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review

Scope Cycling R5c carbon fibre clincher wheels

8
£1,199.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Solid durability and impressive performance, especially the braking, but let down by the weight
Weight: 
1,704g

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Scope Cycling's debut R5C carbon fibre clincher wheels provide a high level of performance, with good durability and very impressive braking performance, but they're heavier than their rivals at this fiercely contested price point.

Scope are a young Dutch brand specialising in wheels, with a range of three models at launch. The wheels are identically priced at £1,199 (€1398), leaving you the simple choice of a 30, 45 or 55mm rim depth. We picked up the latter to test, and have been putting them through their paces for the past few months, and they've come out shining.

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Buy these online here

The rims are constructed from unidirectional carbon fibre with 3K carbon used in key areas, such as the tyre bed and around the spoke nipples. The profile is an on-trend U-shape, made popular by the bigger names in the carbon wheel market in recent years as aerodynamic thinking has evolved. Their 55mm depth combines with a 24mm external and 16.4mm internal width.

Scope have also developed their own hubs, with sealed cartridge bearings and a reinforced 7075 aluminium freehub body to prevent the cassette biting into the slotted grooves. The wheelset is available in Shimano and Campagnolo versions.

The Sapim CX Ray spokes – 18 front, 21 rear – have a radial lacing pattern in the front wheel and a 2:1 rear lacing pattern, similar to a Campagnolo wheelset.

On the scales the wheels aren't quite as light as the 1,555g that Scope claim; this set came in at 1,704g (772g front, 932g rear). That makes them between 50 and 200g heavier than similarly priced carbon clincher wheels at this price.

I've been riding these wheels for the past few months, putting them through a thorough long-term test in a range of weather and riding conditions. Through it all, they've impressed. There is no getting away from that weight discrepancy, but the wheels haven't proved to be tardy in the way they accelerate from a range of speeds.

It's tricky testing aerodynamic products, but they felt noticeably faster than some regular box section clincher wheels, and compared with a Mavic CC40 wheelset, the Scopes were definitely the quicker wheel. The rims display very good stability in windy conditions, making them easy to live with through a wide range of weather conditions.

What makes them especially easy to live with as a daily wheelset is the superb braking performance. This is where carbon wheels usually fall down. Much progress has been made in recent years and the Scopes are among the best I've tested for the simple fact that the braking is consistent and predictable, and good in all weathers.

Scope developed their own brake blocks and they've gone with a soft compound. That sacrifices longevity (I've nearly worn down the blocks) but the upshot is fantastic lever feel and plenty of power. There's a hint of squealing when you really put some heat into them but they're mostly well-mannered and outperform many other carbon wheels.

It's a stiff wheelset, but not the stiffest I've tested. The wheels are comfortable over cracked roads and on long rides, making them ideal for tackling the sort of roads you might not want to take a super-stiff carbon wheelset down.

Another highlight of this long test has been their superb durability and reliability. I've been riding them as every-day wheels and I've hammered them, racing them regularly, using them in the local chain gang, and taking them along some of the most rotten roads I can find. They've survived the punishment. The spokes have remained well tensioned throughout the test, highlighting the excellent build quality.

Despite the higher than advertised weight, the braking and aerodynamic performance of Scope's debut wheels won me over. In a hotly contested market where people are buying on price, these are definitely worth a closer look. They don't have the brand recognition of some, but they look good and, importantly, have the performance to justify the price tag.

Verdict

Solid durability and impressive performance, especially the braking, but let down by the weight

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Scope R5c carbon fibre clincher wheels

Size tested: 50mm

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?

Scope say: "The main objective of the Scope R5c is to build up and maintain high speeds. The 24mm width and 55mm high rim provides excellent aerodynamics, saving a significant amount of watts. In addition the R5c is extremely stiff, making it ideal for sprints where the bike is pushed to the limit. Contrary to what one might think, the R5c can also be used in cross winds due to the wide U-shape of the rim. Above all the R5c just looks great and is a real eye-catcher."

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

VIBRATION DAMPING

The advanced full carbon clincher rims of the R5c are mainly build up from Unidirectional (UD) carbon providing stiffness and vibration damping. In addition, certain sections such as the nipple section and tire bed are made out of 3K-carbon making the rim robust.

