Lightweight Meilenstein Wheels
Coming upon the first corner of the descent, I did the usual thing and squeezed the brake levers, although it didn’t produce the usual effect as at first I thought I might have opened my emergency parachute! There is no doubt that these wheels, when combined with their own pads, produce an unreal braking force like nothing I have ever experienced with any other carbon wheel. It would be easy however, to argue that it is almost too much power.
Meilenstein front hub
I enjoy descending and it’s something I’ve found I excel at, but there was no doubting that under braking the Meilensteins were a real handful and needed the utmost concentration. To begin with the braking was very ‘grabby’ and I locked the rear wheel 3 or 4 times on my first ride. I did get used to it, but I would recommend that people who are not the most confident descenders try the wheels with cork pads initially, especially if they only rarely come out of the bags when in Europe for a trip over the mountains. Once you do have a handle on it though it’s amazing how late you can leave the braking into a corner.
Meilenstein rear hub
I did take the wheels out in the rain a couple of times and whilst the braking performance did suffer slightly over that in the dry, it certainly wasn’t the usual ‘grab and hope’ affair of most carbon rims in the wet. In fact, I wouldn’t even question taking these wheels out in any weather.
Subtle graphics on the Meilensteins
And the price? There isn’t any way of softening the blow on this one, so I’ll just come out and say it: £2999. It does include wheelbags, quick releases, tyre lever and valve extension, and those brake pads… The Meilenstein is also available as a clincher wheelset.
Meilenstein skewers – they are included in the price…
However, it’s impossible to debate the value of these as only you can really decide if they’re worth it. But the way I see it, if you’re considering saving up £2,000 for some other high end wheels, consider saving that little bit longer. You won’t regret it.
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