Swiss company Edco's extensive wheel range includes several versions of each rim. The 58mm Furka is available in tubular or clincher and Supersport or Competition spec – we tested the latter, featuring ceramic-coated brake tracks.
The carbon rims are impregnated with a layer of aluminium that’s one micron (0.001mm) thick onto which the ceramic coating is sprayed. Edco claim superior wet weather braking even compared with aluminium rims, and the greater temperature resistance of ceramics protects the clincher rims from failure in long mountain descents.
The unidirectional carbon fibre rims can take up to 9.5 bar (138psi), have a semi-wide aero profile and carry Edco’s ‘Sprint Plus’ tag for extra stiff wheels. They're built onto Edco’s Super G hubs and their ingenious Multisys freehub is compatible with Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo. Fitting the cassette is a bit trickier than usual but only the first time. Claimed weight is 1,675g – ours weighed 1,742g.
Out on the road they immediately feel quick, with that unexpected and otherwise unexplainable extra speed that you get from good aero kit. Stability in crosswinds was good, too. We did notice some brake rub when out of the saddle, though.
The weight is competitive at this price so when we say it blunts acceleration take that as a point of consideration against this class of wheel and not the Edcos in particular. If you want to fly up the hills and smash crits then you shouldn’t be looking at 58mm clinchers.
Braking is exceptional with loads of power available, wet or dry. It’s reassuring and is of especially high value to bigger riders. There’s also no real extra weight – the top-end Furka Supersports are claimed to be 76g lighter, all of which is in the hubs – so expect to see this ceramic technology more in future.
This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.