Lightweight Meilenstein Wheels

Words by Jordan Gibbons

When one sits down to discuss the heritage amongst carbon wheel builders – something I do often – there is no doubting that of Lightweight. Lightweight has been producing carbon wheels in various guises for over twenty years and the latest iteration is their fourth attempt at achieving perfection. They are always popular with the pros, so perhaps it’s time for us to see what all the fuss is about and I didn’t hesitate when I got the chance to ride the latest Lightweight Meilenstein wheels.

The wheels on test were the tubular version, sporting a 47.5mm deep section rim with 16 spokes up front and 20 at the rear. The big technological step that Lightweight are able to claim over their rivals is in the way the wheel is constructed. The spokes are brought under tension as the wheel is built – something other full carbon wheel manufacturers have struggled to achieve. This makes for not only an incredibly light wheel, as there is no tensioning equipment at the base of the spokes as on some Mavics, but it also makes them stiff; very stiff in fact.

One of the other big changes Lightweight has made to the wheels in the fourth generation, is in the lay up of the carbon fibres in the braking surface. This new braking surface is said to not only give you more braking power when you need it but their biggest achievement has been managing the issue of overheating brake surfaces. Overheating brake tracks can be a big problem with carbon rims especially on the tarmac triple whammy of long, twisty and steep but Lightweight’s latest wheels have virtually eliminated the problem – releasing your white knuckled grip of the brakes for only a second results in a drop in temperature at the braking surface of up to 60°C and 3-5 seconds should see it drop to ambient temperature. Quite impressive, I think you’ll agree… Read More >