New road wheelset claims to strike balance between weight, aero, crosswind stability and off-road capability
(Image credit: South Industries)
South Industries has just launched the RX, an all-new road wheelset designed to combine the best of weight, aerodynamics, crosswind stability, and even gravel capability.
According to the company, the asymmetric design is the result of a lot of research and development into what makes the best road bike wheels for real-world riding.
With the tagline 'extend your training ground', the wheels are designed first and foremost as a road wheelset, but with a self-proclaimed 'incredible strength' and the ability to run tyres up to 32mm wide. With that, the South African company says the wheels enable you to ride "wherever your skillset and sense of adventure take you", and backs up the claim with a lifetime warranty.
Looking deeper, this warranty covers the rims of all South Industries wheelsets against manufacturing defects, while a separate lifetime crash replacement policy offers 50 per cent off MSRP in the event of an accident.
Best gravel wheels: Our pick of the best gravel bike wheels for racing and adventure riding
The RX wheelset is built around Tune Prince and Princess hubs (Image credit: South Industries)
The South Industries RX wheelset is asymmetric in design. Not unlike the Roval Rapide CLX wheelset, the front is shallower and wider to aid with crosswind stability, while the rear is deeper and narrower to enable improved aerodynamics. The front wheel measures a depth of 32mm, with an internal rim width of 22mm, while the rear is 40mm deep, with an internal width of 20mm.
The wheels are only available in a tubeless variant, and they are only compatible with disc brakes.
There are two options when it comes to hubs. The lighter weight option builds around Tune's Prince front and Princess rear hubs and weighs in at 1,275g, while an alternative build is available, built around Tune's Climbhill front and KillHill rear hubs and weighs in at 1,350g.
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International pricing is recommended at €1,240 as a matching rim set.
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
