Lightweight — purveyor of excruciatingly expensive wheels and €65 carbon bottle cages — has just announced released its first-ever road tubeless wheelsets.
Named the Generation EVO range, there are four new wheelsets, all of which are tubeless compatible and built around Lightweights clever pentagonal carbon disc brake hubs.
Lightweight says the new wheels are compatible with all current groupsets, and that its hub design helps protect the brakes and hub from overheating under intense braking. This is important as the hub internals are bonded to the carbon hub shell – if the bond were to fail for any reason, the pentagonal shape would prevent it from detaching.
The DT-Swiss hub internals also enable quick changes between various axle systems.
Lightweight also says that, thanks to its new carbon layups, the Generation Evo wheels are also now robust enough for gravel and cyclocross use.
Lightweight has told us that deliveries will begin in November 2019, so start preparing your Christmas lists now! Fingers crossed you’ve been exceptionally nice this year though, as they don’t come cheap…
The new Lightweight Generation EVO road tubeless wheel range
- Meilenstein EVO: £4,899 / $7,000
- Wegweiser EVO: £3,499 / $5,000
- Fernweg EVO 63: £7,319 / $9,250
- Fernweg EVO 85: £7,319 / $9,250
International pricing is TBC.
Lightweight Meilenstein EVO wheels
The Meilenstein EVO is the update to Lightweight’s classic wheel design. The 48mm deep, V-section carbon rims have a reasonably modern (if not exactly progressive) 24mm external/18mm internal width.
Impressively, at a claimed 1,380g for the pair, weight remains the same as the previous Meilenstein Disc clincher wheels. So you can have tubeless compatibility and greater robustness at no extra cost (except to your wallet).
With 20 full carbon spokes front and rear, the wheels have a system weight limit (that’s rider plus bike) of 120kg, and should be plenty stiff. Stiffness is really what Lightweight wheels are renowned for, and what makes them so popular with the pros.
And of course, at £4,899 / $7,000 a pair, they’ll certainly lighten your wallet.
Lightweight Wegweiser EVO wheels
The Wegweiser EVO is Lightweight’s answer to a lower profile, more general use wheel. Lightweight says its lower, 36mm rim height contributes to improved handling in windy conditions.
Wegweiser means ‘signpost’ in German, and this wheelset is intended to signal the direction that Lightweight is moving as a company. They’re still made in Friedrichshafen, Germany, but the rim is constructed by machines, rather than by hand.
The 20 carbon spokes per wheel are then glued to each rim by hand, leading to a total claimed weight of 1,450g, and a system weight limit of 120kg.
This manufacturing process does add a little weight compared to Lightweight’s handmade wheels, but it also means the Wegweiser EVO's can be made significantly cheaper. We won’t kid ourselves though, £3,499 / $5,000 still isn’t cheap by any definition.
Lightweight Fernweg EVO 63 and 85 wheels
Lightweight’s Fernweg range takes a more modern approach to rim shapes. Focusing more on aerodynamics, they still have Lightweight’s famous full-carbon construction, but have wider U-shaped rims.
The Fernweg EVO 63 have 63mm-deep, 25mm-wide rims (18.2mm internal width), which Lightweight says is optimised for aerodynamic efficiency. Despite this, they still weigh just 1,695g, which is impressive for a disc brake, tubeless wheelset. Lightweight sees these as an all-rounder wheelset for road racing, time trials and triathlons.
The Fernweg EVO 85 have 85mm-deep, 26.4mm-wide rims (18.2mm internal width). At a claimed 1,765g a pair, they’re perhaps better suited to flatter time trials and triathlons, but that’s nevertheless a low weight for such a deep set of rims.
Both wheelsets are constructed with 20 full carbon spokes, front and rear, and have a system weight limit of 120kg.
These are the most expensive wheels in the range, with each set costing a staggering £7,319 / $9,250.
