Shimano

Dura-Ace WH-7900-C24-CL Clincher Wheelset

Shimano's Dura-Ace WH-7900-C24-CL Clincher Wheels are competitively light for the price. And with their 24mm depth, Shimano keeps the meat of the matter at the hub, not the rim. That's huge, because extra rim weight is easily perceived during acceleration and excessive rotating mass requires more energy to turn, even at a constant speed.

The WH-7900-C24-CL gets oversized, 15mm, cold-forged 7075 aluminum axles. They add a great deal of lateral twist-resistance, so whether you're mashing out of the saddle in a sprint or carving a narrow turn in a crit. On the rear wheel, there's a hub with extra-wide flanges, and the rim is offset so the 20 two-cross spokes are aligned equally to the true, plumb center of the wheel. With this design, drive loads are more balanced, with less dependence on the spokes to do the work of maintaining a true wheel.

...you get a super light rim that's still reasonably compliant, married to an exceedingly tough, strong hub... Shimano keeps the rim light by combining both carbon fiber and aluminum in a unique sandwich. The aluminum rim wall adds much more confidence to braking, with no special pads required and far better wet-conditions, as well as hot-weather braking. The wall then tapers to a barely-there, .55mm aluminum spine at the inside (total rim height is 25mm), which is backed by the addition of a 24-ply, carbon fiber wrap. The combination of materials adds the great benefits of aluminum rims, which is more durable over damaged pavement and potholes as well as a superior surface for rim brakes, bolstered by the great advantage of carbon fiber, which is that its strength-to-weight ratio is unmatched by any other material. In all you get a super light rim that's still reasonably compliant, married to an exceedingly tough, strong hub, both fore and aft.

The Shimano Dura-Ace WH-7900-C24-CL Carbon Alloy Composite Clincher features an aluminum brake track for more sure-footed stopping. This alloy rim is bonded to a 24-ply carbon aero faring for added strength and improved aerodynamics. There are 16 front/20 rear straight-pull spokes, with the rear spokes laced in a two-cross pattern. The hubs are cold forged aluminum, with oversized, 15mm axles. The cassette body is made of titanium and is compatible with Shimano 8/9/10-speed cassettes as well as with SRAM cassettes. The color is Black with White and Red lettering and red spoke nipples.