Shimano

Dura-Ace WH-7900-C35-CL Carbon Wheelset - Clincher

Shimano's WH 7900-C35-CL Clincher has an aluminum brake track, so you get all the stopping confidence of a standard brake pad on a standard rim. To make the joint with the carbon aero faring, a barely-there, .55mm spine of aluminum forms a backbone against which Shimano sandwiches the 24 plies of unidirectional carbon. Together the two materials are stronger, providing for a much stiffer wheel than either material would be alone, without the addition of either extreme cost (carbon alone) or added pork (aluminum alone).

The Dura-Ace WH 7900-C35-CL is unique for being a clincher in a world where semi-aero wheels are often tubulars. The latter are unparalleled for supple ride feel but often impractical for the club racer. As for the aero equation, here Shimano emphasizes pragmatism. Where a more slippery 50mm-section wheel would better benefit a rider in a pack, it might also hinder smaller, lighter riders who can easily find the fight in cross winds a greater disadvantage than any sort of benefit. The 35mm section is just deep enough to gain some wind-cheating, but not so deep that you'd hesitate to ride the C35 on a daily basis.

Construction of the WH 7900-C35-CL is fairly straightforward, with a few hidden attributes. Front and rear spokes are straight pull, with a two-cross pattern in the rear. Exposed nipples make adjustments easy, and Shimano uses cup and cone, loose, angular contact bearings, rather than sealed bearings, for easier bearing adjustments and much greater torsion resistance during cross loading (during turns). The bearings ride on highly polished races and a double-wall seal prevents contamination. Shimano also uses oversized 15mm 7075 aluminum axles, which are especially useful in preventing steering drift during hard cornering.

The Shimano Dura-Ace WH 7900-C35-CL Carbon Alloy Composite Clincher features an aluminum brake track, for more sure-footed stopping, and a 35mm carbon section for a slippery aerodynamic flow. 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.