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review

Miche Altur Wheelset

8
£293.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Solidly built wheelset that is quick enough of for racing and tough enough for training
Weight: 
1,780g

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The Altur wheelset is part of Italian brand Miche's 2015 line up. They're reliable enough for your training bike and bling enough for your best bike so they'll get a lot of use year round.

The 35mm deep rims are made from T6 hardened 7075 alloy, which helps keep the weight under control. They come it 1780g on the road.cc Scales of Truth™, which lines up well against the competition.

Miche claim that they are designed as an all rounder for use training or racing in all terrains and to be fair they aren't far off the mark. They climb, sprint and accelerate very well indeed thanks to the stiffness of the deeper rim; there's really no lateral flex when you're out of the saddle.

On the flat or descending the 35mm rim depth does offer a little aero advantage and the Alturs maintain speed with ease. Although they're not super light there isn't a feeling of any excess weight anywhere; they feel very balanced.

It's depths of winter so these wheels have seen loads of rain and recently a fair amount of road salt and mud which hasn't affected the performance of the bearings at all. Everything is still running smoothly and more importantly quietly. The bearings are sealed so I don't see any reason why this should change.

The front uses aero 16 spokes laced in a radial pattern which allows a little bit of flex in what is an unforgiving wheelset. The rear uses a two-cross pattern on the drive side for the 24 spokes which keeps things tight like I mentioned above. There is a Campagnolo freehub option alongside the Shimano and Sram versions and all are 11-speed compatible.

At £294 they are pretty much in the ball park with other wheels with 35mm alloy like the Campag Scirroco 35s or the Fulcrum Racing Quattros both of which have a similar overall weight. Taking everything into account that is a pretty realistic price, you've got the reliability there and enough performance for varied riding styles.

Overall the Miche Altur wheelset is a solid feeling and performing set of wheels and makes a worthy upgrade without breaking the bank. They perform very well in the hills as well as on the flat feeling very similar to Mavic's well respected Ksyrium Elites although much cheaper.

The reliability is top notch and they are shrugging off the worst the weather can throw at them which makes for a good training wheel. The strength and stiffness provided by the rim also makes them a sensible alternative for entry level racing as they'll shrug off crashes and knocks with little in the way of damage.

The only downside is that they could be seen as a little bit harsh on rough road surfaces especially if you are a light rider.

Verdict

Solidly built wheelset that is quick enough of for racing and tough enough for training.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Miche Altur Wheelset

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

The Miche Altur wheelset is intended for a multitude of uses thanks to a solid build quality and sensible weight balance. The deepish rim provides plenty of stiffness and a dash of aerodynamics. Miche have achieved their go as the Alturs are a proper workhorse set of wheels which offer enough performance to bring a smile to your face.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

*Alloy 7075-T6 35mm deep rim

*Alloy spokes and nipples

*16 front / 24 rear spoking pattern

*Campagnolo, Shimano & SRAM compatible freehubs

*Skewers & rim tape included

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

The Alturs have stood up to the wet winter weather and potholed roads with ease.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The performance and solid build quality.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

On the harsh side especially for lighter riders.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

If you're after a set of wheels for year round use or for training and racing you won't go far wrong with the Alturs. While they may not be exceptionally flash they offer great reliability while being light enough to enjoy climbing or sprinting on them.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: Kinesis T2  My best bike is: Kinesis Aithien

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

 

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

Add new comment

7 comments

Avatar
tandellcycling | 9 years ago
0 likes

aluminum carbon wheels also can have perfect performance

Avatar
Mrmiik | 9 years ago
0 likes

Have the race 707 wheels. Well made and comfy but around 2kg. Relegated to training wheels, and would recommend miche. Really tempted to try the SuperType tubs!

Oh... Steer clear of their cassettes though...

Avatar
Vinerman replied to Mrmiik | 9 years ago
0 likes
Mrmiik wrote:

Have the race 707 wheels. Well made and comfy but around 2kg. Relegated to training wheels, and would recommend miche. Really tempted to try the SuperType tubs!

Oh... Steer clear of their cassettes though...

The Supertype cassettes are very light and not ideal for everyday use, agree.
however,the Primato cassette teamed with Miche chain has been very good.
also you can custom build it, ratio wise. one by one.
good tunning required.

Avatar
Mrmiik replied to Vinerman | 9 years ago
0 likes
Vinerman wrote:
Mrmiik wrote:

Have the race 707 wheels. Well made and comfy but around 2kg. Relegated to training wheels, and would recommend miche. Really tempted to try the SuperType tubs!

Oh... Steer clear of their cassettes though...

The Supertype cassettes are very light and not ideal for everyday use, agree.
however,the Primato cassette teamed with Miche chain has been very good.
also you can custom build it, ratio wise. one by one.
good tunning required.

Had a bike come with a miche 11-25 primato and chain on the Campy drivetrain. 500 odd miles in, was having issues with the cassette skipping under load. This was on a campy drive train. Switched to a record chain and veloce 11-25, everything has been fine. Considering primato and veloce cassettes are largely the same price - why bother? The supertype is nice and exotic... maybe one day!

Avatar
wrevilo | 9 years ago
0 likes

Apparently Miche's Primato hubs are reliable, if heavy.

What's the internal width of these wheels? Have they followed the trend of being slightly wider or are they the traditional 15mm?

Avatar
mikroos | 9 years ago
0 likes

Wow, this could be the first Miche product that actually offers any reliability.

So far I've dealt with a pair of Miche wheels which were seriously untrue and unbalanced upon unpacking, cassettes that wouldn't shift properly at least on 1-2 gears no matter how you adjust the RD, chainrings that would jam the chain between each other and a BB adapter which didn't fit snug against the frame. Good to know they can actually manufacture something properly!

Avatar
Vinerman replied to mikroos | 9 years ago
0 likes
mikroos wrote:

Wow, this could be the first Miche product that actually offers any reliability.

So far I've dealt with a pair of Miche wheels which were seriously untrue and unbalanced upon unpacking, cassettes that wouldn't shift properly at least on 1-2 gears no matter how you adjust the RD, chainrings that would jam the chain between each other and a BB adapter which didn't fit snug against the frame. Good to know they can actually manufacture something properly!

I have been using only Miche since 2007[ first wheel came with Viner bike] ridden these models on various bikes: Race,Connect[winter wheels], Syntium[ great value for money early production had issue they replaced them with new improved ones], SWR[did not like much, i'm told new version is far better], Supertype[simply understated and highly recommended],SWR RC[carbon clincher so far excellent].

I can honestly say good quality wheels. just like any other brand wheels can have issue but we can be harsh with Miche while accepting Fulcrum/Mavic a little more in these cases.
I have seen a massive improvement in the quality in the last 5 years. might take them time to shake off the dodgy wheel reputation.

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