German wheel brand, Lightweight, have announced they are about to release the world's most expensive pair of wheels. Expected to retail for a cool £5,975/€6,670, the Lightweight is preparing to release the Fernweg disc wheelset to the public in approximately three months’ time.
An arm of the Wissler Group that designs and engineers everything from aerospace technology to precision farming agriculture and medical devices, Lightweight uses much of the same research and development capabilities available to them. This won't be the premium brand's first foray into disc wheels. Just last year their first step into the disc wheel market was the Meilenstein C Disc road clincher, costing riders a cheap €4,590 for the pair.
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Similar to the Meilenstein C Disc, the Fernweg features a double bonded, pentagon shaped carbon fibre hub designed to dissipate heat from the disc rotor as well as mitigate the additional rotational force that comes from disc brakes. Lightweight also claims that this unique hub shell design helps improves power transfer versus a standard shell. The weight of the Fernweg wheels reportedly come in at 1.05kg and 1.11kg for the front and rear respectively.
The biggest change noticeable in the Fernweg is that the ‘V’ shaped rim profile is replaced by a rounded profile similar to the deep wheelsets offered by ENVE and Zipp. This is to increase stability without sacrificing too much of the aerodynamic qualities and speed attributed to deep-dish carbon wheels. Clearly built for the time trialists of the bunch, the rims are 20mm wide and 79.5mm deep.
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The rim-brake Fernweg version comes in either clincher or tubular construction and it’s undetermined whether both options will be available for the new disc wheelset.
We’ll provide updates regarding the world’s most expensive wheelset from Lightweight as they become available. More information at Lightweight
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