Metron 45 RS
Value: $3290 / £3109 / €3109
Weight: 1290g / 2.8lbs
Intensity: 45mm
Interior rim width: 23mm – Hooked
Metron 60 RS
Value: $3390 / £3179 / €3179
Weight: 1390g / 3.1lbs
Intensity: 60mm
Interior rim width: 23mm – Hooked
Imaginative and prescient has introduced a brand spanking new addition to the Metron wheel line nowadays within the type of the brand new Metron RS (racing sequence) wheelset.
Till now, the logo’s top-line wheelset has been the Metron SL, a well-known sight on the sharp finish of many WorldTour races. It kind of feels the time is now proper for Imaginative and prescient to roll out any other top-end possibility.
The wheels have in reality been hiding in undeniable sight within the peloton already, they’ve been used at races like Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo and Paris-Great. We’re most often in all places new apparatus however overlooked those new wheels hiding in undeniable sight, with Lenny Martinez taking level 5 of Paris-Great on them.
What’s the highest line then? Smartly, the brand new wheels shall be to be had in each 45 and 60-mm rim intensity choices, and use carbon fibre spokes and a brand new hub and force ring design. They’re lighter and stiffer than the SL wheels and there are some fascinating new design issues that we will be able to cross over down underneath.
I lately were given to spend an hour at the new wheels at a press tournament, and the larger stiffness was once noticeable instantly. Imaginative and prescient informed me numerous professional riders were short of to make use of the wheels and use them for each and every race, just like the tough and tumble of Strade Bianche as an example.
Weights are aggressive, to mention the least; the 45mm deep wheelset is available in at a claimed 1290g in keeping with pair while the 60mm possibility weighs 1390 grams. A design selection that is turning into much more not unusual now as extra of the most efficient street motorbike wheels are being manufactured with carbon fibre spokes.
The wheels have already noticed motion within the professional peloton for a few months (Symbol credit score: FullSpeedAhead)
One of the vital glaring design adjustments on the subject of the brand new wheels are the brand new carbon fibre-bladed spokes. This association supplies round a claimed 108 gram saving in comparison to a metal spoked wheel.
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The spokes use a T-shaped head in comparison to a conventional J-bend spoke and are mentioned to offer a bonus in tensile energy in comparison to a extra conventional metal possibility.
Imaginative and prescient has additionally rolled out a brand new V-1000 hub for the wheels, which includes a new 72-tooth ratchet force ring design. Visually it is alongside the similar line as a number of different force ring freehub programs, however Imaginative and prescient informed me the design is totally its personal, and it did not must paintings round any current patents to execute it.
The freehub frame has additionally been machined in puts to avoid wasting additional grams, and the hubs use ceramic bearings. Importantly for the mechanics and stores, each and every hub shell has a scannable QR code, which right away brings up an exploded meeting and portions diagram, this means that discovering the fitting bearings and replaceable portions will have to be easy.
There are a couple of design options which can be additionally price bringing up, first is any other 22-gram weight saving due to the wheel graphics being completed in-mould, that means no stickers are wanted.
Secondly, the spoke holes are now not drilled post-construction which will weaken the rim’s carbon fibres, and at the moment are additionally shaped in-mould. The rim width is now additionally 23mm broad internally, with a hooked bead, in comparison to the Metron SL’s 21mm inside width. The rim mattress has additionally been up to date to typically strengthen the tubeless tyre revel in with the edges.
Symbol 1 of four
It is an understated glance, however somewhat so much is new (Symbol credit score: FullSpeedAhead )
Emblems are completed in-mould to drop further sticky label weight (Symbol credit score: FullSpeedAhead )
The brand new hub has new ratchets with a machined freehub frame (Symbol credit score: FullSpeedAhead )
The carbon fibre spokes upload a lack of additional stiffness and drop the load (Symbol credit score: FullSpeedAhead )Aero trying out
Imaginative and prescient has examined those wheels in a wind tunnel, particularly on the San Diego low-speed wind tunnel. Somewhat numerous subject material is connected within the logo’s press free up, however I’m going to come with the important thing bits right here for you.
The Metron RS wheel confirmed a slight lower in drag of 0.9W for the 60mm wheel (6% quicker) and -1.6W for the 45mm possibility (9% quicker) when in comparison to the Metron SL metal spoked wheel.
It kind of feels to be a measured message from Imaginative and prescient. There are not any giant wattage-saving headlines. The logo states that the RS wheels provide a discount in drag in comparison to the SL fashions on their very own, and that riders too can be expecting the similar steadiness and dealing with because the SL fashions. Think about a complete rider and motorbike machine, plus more than a few tyres and pressures and it is honest to mention the wheels are on the very least reasonably quicker in a comparability.
The opposite key function is the larger lateral stiffness from the carbon fibre spokes, which will have to build up energy switch, but in addition have an effect on the texture for the rider.
We examined a Imaginative and prescient Metron SL wheel in our final CN Labs aero wheels wind tunnel check the place they had been amongst one of the most absolute best on check.
Quite a lot of riders had been the usage of the wheels at Milan-San Remo (Symbol credit score: Getty: Dario Belingheri / Body of workers)
