kleng

Just got a new rear wheel, the PRO RC-50 tubular, front is on back order.
Wanted something a bit more aero than my Reynolds MV 32T.

The 50mm rims and ultegra hubs make it a super strong but slightly heavy wheelset at 900gm for the rear and 700gm for the front, 24 spokes front and back.

Interesting 12k carbon weave under super glossy clear coat, stickers are easily removed for those who like the minimalist look.

Easy to true as spoke nipples are at the rim rather than inside it, build quality is very good with no significant imperfections.

On spec the hubs are the only thing adding the weight to the wheelset, a set of lighter hubs would make the comparable to top of the range wheels. All up very happy with the wheels, they look like they could take a lot of punishement.

Great value at USD 862, and PRO is a reputable company that sponsors a lot of the pro peloton, so there is not much of a risk.

https://pro-bikegear.com/publish/cont...catalogue.html

phallenthoul

862/pair?

kleng

Yes it's usd 862 a pair although they are available seperately with the front costing USD 402, rear USD 460.
This includes free shipping to the US from the UK. There are also clincher versions of the wheelset for the same price, but I suspect they would be heavier.

phallenthoul

that is a very good deal.
where did you get them from?

kleng

where else but my favourite on-line store, www.wiggle.co.uk, although most UK stores stock them.
If you google them you'll see the listings, but I think wiggle is the only one offering free shipping.

ridethecliche

The website says that they have a bonded Al brake surface. That appears to not be the case...

kleng

That's the clincher version, I got the tubular rims to save some weight. I believe the clincher would have to be a different rim design.

ridethecliche

Ah okay, makes sense.

Nice wheels!

I already bought my 'aero' wheels

I think my next wheel purchase is going to be a set of ultegra/open pros to train on. I'll probably sell my neuvations to get those.

weavers

wow sexme wheels!


how much do they weight? they seem like a really great deal, if only i raced. i can't justify carbon wheels for training...hell i can't even justify soul 4.0 just on cost alone. i'll be slow forever on my neuvation wheels. ><

kleng

1600 gms for the tubular wheel set, not sure about the clinchers.

rc32

What tires are those that you're running on them? Can't see a label from here.

kleng

They are TUFO's on the RC-50, only put them on just for the photos, I always use the Conti Competitions (black chilli and vectran), the same tubular that is currently on the reynolds front wheel, just waiting for them to be shipped. The Conti's are are heavier due to the protection belt and butyl tube, but seem to have a supple ride.

I heard that TUFO's although very light don't ride as well, so I haven't used them yet. I also wanted to try the Schwalbe Ultremo tubular, but there seems to be manufacturing problems and they are always not available.

PBK are having a sale on the Conti's at the moment.

patentcad

Nice looking wheels, a bit heavy for tubulars in my view (that's what my Williams 38 CF clincher wheels weigh) but it seems that to get sub 1300 gram wheels you have to pay $1500+ new or buy them slightly used on eBay. Very nice looking set of wheels.

Mike V

FYI Pro=Shimano

kleng

PCAD, the weight is the only issue, now if they swapped out the heavy ultegra hubs for something like the DT Swiss 190's you'd have a pretty special set of wheels around 1400gms, but at a cost of $700 more as you suggest.

What attracted me to them was the low price, the reliability of the ultegra's, the rigidity of the heavier rim/24 spoke count and straight forward ability to upgrade the hubs when the time came. The 50mm rim is also a good comprimise from a aero point of view. Cosmetcially they are superior in finish to my Reynolds MV32T's which are all over the place.

I think the PRO's would suit the heavier rider, not the weight weenies. Plan to use them on them on the Ghisallo so I've got a bit of leeway with the extra weight.

kleng

I think PRO was a dutch company started or purchased by Shimano, to fill a gap in their component range supplying the pro peleton.

https://www.shimano.com.au/publish/co...bike_gear.html

The fact that PRO is a Shimano subsidiary made the decision to get the wheels easier
I'm not sure if the PRO wheelsets are assembled by Shimano in Malaysia, like most of the shimano branded wheels are.

PRO should not be confused with Pro-Lite which is a taiwanese brand available on-line at some UK stores.

dmotoguy

PRO = gooooood stuff, I have one of their stems and it is a great piece, those wheels look sweet.

rc32

Yeah, Tufos are not nice at all. I have some Conti Comps like the ones you describe on one of my wheelsets (with another one on the way from PBK for a HED 3 for the TT bike...but I digress). I like the Contis so far.

I have 3 Ultremos that i might use in a wheelset I'm looking to buy right now...haven't used them before so I can't say how good they are. The look a lot like Conti Sprinters, although lighter and more supple.

kleng

Where did you get your Ultremo tubies from, I can't find them on-line.

SushiJoe

totalcycling.com?

rc32

Ebay a couple of months ago...also got 3 of the very hard to find "special" tubular Ultremos used in some of the Spring classics by some pro teams (which are not Ultremos at all but rather rebadged Challenge or Veloflex). Those look like they will be super sweet, but I haven't had a chance to decide when or where I'm going to use them.

MIN 

Handsome wheels. Stupid heavy.

ridethecliche

Not for the price.

Using heavy but tried and true hubs, and rims that hopefully sacrifice weight savings for durability. Sounds like a good set of do everything wheels.

kleng

What do your "real" Ultremo tubulars weigh, some stores quote 260gms others quote 195gms. Not too sure if the weights are being mixed up with what the ultremo clinchers weigh.

If they weigh 260 then I might as well stick with the Conti competitions, which I'm happy with.

kleng

+1 Most of the weight is at the hub and not rotational, so I would doubt if you would feel the extra 200gms. I went down the lightweight route with the Reynolds MV32T and wasn't really happy with the stiffness of the wheelset, had to increase the spoke tension to more than spec to fix it.

like ridethecliche said, these are everyday wheels, to be trained on and generally abused.