Ritchey WCS Apex II 46mm Wheelset

As I already mentioned in the preview, the Apex II 46mm rims are previous generation Reynolds Attack, though branded with Ritchey decals, black on black which look subtle and smart. They are also supplied with Reynolds Cryo-blue brake pads for carbon rims.

Handsling RR1 fitted with Ritchey Apex II WCS carbon clincher wheels

At this price point they are comparable to other branded carbon clincher wheelsets from other leading companies and performance wise they give back what you expect. Not exactly a pair of go to everyday wheels I’d say, though for test purposes I have used them pretty much constantly throughout the summer. Best kept for Sunday-best or race day shenanigans I reckon.

Ritchey uses rebranded Reynolds Attack rims for their Apex II carbon clinchers

The reason I exclaim ‘for shame’ regarding the now obsolete 46mm rim choice is that, in my view at least, 46mm represents the perfect trade off between aerodynamic benefit and performance (not to be drawn into an argument about this, Paul Lew offers some interesting insights into real world aerodynamic qualities of ‘aero wheels’ in an recent interview and article, some of which is reproduced here), yet a light enough package for climbing, not to mention the aesthetic value of a slightly deeper, though not too deep section wheel rim.

They hold up pretty well in windier conditions too – Paul Lew might be right about aero wheels in the wind, but at my level keeping the bike upright in windy conditions rather than battling against gravity and the elements is far more important to me than a saving of a few watts.

It’s worth remembering that the wheels supplied to me for testing have done the rounds of other publications and testers – that said, these wheels, with some slight maintenance tweeks by my local bike shop, performed like new out of the box – the braking surface on the rims still in good condition and with the Reynolds Cryo-Blue pads braking performance is solid. They look fine on the bike, they strong, lightweight, easy to maintain and compliment my riding style perfectly.

Reynolds Cryo-Blue pads supplied with the wheelset

In conclusion, I got on really well with these wheels, enough to consider buying them myself, though I have to admit that the new Ritchey Apex range is looking very attractive…

Ritchey 2016 range.

Paligap

[rps-include blog=127.0.0.1 post=29481]