts the wheel). As a result, the front has a wider and more U-shaped profile (as the yaw angles are higher) and the rear wheel keeps a more traditional narrower V-shape. According to Parcours the result is that the wheels are more aerodynamic than similarly deep wheels, while also being more stable in the wind. This promises to be both faster and also reduce fatigue, as the upper body isn’t having to utilise so much energy to stabilise the wheels.
Construction
The Parcours Chrono wheelset consists of a front wheel that is 68.6mm deep and 32mm wide, while the rear is 75.7mm deep and 30.5mm wide. Both have an internal width of 22.5mm which is designed to be fastest when paired with a 28mm tyre. Parcours says the front is shallower, in part because it has the capacity to pivot through the fork, whereas the rear is fixed and cannot move, hence the greater depth, which the UK brand reckons is still stable enough even for lighter riders.
Sapim CX-RAY spokes are laced in a two-cross pattern on both the front and rear wheels with
24 total in each. The hubs are Parcours’s own Centerlock disc hub. They use an externally splined lockring as the bearings used are too large for an internally splined one. The reason behind the larger bearings is to improve rolling resistance while also increasing ruggedness and durability. The bearings are EZO stainless steel, but Parcours offers a Kogal Ceramic upgrade option.
The freehub body is designed to be harder wearing, to stop the cassette from biting into it, while the ratchet uses a 44t engagement system with three pairs of pawls for longevity and performance. There’s also the option to have them built up with Classified’s Powershift hub.
As for the weight, the front wheel tips the scales at 754g, while the rear is 875g, which puts the total of the wheelset at 1,620g.
Performance
On various test loops I was consistently around 3kph quicker over a 30mm rim for around the same power and heart rate, with similar weather conditions. The surprising thing about this is that every test loop was pretty lumpy, with an average of 500m climbing per 30km. Although such testing is never scientifically vigorous, it is a useful and telling guide.
At slow speed they felt a bit sluggish, taking a while to get up to speed. However, once up to speed they just roll and roll, especially on gradients below 2%. Unsurprisingly, the weight was noticeable on longer, steeper drags, and also going from a standing start. But everywhere else, the Chronos felt rapid and for a diesel rider like me who likes to churn for hours, they were a dream.
On top of this, I was shocked by how little they were affected by crosswinds. When a gust of wind caught the Chrono wheels, it didn’t affect them at all, meaning I always felt in control. I’ll admit to finding shallower wheels the
best for sharp cornering, especially when the road twists and turns a lot, but the Chronos performed well on both tight corners and long, fast ones.
I also noticed after longer rides that I didn’t feel hammered at all afterwards, even when riding on potholed and rutted roads. This may be a combination of running softer tubeless tyres (I tested the wheels on 25mm Continental GP5000S), as well as using less energy to keep the front wheel stable, something Parcours has focused on.
For time trials, fast-paced rides, and breakaway riders, the Parcours Chrono wheels are perfectly matched. But if the race or sportive has significant hills and sharper gradients, I may be inclined to go for some shallower wheels.
For every other type of road cycling, you’ll find me rolling around on these handsome wheels with a grin on my face as the Parcours Chronos are genuinely usable as an everyday wheelset – especially as they also come with a lifetime warranty.
Verdict
The Parcours Chrono wheelset is the perfect pair of wheels for anyone who wants to improve the average speed of their rides, whether they are in a race breakaway, competing in road bike time trials, or out on a fast-paced club run. They aren’t the lightest or fastest accelerating, but they are great value, handle brilliantly for such a deep rim, and feel genuinely fast. www.parcours.cc
“They are great value, handle brilliantly and feel genuinely fast”