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AR45 Review (Follow-Up)

Rider Profile

rider-profile-david

Name : David

Origin : Belgium

Information : Height 175cm. Weight 68kg.
10,000km per year. A mountain biker by heart but a road cyclist in practice.
Endurance athlete enjoying long days in the saddle;
from Paris to Brussel - 375km in one day.

Specifications

Bike

Frame : Scott Addict RC 2020 size 54 (M)

Groupset : SRAM FORCE eTap AXS 24 Speed

Handlebar Tape : Supacaz Kush

Saddle : Selle Italia SLR Boost

Wheels

Rims : Light Bicycle AR45 Flyweight(F)/Standard(R) 24H paintless finish

Hubs : DT Swiss 240 EXP Straightpull 12/100mm 12/142mm Centerlock Sram XDR

Spokes : Sapim CX Ray black

Nipples : Sapim Polyax aluminum black

Tires : Schwalbe Pro TLE 28mm

Time for a follow-up story.

Spring has arrived and according to Strava I’ve ridden 4197.3km on the new AR45 wheelset from Light Bicycle. Time for a follow-up story! (View David’s unboxing review.)

Over the course of the last couple of months, I continued riding my bike as much as the weather allowed me. The wheels have gone through a typical Belgian winter on a variety of road surfaces: smooth tarmac, rough concrete, bad roads with potholes, roads where the road stopped due to road works, gravel, even some single track and a lot of cobbles.

scott-addict-gravel-bike-on-dirt
Eddy-Merckx-statue
gravel-bikes-by-a-tank
light-bicycle-ar46-ar45-wheels-review

The wheels are still as straight as when I received them.

I hit some potholes and rode some really bad pave (cobbles) sections, and the wheels are still as straight as when I received them. Although I don’t have a fancy spoke tension meter I measure tension by hand when I clean my bike; not a single spoke has lost tension thus far.

Furthermore, there isn’t a scratch on them (yet), quite surprised about that because I did ride on some fast loose gravel but they are still shiny. Actually, so shiny that another rider of the club ordered an identical pair and a 2nd rider will soon order a 650b gravel wheelset. (Disclaimer: I’m not getting paid or any other commercial gift for this, just an honest review).

I’m running them tubeless on a pair of 28mm Schwalbe Pro One tires at 4.1 bar in the front and 4.3 bar in the rear. The level of comfort on these plush tires is unseen and I have not run a flat (yet)!

loose-gravel-scott-bike-ride
turtle-on-gravel-road
smooth-cobbles
smooth-gravel-ride

I believe 45mm depth hits the sweet spot.

The depth is enough to have the aero advantage but not too much that you’re blown away by crosswinds. Obviously, you do feel some crosswind effect compared to the stock 25mm alloy rims, but it's subtle - a gentle reminder but not to that effect you have to hold on crampfully to the handlebars.

The aero effect is most noticeable when I’m riding in a large group behind someone. As soon as I “take” someone’s back wheel in, it’s like I get sucked to the wheel in front of me and I have to brake in order to slow down and not hit the rider in front. This was definitely not the case with the stock lower profile wheels.

airplane-taking-off
commune-d-aywaille
Vlooybergtoren

August 19th, 2021 | Light Bicycle

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