ProBikeKit.com was founded by a small team of passionate and committed road cyclists in the early 90’s. We’ve been going a while now, building our business on solid foundations of our passion for road cycling. Whether you’re just starting out or you have been around the block a few times we are here to help. We want to make sure you get the right kit for how you roll. You can be assured that we ride too, so we don’t just take the manufacturers word for it, we put all of our kit through its paces to ensure it makes the grade before we offer it to you. In this series of blogs we’ll be looking at the good, better and best of various cycling equipment, components and apparel making sure you’re using kit suitable for your riding style. Without further a do let’s kick off with wheelsets.

Miche Race Road wheelsets – “Great for training, commuting and the winter bike!”

Miche are one of those companies that are often overlooked by many. 100% designed and manufactured in Italy, this long standing family run company has been producing bicycle components for around 90 years, so they’ve got a bit of experience under their belts. Their Race Road wheelset is ideal for those starting out in the world of racing or could equally be used as a trusty winter training pair. One of the main appeals of these wheels is the cosmetics. The slick looking white rims are offset nicely with the red anodised bearings making them look more expensive than they actually cost.

Performance wise these wheels aren’t the lightest but for the price you can’t complain. They spin well and can hold up to a fair impact from that elusive pot hole that comes out of nowhere. The alloy freehub body features deep scalloping while the freehub cartridge bearing is unshrouded giving you easy access to the cassette lockring. The sealed bearings allow for a low maintenance wheel again making this ideal for those at the early stage of their cycling career.

These wheels are made up of twenty blade-to-round black spokes and are laced radial front, three-cross rear with paired rim insertion at the back. These flat progressive spokes greatly enhance the aerodynamic performance of the wheels while a machined side wall gives progressive and modulated braking.

Fulcrum Racing 1 – “A lightweight wheel that gives the best performance under any condition!”

If these wheels were alive and breathing they’d have competition running through their veins and a thousand yard stare that indicates they mean business. If you’re looking for a lightweight wheel that gives the best performance under any condition and has a marvellously aggressive look, you’ve found it.

These wheels feature aluminium rims that have a differentiated profile front and rear. The front wheel height is 26 mm to achieve the perfect aerodynamic penetration, while the rear increases to 30 mm to provide all the stiffness necessary to transmit every watt of power your legs have to give. Both rims feature the characteristic Fulcrum toroidal milling between the anchoring points of the spokes. This special milling makes it possible to reduce the peripheral (rolling) weight of the  rim increasing the wheels reactivity making them perfect for those spontaneous attacks.

The fact that the rim grooves do not have holes translates into greater torsional stiffness and greater vertical elasticity. This creates an overall stronger wheel that will stand up to the hardships of the road.

Going back to its race pedigree the aluminium spokes feature an aero profile helping you to cut through the air. A central section of 2.6 mm, 16 radial for the front wheel and 21 for the rear wheel are distributed according to the famous Fulcrum 2:1 spoking, with doubles the number of spokes on the cassette side increasing rim tension, strength and reliability and increasing reactivity at each change in rhythm of the pedal stroke.

The nipples are machined from aluminium too, which reduces the important peripheral mass of the wheel, thereby increasing its performance in acceleration.

The oversize hubs are in aluminium and offer smoothness guaranteed by special bearings designed and produced by Fulcrum that have many more balls than normal industrial bearings and hence produce unparalleled smoothness.

Racing 1 wheels were born to be fast, so Fulcrum has equipped them with the patented Dynamic Balance system that makes them stable and precise even at high speed.

Some nice added extras supplied with this wheelset include a pair of new dual pivot quick releases. Fulcrum use a patented Eccentric-closure system allowing you to modulate the pressure necessary for heightened sensitivity to find the proper closure for the block. Sounds complex for a quick release? Basically its an easy to use skewer manufactured from a material resistant to wear and tear, rust, and pressure. Also included are a lightweight set of protective wheel bags constructed from nylon, perfect for storage or transportation (RRP £36).

Overall a strong stiff race wheelset perfect for your next Crit.

Zipp 101 – “A great wheel that brings Zipp performance to an amazing price point, the world’s most aerodynamically advanced aluminium clincher wheel.”

Zipp have spent the last two decades at the forefront of aero research. Their wheels are renowned for being some of the best on the market and offer gold standard in terms of performance. Pioneering research conducted by Zipp themselves and validated in the real world by a host of elite riders means you can be sure that every Zipp wheel will give you a tangible advantage on the bike, and their not too shabby looking either.

Aerodynamic wheels are designed to make you go faster for longer, whatever speeds your clocking up. The 101 has brought Zipp’s expertise in rim shape to create the world’s most aerodynamically advanced aluminium clincher wheel.

The first fully toroidal aluminium rim with a curved rim profile that extends across the braking surface helps the aluminium rim exceed the aerodynamic performance of the traditionally V shaped aluminium rim. Not convinced? Well the pro teams certainly are with SaxoBank using this wheelset through their tough winter training regime. A great wheel that brings Zipp performance to an amazing price point.

The ride quality of these rims is second to none. Compared to other alloy wheels the Zipp rims are wide and reasonably tall which you will appreciate while on the bike.

The 101 rims feature a full toroidal shape that allows for a straight line drive and improved bump absorption making these wheels perfect for fast descents on dog eared road surfaces. Wheel stiffness is also an area Zipp have focussed on which helps the wheels track on descents, as well as offering a good platform for sprinting.

The 101 is a rim that will roll fast and give the a feeling as though they’re helping to maintain your pace. The wheel uses Zipp’s legendary 188 hub,utilising the most accurate Swiss steel bearings available.

The front wheel is laced radially, while the rear features radial driveside lacing and one-cross non-driveside lacing. The hubs are machined from a proprietary Z310.9 alloy in Speedway, Indiana – where the 101s are built alongside Zipp’s carbon options. They feature steel cartridge bearings, 17mm axles, external preload adjustment and aero end caps.

Zipp make the 188 rear freehub internals using wire EDM, a notably high-precision process that yields a claimed 50% jump in hardness and a 20 fold improvement in dimensional tolerances, since there’s no final heat hardening required that could warp the piece.

Overall, the 101s are perfect to finish off your high-end road steed helping you to push your riding to the next level.

So there you have it. A quick look at our wheelset recommendations. Not found what your looking for, why not take a look at our range of good, better, best wheels over at Probikekit.com.