MEGEVE – Eve of the time trial, hotel of the Intermarché-CircusThe mechanics are hard at work on the bikes, between lenticular wheels and handlebar ends. All around is a beautiful green area, the swimming pool in the background, and a soft grass soccer field. That's where we take Biniam Girmay's Cube to photograph the real novelty: the new lenticular wheel produced by Deda Elementi, one of the lightest and most affordable tubeless wheels on the world scene.
The secrets of the structure
But then, since the photos don't reveal what's inside, we get in touch with Fausto Parodi, the engineer who he realized the project. He's not at the Tour, but listening to him makes it almost feel like you're right there with him, such is the punctuality with which he talks about his creation.
«What you see – he says – is very little. The beauty is the internal structure, which is very particularThere are six spokes, while the external carbon discs are just a cover. Having spokes makes it light and laterally rigid, but there is something to be said about races…».
What is this?
They are not completely carbon. Inside they have a foam, a foam that is then covered by the carbon structure. Carbon which is mostly at the ends and in the central part, while the foam itself is structural. This allowed us to keep the weight lower. And the external disks themselves have a sandwich structure, with carbon on the outside and a layer of the same foam on the inside.
How much lighter is it than the previous wheel?
This one weighs 1.070 grams, the previous one reached 1.200: so the saving is 130 grams, in exchange for the same stiffnessThere are some differences compared to the track version.
How are they different?
We had it used at Silvia Zanardi on away trips to the Nations CupThe basic structure is the same for both wheels, but the road one has a flat side on the cassette side, while the opposite side is curvedThe track wheel, on the other hand, is curved on both sides.
We noticed that the compartment containing the valve is closed with a screwed cap.
Another difference between road and track, right. The track wheel must be lighter to perform better in relaunches, so the valve compartment is closed with a sticker. In the wheel for road time trials, however, lightness is important, but certainly there are fewer raises, so we opted for a screw-on lid.
Is the wheel designed for a specific type of tire?
For tubeless and clincher tires with inner tube. With tubeless it is lighter, even if the tire weighs a little moreThe rim has a 19-inch channel, so the best thing to do is start with 25-inch tires and go up to 28-inch tires. However, you can go up to 32-inch tires if you want.
Among the next steps not yet announced are: the revisiting of the hub, focusing on a different system from the current one, but there'll be time to talk about it. The wheel is on sale for €2.300, a fairly reasonable price that makes it accessible to a fairly wide audience. In the meantime, let's follow the guys from the Belgian team in the time trial that's about to begin.
