Vittoria

Elusion Nero Road Wheelset - Clincher

Most of us will admit to pining over a fancy set of carbon fiber race hoops while lamenting that our wallets won't let us realize that dream. Sometimes in these cases, it's best to avoid the budget carbon woes (Delamination, anyone?) and opt for race-worthy, ceramic-coated, aluminum awesomeness with the Vittoria Elusion Nero Road Clincher Wheelset. It's got stealthy aesthetics, so it won't betray your black on black race machine with a bright silver brake track, and it also benefits from the improved braking of ceramic-treated aluminum.

Vittoria utilizes a 26mm rim depth up front and a 28mm depth out back to create a light, low profile set of hoops that boasts the versatility to handle a wide range of surfaces and wind conditions while still gaining some aerodynamic advantages over traditional box-rim fare. Across the braking surface, a Ceramic Nero finish gives these wheels a sleek, stealthy look while also bringing claims of increased durability and braking performance in both dry and wet conditions. While we haven't had a chance to test this out ourselves, the finish looks markedly similar to some other blacked-out aluminum rims that have long been lauded for exceptional braking power and longevity.

At the center sits Vittoria's SwitchIT hubset, which is most notable for its tool-free freehub removal, making swapping a cinch. As an added bonus, the freehub can be removed with the cassette still on, which means one could potentially keep frequently used cassettes on their own freehubs for lightning fast gearing changes and hassle-free swaps. For the other details, the SwitchIT boasts cartridge bearing and an on oversized rear flange for durable, smooth spinning.

Each Vittoria Elusion Nero Road Clincher Wheelset is packaged with ceramic brake pads and a wheel bag for safe storage and transportation.