Ere Omnia II CLR45

The Ere Omnia II CLR45 is a good-looking and dependable wheelset that performs well. The 45mm-deep rims deliver a decent combination of aerodynamics and handling, and while the overall weight is okay, there are lighter option out there at what is a very competitive price. But your £999 does include a lifetime warranty and a high maximum rider weight, which could be considerations.

> Buy now: Ere Omnia II CLR45 for £999 from Pearson Cycles

For more options, check our best road bike wheels buyer’s guide.

Features

These are another entry into the extemely hard-fought £1,000 carbon wheelset market. And while they inevitably have a lot of similar features to others at this sort of price, they do boast a few touches that set them apart.

Ere has opted for a reasonably up-to-date rim profile, with an internal width of 21mm, which Ere says is optimised for tyres from 26-32mm and will accommodate tyres from 23-36mm wide. These aren’t as wide as options from the likes of Zipp and Enve, which have rims with an internal width up to 25mm, but it is wide enough for tyres to take on a smooth profile with the rim when inflated.

At 45mm the rims are deep enough to offer an aerodynamic advantage while not adding too much extra mass to your bike setup or impacting handling in gusty weather.

Ere uses its own Iona S hubs, which it says are designed in-house. The rear hub uses a 36-tooth star ratchet design, and both hubs use straight-pull spokes. Ere claims a weight of 242g for the rear hub and 113g for the front.

The complete wheelset weighed in at 1,646g for the pair with the rim tape fitted.

The wheels are laced with Sapim CX Leader spokes that are only available to OEMs, so while you’ll be able to get replacements in bike shops for other Sapim options, you may struggle a little to get these if you needed them.

I think Ere has created a set of good-looking wheels. Its glossy black decals add a little to the otherwise all-black carbon rims, and should you want a little more brightness, Ere is also releasing a set with white decals.

Installation

The wheels came with very neatly fitted rim tape, which made it easy to set them up as tubeless. They didn’t come with tubeless valves, though, so you’ll need to get your own if you’re planning to go down this route.

Fitting tubeless tyres was a breeze, with the tyres inflating straightaway using a track pump and without any headaches. I think it’s fair to say that the newest tubeless rims make it much easier to fit tyres than was the case a few years ago.

Adding discs and a cassette was just as straightforward, making sure to grease all the contacting metal surfaces to prevent corrosion.

Ride

I found riding the Ere Omnia II CLR45 wheels a pleasing and rewarding experience. Their 45mm-deep rims give you a sense of speed on the flat and descents, with little twitchiness in the wind or of feeling too sluggish when you hit the climbs.

They’re sufficiently stiff, so they give you the feeling that all of your power is going into propelling you forwards and that none of it’s being wasted.

They do this without giving you a bone-shaking ride either, with the right about of vertical flex to absorb a good amount of road buzz, though not so much that they feel dead. Frankly, they feel like most other modern carbon road wheels out there – which is a good thing.

The rim width means that a 25-28mm tyre will fit with a flush transition between rim and tyre, though with anything wider and you are going to get a little ballooning.

The construction and finish quality of the wheels appear to be very good, with parts such as the end caps being well made, which meant installing the wheels was a fuss-free process.

And they also stood up well to rides over miles of poor and potholed roads, staying true throughout, which suggests they are solidly made too.

The bearings are easy to access and swap when the time comes, but they held up well during testing, spinning smoothly throught the review period.

The freehub has a buzz that I found appealing, and I really enjoyed the sound when freewheeling down a hairpin descent.

While it’s not something I noticed when I was riding, the Omnias aren’t super-light wheels, with a pair weighing in north of 1,600g.

I think part of that mass will be down to the choice of spokes Ere has gone for. The CX Leaders are a sound option for durability and ease of use, but Ere could have trimmed a chunk of weight by speccing Sapim’s CX-Ray spokes, for example.

The plus side of this is that the wheels come with a lifetime warranty for the original owner if you register through its website. They also have a maximum rider weight limit of 130kg, which suggests Ere has confidence inthe manufacturing quality of its wheels.

There are numerous wheel options out there today if you’re looking to spend around a grand, but I think Ere has made a decent attempt in entering this hugely challenging market.

Value

This wheelset costs £999, and comes with the choice of Shimano, SRAM XDR or Campagnolo freehubs.

Stu really rated Scribe’s Core Superlight 60-D wheelset that comes in at the same price, and they’re lighter at 1,486g, with deeper rims that should also make them more aerodynamic.

Velocite’s very well-specced Hyperdrive Ultra 50mm wheels also cost £999, and with their carbon spokes weigh an impressive 1,337g. And once again, Stu rated them very highly.

At £900 the Mavic Cosmic S 42 Disc wheels are a little cheaper but they’re slightly weightier than the Ere Omnias and I wasn’t overawed by their performance.

Conclusion

I’ve generally been impressed with the Ere Omnias. While their performance didn’t blow me off my feet, they’re well made and ride well, and though a little heavier than I’d have liked – and weightier than some of the opposition – they do come with both a hefty maximum rider weight limit and a lifetime warranty. And if you are in the market for a new set of wheels, I certainly think they’re a set worth considering.

Verdict

Well-made, smooth-running wheels with a lifetime warranty, but a little heavier than others at this price

> Buy now: Ere Omnia II CLR45 for £999 from Pearson Cycles

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