FFWD has announced a sweeping update to its Ryot carbon wheelset range, but has kept starting prices the same as the previous generation at a flat £1,349 / $1,599 / €1,499 for all rim depths.
This is a relatively rare occurrence in recent years, with bike and component prices generally seen to have risen throughout this period.
The new wheels feature a redesigned rim profile and hub system, as well as an “average weight saving of 100g” across the depth range.
Value for money
While £1,349 / $1,599 / €1,499 remains a large investment for a wheelset, FFWD has modernised the Ryot wheels without asking customers to fork out more than before – something, in isolation at least, to be commended.
The brand already charged the same price across the four depths (33, 44, 55 and 77mm) and this remains the same.
Throughout, the hooked rims have been updated to 23mm wide internally (up from an already contemporary 21mm), which the brand says will help support wider tyres.
21mm is considered the optimal internal rim width on which to run 700x28c tyres by the ETRTO (European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation), but with more riders opting to use even wider rubber, the width bump should future-proof these wheels.
FFWD points specifically to the growing use of 30 and 32mm-wide tyres, and suggests riders using these widths will benefit from an improved shape.
Externally, the Ryot 33 and 44 models are 30mm wide, and the deeper Ryot 55 and 77 rims are 31mm wide, as before.
Despite the remodelling of the internal channel, FFWD says it has shaved an average of 100g from each of the wheelsets. It claims this was achieved mainly by applying the same carbon production techniques as used on the brand’s Raw wheelsets.
That said, it continues to use brass spoke nipples in the Ryot range – these are less prone to corrosion compared to alloy nipples, which are lighter.
New N/Gage hub design
No, this isn’t an unexpected revival of Nokia’s erstwhile gaming phone from the mid-2000s, but a new hub shell that replaces the outgoing Two/One design.
The internals remain the same, though, with 36t on a ratchet-based system yielding a 10-degree engagement angle.
However, the hub shell has been redesigned to cut 50g in total across the front and rear hubs, while FFWD says it has improved the finish for greater durability, and employed a laser-etched logo in place of a standard decal (which can perish).
Despite this, FFWD continues to offer a DT Swiss 240 EXP hubset (as tested by Oscar Huckle in 2023) for a £250 / $300 / €300 premium.
It’s worth noting this premium has remained static too, like the standard-spec wheelset prices.
