The wide but shallow Bravo rim is designed to be (cliché alert) laterally stiff yet vertically compliant. Although these carbon wheels are light at 1,630g, we couldn’t feel any flex under hard cornering loads, and when we measured their stiffness using a strain gauge we found them to be among the sturdiest we’ve tested.
As for vertical compliance, we rode them back-to-back with a benchmark DT Swiss E 1700 alloy wheelset, using the same tyres and pressures. Despite our initial scepticism, the Bravos did transmit noticeably less feedback through the bar, reducing hand pain.
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Stan’s say this in-built ‘give’ helps prevent punctures too, and, unusually, we didn’t have any during testing.
The rims are moderately wide (26.6mm internal) but the short bead-socket gives a nice rounded tyre profile for predictable cornering grip and secured our tyres with minimal squirm and no burping. After weeks of rocky riding (and EWS racing) they’re still straight and unscarred, and the bearings remain smooth. We did damage the XD Driver but the replacement has survived deliberately brutal abuse so far, and the wheels come with a two-year warranty anyway.
Available in all current axle/wheel combinations, the Bravos offer sublime performance for those who can afford them.
