Campagnolo might not have a disc brake groupset in its range, though it did provide us with a sneak peek earlier this year, but that hasn’t stopped the Italian company from launching a disc brake wheelset.
– Campagnolo reveals new disc brakes
It’s called the Zonda DB and is a disc-specific wheelset that shares the name of a previous rim brake offering in the company’s range, but there the similarity stops. This new wheelset is compatible with quick release and 12mm thru-axles, uses a 6-bolt rotor mount and asymmetric spoke lacing in both wheels to deal with the disc brake forces.
Campagnolo is keen to stress that it didn’t just adapt the existing wheelset but has designed it from the ground up, taking into account the extra forces generated by the disc brakes.
– Everything you need to know about disc brakes
The most distinctive aspect of the new wheels is the unique spoke pattern. It has taken its familiar G3 spoke lacing pattern and applied it to both wheels, with 21 stainless steel spokes on both wheels groupset in threes. It uses 14 spokes on the disc side, and 7 on the opposite side and the idea is to prevent the wheel from twisting during heavy braking.
The rims are also asymmetric and made from aluminium, and to save weight, it has removed excess material. It has also applied its Rim Dynamic Balance technology, which is intended to prevent wheel wobble, and basically involves counterbalancing the wheel by added weight on the rim opposite the valve hole.
There are all-new hubs, made from aluminium and with asymmetric flanges, so the spokes are shorter on the disc side, again a measure to help deal with the forces generated by the disc brakes. Inside the hubs are cup and cone bearings with an adjustment lockring.
Campagnolo is offering the wheels with common 6-bolt rotor mounts or AFS, which is the company’s version of Shimano’s CentreLock. Well, you didn’t expect them to just use the Japanese company’s standard, did you?
Adaptable hubs allow the running of regular quick release or 12mm thru-axles, a standard that is rapidly becoming an actual standard on all new disc road bikes.
“The difficult task put before the Campagnolo engineers to create a wheelset that lived up to its extremely successful rim brake predecessor’s good name represented a challenge but it has been one that was more than met by the R&D department in Vicenza. The Zonda disc brake is not only more reactive when compared to the rim brake version but it is also 25 grams lighter than its closest competitor,” says Campagnolo.
No word on pricing or availability yet, we’ll update this story when we do find out. More at www.campagnolo.com
14 thoughts on “Campagnolo releases disc brake wheels – but no sign of actual disc brakes yet”
Rim width ? Rim bed looks
Rim width ? Rim bed looks continuous, but shallowish – tubeless compatible ?
fukawitribe wrote:
It looks like a variation on a theme; see http://www.fulcrumwheels.com/en/wheels/road-bike-wheels/racing-5-db
I love my bike wrote:
Ah yes, I guess that would make sense (Fulcrum/Campagnolo), cheers. 622×17 is half decent although no mention on there about tubeless compatibility alas. I just thought it might be something that would be mentioned in an article about a wheelset, albeit a brief one.
fukawitribe wrote:
No, they’re not tubeless-ready – Campagnolo/Fulcrum doesn’t drill the rim bed for reasons to do with stiffness etc. Yes, it’s a shame they’re not tubeless compatible
David Arthur @davearthur
Thanks for the update David. Aye, shame really.
Like the graphics but I wish
Like the graphics but I wish they didn’t use stickers. One wash and they start to look rubbish.
I see they’re still clinging
I see they’re still clinging to the hilariously sub-optimal spoke lacing patterns.
willvousden wrote:
They work fine for me. And after 10,000km on a pair of Eurus’s, I still haven’t needed to true them. What’s your experience? Still using stablisers? 😉
willvousden wrote:
20,000km on a pair of Zondas, mostly in the Alps and Dolomites, without any need to true the rear, would suggest that Campagnolo know more about building wheels than you do.
willvousden wrote:
I’ve got a set of Zondas & I ride Shamals everyday, pretty hard. The only way my tiny brain can reconcile my direct experience with your assertion is to conclude that sub-optimal is the best!
+1 for the bullet-proof
+1 for the bullet-proof nature of the spoke pattern. I don’t want to jinx myself but I’ve ridden a pair of Eurus for more than 3 years through every kind of weather imaginable and on the UK’s roads and never once needed to have them trued. When I bought a new bike earlier this year, Campag wheels were the only ones I looked at and got myself a pair of Shamals which, again, have, thus far, been perfect. In my opinion they also look absolutely mega but I accept that others may not be of the same view.
“asymmetric flanges, so the
“asymmetric flanges, so the spokes are shorter on the disc side, again a measure to help deal with the forces generated by the disc brakes”
Slightly confused by this. The front hub has this arrangement but the opposite is true on the rear, the disc side flange is smaller therefore the spokes are longer. Are the braking forces significantly less on the rear so the extra strength isn’t need or is it more a case of aesthetics/marketing dictating that asymmetry be present on the rear as well?
daccordimark wrote:
Yes.
On the rear the asymmetry is
On the rear the asymmetry is there to wthstand the pedalling power i.e. forces on the cassette side. On the front it’s there to withstand the braking forces i.e. opposite side. Rear barking forces are less significant.
Oh and to join in the spoking argument. I have the Zondas (non disc) and the spoking seems pretty good to me.