Campagnolo’s Bora One wheels are some of the most lust-worthy hoops on the market, and for good reason, they ride like a dream and have been ridden to plenty of wins on the World Tour.
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Bora One Carbon Clincher highlights
- New textured brake track
- Layup optimised for strength and durability
- Updated high TG resin said to dissipate heat quickly
- Big claims of improved braking in both wet and dry conditions
Now, on the heels of the Italian brand’s long-awaited entry into disc brakes, Campagnolo has updated the Boras with its brand new All Conditions Control (AC3) brake surface and layup, which Campy says is reliable and “potent” no matter the weather.
The new AC3 is a textured brake track, and its structure is akin to Zipp's Showstopper with the grooves said to not only help clear water and debris from the brake track faster, but also give an additional edge for the brake pad to grab on the rim to create friction.
Beyond the textured brake track itself, Campy also says it has changed the structure of the carbon layup to orientate the fibres to ensure the durability and strength of the new braking surface — so the improvements don’t diminish through the life of the wheels.
Campy has also changed up the resin used in the brake track, and as it puts it: “The highly sophisticated resin optimized by Campagnolo engineering staff (sic) to withstand higher temperatures than the Bora’s competition and to dissipate the extreme heat produced during the braking phase.”
As with every new product released in the cycling industry, the Bora’s AC3 technology follows the Daft Punk theory of innovation and are better, harder, faster and stronger than their predecessors as well as the competition.
Campagnolo claims the new wheels brake three percent better than the previous model and six percent better than its closest competitor in dry conditions, though they don't offer a benchmark or specific examples for this claim and don't qualify what exactly better refers to. Is it power? Modulation? We're not quite sure.
In the wet, according to the Italian brand, “the AC3 technology increases braking performance an astounding 43 percent over past Campagnolo models. The powerful braking of AC3 represents a nearly 55 percent performance gap over that of its closest competitor making for a rather significant advantage when the heat of the race is on.”
Within the materials Campagnolo sent on the new Boras with AC3, there is no mention of a revised rim profile, nor if the clinchers will get the brands 2-Way Fit tubeless compatibility.
This new braking technology has been extended to both the Bora One and Ultra Level clinchers and tubulars (which only differ at the hub) in the 35mm, 50mm depths as well as the Ultra TT disc. Pricing and availability are to be confirmed.