FFWD have revealed a radical new set of road wheels at the Taipei Cycle Show in Taiwan. Called Ghost, they're claimed to weigh just 950g a pair and are said to offer the aerodynamics of FFWD's 38mm F4R with superior stiffness to their deep-section F6R.
The set uses just 12 spokes per wheel (the UCI minimum) – six each side, front and rear. These consist of a metal core wrapped in an aerodynamic carbon fibre outer. The metal provides strength under tension in the conventional way while the outer carbon section can be loaded in compression, like Mavic’s R-SYS SLR. This should greatly stiffen the wheel because the side not under tension cannot deform.
FFWD say the Ghosts are strong enough to take on virtually any race short of the cobbles. The wheelset is available now for €2,800, in tubular form only. Look out for more information in Procycling magazine and a review here on BikeRadar soon.