Technology
At Wheelscience we use best of breed technology to delivery you outstanding performance. No compromise, ever.
Materials
We only us Torayca carbon fibre. Toray Industries of Japan is without question the global leader in carbon materials. We use two types of their fibre.
T700 carbon fibre from TORAYCA® is considered the gold standard in industrial fibre. While more recent advances in carbon have led to the development of T800 and T1000 fibres, both of these are actually too rigid to be used alone. Our Everest rims use a blend of T700 and T800 as do our Elemental SL wheels, while the Elemental and Vortex rims are 100% T700.
Ultra Carbon
Our new ultra carbon rims take weight saving and strength to an entirely new level. By producing rims that effectively come out of the molds ready to ride, that require no finishing, not clear coating we can take over 100 grams off the rims.
Road Rim configurations
Our Elemental, Elemental SL and Everest wheels are available as Clincher, Tubeless-ready clincher and Tubular. For tire pressure recommendations please see our FAQ page.
MTB rim graphene infusion
We infuse our MTB rim resin with graphene particles to remove the microscopic air bubbles that form as part of the production process. The removal of these increases the impact resistance of the rims by almost 20% while adding only 6 grams in weight. An excellent trade off.
Interesting rim facts
We conduct various tests on our rims as you would expect. Some of the more interesting outcomes are the following:
Our spoke holes are tested to over 350 kilogram force (over 800lbs). This means we use a mechanical set up to apply that much pull force to a spoke set up in a rim section. That is 200-300% of the load they will be exposed to in day-to-day use.
We crush test our rims (unspoked) to 600kgs without failure, that is almost 1500lbs.
Our testing is incredibly comprehensive to ensure your wheels will give you years of trouble free use.
Spokes and nipples
We exclusively use Sapim secure lock nipples. Made from the highest quality materials and renowned for their light weight and longevity.
Wheelscience carbon spokes
Available only in the Ethereal 1 wheels our carbon spokes weight less than 3 grams each (1/2 that of a pillar spoke) yet are even stronger!
Pillar 1423 spokes
Our Elemental and Vortex wheels use Pillar 1423 spokes. They are J pull for our own rim brake hubs or straight pull for disc brake or DT hubs.
They are made from SANDVIK T302 stainless steel and weight around 6.5 grams (size dependent).
The aero profile offering superior drag reduction shown below:
Sapim CX-ray
Considered by many to be the best aero spokes available, while also taking into account their weight - around only 4.25 grams! Available as J bend or straight pull subject to hub selection.
DT Champion
We use DT Swiss' workhorse Champion spokes in our mountain bike wheels. The DT cold forging process and precision production processes give outstanding long term reliability and performance in the off road world.
Hubs
It goes without saying that hubs are the heart of any wheel. So at Wheelscience we have taken steps to ensure ours are not only cost effective but also easy to service and extremely long lasting.
Ethereal 1 hubs
An all carbon shell and brand new rachet internals mean our Ethereal hubs give unmatched weight and rigidity to our flagship wheels.
Elemental ceramic hubs (rim brake)
Used in both our Elemental and Everest series wheels our hubs are CNC machined aluminium with TPI ceramic bearings. The front hub weighs just 80 grams and the rear only 210 grams, yet due to the geometry they allow us to build a very stiff and responsive wheel.
Bearing sizes are as follows:
Front hub: 2x699 (9x20x6mm)
Rear hub: 3x6802 (15x24x5mm) and 1x6902(15x28x7mm)
Wheelscience disc brake hubs
When we looked at launching our disc brake hubs we assessed what was already available to us and selected the highly regarded Novatec D411SB/D412SB hubs to build into our wheels. With excellent reliability and reduced weight (front 85 grams, rear 232 grams - 12mm centrelock version) we have been very pleased with that choice. With regards to price, reliability and serviceability these are an excellent choice.
Bearing sizes are as follows:
Front hub: 2 X 6803 (26mm x 17mm x 5mm)
Rear hub: 4 X 6209 (15267) (15mm x 26mm x 7mm)
DT Swiss hubs
Due to popular demand we offer DT Swiss 350, 240 and the amazing 180 hubs on our Everest and Elemental ranges. All with the new EXP ratchet system.
For up to date information on these hubs please see the DT SWISS WEBSITE
Aerodynamics
In 1991 Steve Hed patented the toroidal wheel shape. Ever since then it has been (and is still) considered the pinnacle of spoked wheel aerodynamics. The patent is no longer active and all shape-related innovations since that time have built upon that discovery.
This is why we know we have industry-best technology built into our rims.
The toroidal profile used in the Elemental series and the Everest series provide outstanding aero performance and stability in cross winds.
Elemental profile
Everest profile
For the more budget-conscious, or for those of you taking your first step into the carbon wheel world we offer the Vortex series. These wheels use the classic V shaped profile, still favored by Lightweight wheels in Germany, makers of some of the world's most highly regarded wheels.
Time savings
You can read all about our time savings and performance testing on THIS PAGE. We believe our wheels offer as good aerodynamic performance as any other wheels available on the market.