Team Sky apparently obtains bare HED Stinger rims and builds them around Shimano Dura-Ace hubs.(Image credit: James Huang)
One crucial difference between some of Team Sky's wheels and stock HED wheels was that they were built around Shimano Dura-Ace hubs instead of the usual HED Sonic models.(Image credit: James Huang)
The rim profile is the giveaway that these are HED rims, not PRO ones.(Image credit: James Huang)
Likewise, these 'PROtotype' 90mm-deep wheels are built with HED Stinger 9 rims.(Image credit: James Huang)
Hidden inside the two carbon skins are spokes that connect the deep-section rims to the hubs.(Image credit: James Huang)
This wheel is labeled as a PRO but it's actually a camouflaged HED Stinger Disc.(Image credit: James Huang)
Team Sky paraded these 'PROtotype' wheels at the Giro d'Italia prologue - but they were actually relabeled wheels from HED.(Image credit: James Huang)
The driveside of the new disc is flat but the non-driveside is lens-shaped.(Image credit: James Huang)
The omission of the foam core helps the new Mavic rear disc shave roughly 200g of weight from the production Comete.(Image credit: James Huang)
The rear hub features adjustable bearing preload.(Image credit: James Huang)
Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Transitions) used a prototype Mavic disc wheel for the Giro d'Italia prologue with no foam core between the carbon sheets and a lighter carbon rim instead of the current version's alloy one.(Image credit: James Huang)
Two things are interesting in this image: the 'Cosmic Pro' moniker that's been blacked out with marker (which may or may not be just a recycled decal from yesteryear) and the 'clincher pressure' rating on the tubular tire.(Image credit: James Huang)
The familiar-looking front hub uses an aluminum body and axle plus Mavic's usual bearing preload adjustment.(Image credit: James Huang)
Mavic's 'CC80' deep-section carbon tubular wheel is still undergoing testing with no release date yet announced.(Image credit: James Huang)
In case there was any doubt…(Image credit: James Huang)
Garmin-Transitions captain Christian Vande Velde departed from the start house of stage one at the Giro d'Italia with an all-new Mavic Comete rear disc, complete with a carbon fiber tubular rim instead of the current version's alloy hoop. According to team mechanic Kris Withington, the rim shape is derived from the company's well-proven Cosmic Carbon Carbone, which is then sandwiched between two sheets of carbon fiber (flat on the driveside, lenticular on the non-driveside).
The carbon rim and lack of a foam core shaves a lot of weight and Withington says the new disc is in fact about 200g lighter than the current version, putting it right around 950g. More importantly, much of that reduction falls out at the rim - where it counts most.
The prologue in Amsterdam also marked another appearance of Mavic's upcoming aggressive 'CC80' carbon tubular –the blacked-out 'Cosmic 80' decal on the side further indicates that this wheel is close to being put into production. The wheels used by Garmin-Transitions also displayed bladed stainless steel spokes and familiar-looking alloy hubs with adjustable bearing preload. Though we don't expect it to be especially light, its aggressive profile likely made it a good choice for today's flat, fast, and relatively calm conditions.
Mavic continues to be tight-lipped on both wheels, however, and declined to provide any further technical details or information. Mavic US marketing director Sean Sullivan would only say that, "the 80mm wheel is one that Garmin-Transitions has been racing and testing in the wind tunnel all spring." Stay tuned.
Prologue winner Team Sky also showed off some new wheels from team sponsor PRO – well, sort of. Scattered throughout the team's pit area were three carbon wheel models – a 90mm-deep tubular, a three-spoke time trial front wheel, and a rear disc – all clearly labeled "PROtotype". Upon closer inspection, it turns out that they were all actually HED products, including the company's Stinger 9, H3, and Stinger Disc.
One crucial difference on the 90mm wheel and disc, however, was that the rims were laced to Shimano Dura-Ace hubs instead of HED's Sonic model. As a result, the disc wheel's bonded-on carbon skins (the Stinger Disc uses the same rim as the Stinger 9) had to be slightly modified to fit around the Dura-Ace hub but the wheel was otherwise a stock item.
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