New Miche Kleos RD wheelsets offer unmatched speed for every cyclist

Miche’s new Kleos RD range of three high-performance wheelsets are the first products to come out of the Italian brand’s Race Division programme – an engineering vision that combines Miche’s long experience in high-quality component manufacturing with the latest technology.

Miche collaborated with Danish specialists CeramicSpeed to design ceramic bearings specifically for the Kleos RD hub, while spokes with differential aerodynamic profiles and a new Aero Blade hub fairing were developed through testing at the Silverstone Sports Engineering wind tunnel in the UK. The wheels are made at Miche’s factory in San Vendemiano, Italy.

Miche offers the disc-only Kleos RD wheels in three different rim depths. The Kleos RD 36 is for conquering cols with its low-profile 36mm and low weight of 1,390g; the Kleos RD 50, which weighs 1,455g, has a mid-depth 50mm rim and is perfect for all types of parcours while the Kleos RD 62 supplies superior speed on flat and rolling roads thanks to its super aero deep-section 62mm rim and weight of just 1,560g – impressively light for a rim of this depth. 

The rims are constructed with a new lamination comprised of Toray T1100 and T700 carbon-fibre, with the higher-modulus carbon bolstering stiffness at the higher-stress areas such as the spoke holes. 

All three Kleos RD rims are designed with a retention hook that meets the ETRTO standard and are compatible with all commercially available tubeless and clincher tyres.

But it’s more than just rim depth that differentiates the three Kleos RD wheelsets. The two shallower models have an internal rim width of 21mm, while the deepest measures 23mm across, designed to provide extra stability at high yaw angles when deep rims are more susceptible to gusting.

All three wheelsets do benefit, however, from the new Kleos RD hub. This not only has ceramic bearings designed in partnership with CeramicSpeed, which dramatically reduce bearing friction, but the front hub deploys Miche’s new Aero Blade technology on the non-driveside flange. This unique feature has been proven to smooth the airflow by shielding the spoke heads, reducing turbulence and delivering another small but crucial watt saving.

For weight saving while maintaining strength and durability, the hub is made from Ergal 7075 T6 aluminium with a titanium-pawl carrier.

The rims are laced to the hubs via a cross/radial 16+8 pattern with Miche’s new double-thickness stainless steel spokes. These have different aerodynamic profiles for front and rear and are an innovation that, along with the Aero Blade hub flange, was developed based on data collected in the wind tunnel.

Testing showed that airflow hitting the rear wheel was quite different from the ‘clean’ air hitting the front: the spokes with their differential profiles were designed to optimise the drag coefficient of the wheels in their respective positions in the bike.

All three wheelsets have the same price – €2,349 – and come with a tubeless kit installed with a valve. A Miche wheel bag is also included to protect your new favourite wheels when travelling.

And finally, Kleos means ‘eternal glory’ in ancient Greek. That’s the level of confidence Miche has in the new Kleos RD. The rest is up to you.

For more details check out Miche’s website.