EXTREME BRAKING

The braking surface of the rim is build up out of special fibers and resin to enable extreme braking. The rims can handle an industry leading braking power of 1.300W without causing heat-related issues. In addition the special compound braking pads offer powerful and dosable braking.

EXTRA WIDE

The unique rim shape developed by Scope of 24 mm wide and 55 mm height provide outstanding aerodynamics. Besides, the wideness of the rim ensures low roll-resistance and comfort for the rider.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Build quality is excellent, the rims are strong and robust, and the spoke tension has been good throughout this extended test.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

With so much choice in the carbon clincher market, making an informed choice is tricky. These score well on the important criteria that a carbon wheel should: build quality, aerodynamics and braking performance. They are significantly heavier than advertised, though, which will put off weight weenies.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10

Top marks for durability, really impressive.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
6/10

Significantly heavier than the advertised weight, and heavier than the competition, but not excessively so.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10

Really impressive in this department.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

It depends what you're looking for. If you want a wide rim, good aerodynamics and build quality, and very good braking performance, these are as good as the best carbon wheels at this price, and better than many more expensive wheels as well. If low weight is high on your agenda, look elsewhere.

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

Tested over a long period the wheels have been solid and reliable.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Fantastic braking performance...

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

...at the cost of brake block longevity, but it's a small price to pay.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

If you can overlook the weight, then the performance – aero, braking, responsiveness – makes these really fast and easy wheels to live with. But it's not hard to find similarly priced and similarly performing wheels that are lighter.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 31  Height: 180  Weight: 67

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

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: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, touring, mountain biking

 

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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7 comments

Avatar
Flying Scot | 8 years ago
0 likes

Just to clarify, having read the comments, not the review, you have to ride these everyday or the warranty is void?

I can't get out everyday as on 2 days a week I have an all dat breakfast- that takes all day.

Avatar
macrophotofly | 8 years ago
0 likes

Handbags down gents!

Anyway back to the review. Trouble understanding why you would buy full carbon wheels at this weight (even with "better braking") when you can have a Aluminium brake-tracked carbon wheel with predictable braking (eg D-A 9000 C50) tipping the scales for less and emptying your piggy bank for less?

Avatar
Tass Whitby | 8 years ago
0 likes

Crucial hyphen now added to the review. Every-day wheels, not everyday wheels.

Avatar
crikey | 8 years ago
0 likes
Quote:

especially easy to live with as a daily wheelset

Quote:

riding them as everyday wheels

As noted above, the implication is that the wheels can be used everyday, and they cost £1200.

I think what you've done there is not read things very well in an effort to criticise someone.

Avatar
brighty | 8 years ago
0 likes

£1200. "Great *everyday* wheels". I seem to have wandered into the wrong website...

Avatar
Jez Ash replied to brighty | 8 years ago
0 likes
brighty wrote:

£1200. "Great *everyday* wheels". I seem to have wandered into the wrong website...

I think what you've done there is invented a quote, put quote marks around it, and then criticised your own work. Good effort.

When testing wheels or anything else, it makes sense to give them a thorough workout. If you or I were to buy these wheels, we'd keep them for racing, most likely, and we'd want them to last several years as a minimum.

It's not normally possible to review things after several years of use, for fairly obvious reasons, and consequently the reviewer needs to accelerate the testing to get as much use and abuse into a much shorter time frame.

For this reason, using posh wheels as everyday wheels makes a lot of sense, allowing the tester to put in a lot of miles in a lot of conditions, and hopefully identify good and bad aspects of the product. At no point did the reviewer suggest that they were "good everyday wheels" - that's all your own work.

I think I just fed the troll.

Avatar
brighty replied to Jez Ash | 8 years ago
0 likes

Title of Facebook post that led me to this review -

Review: Scope Cycling R5c carbon fibre clincher wheels - great everyday wheels with impressive braking, though heavier than claimed
road.cc/157949

- which is where I sourced the quote. As also pointed out by others, the article itself also mentioned (now changed) "everyday". As you could see if you could look for a minute second beyond your own sense of self importance it was the juxtaposition of the phrase, and the use in the article of everyday, with the £1200 price tag that was the point of my satire. If you think £1200 wheels are merely "posh" ones then you're obviously living a different life to those of us who chuckle at some of the absurdities of cycling and gear fetishism. However, given your po faced response to a little quip I doubt you chuckle at anything much to do with cycling.

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