Campagnolo Vento Asymmetric wheels

Campagnolo's second tier Vento wheels use a new asymmetric rim for 2014 to increase lateral and torsional rigidity. Asymmetric as in the spoke holes don't run centrally around the rim but slightly offset.

The 18-spoke front is laced radially while the rear is two-cross on the drive side, radial on the non-drive side, with 20 spokes in all. Rim depths differ front and rear too, 24mm and 27.5mm, the deeper being at the back for increased stiffness when you put the hammer down. They rear is also available in Campag's trademark G3 spoked version.

The axles are alloy, keeping weight down, while the spokes are butted steel. The asymmetry runs to the rear hub as well as it has an over-sized flange on the drive side while standard on the non-drive. A neat little touch are the red anodised alloy nipples; you can't beat a bit of bling to nudge up the perceived value.

Take the Ventos out for a spin and the first thing you notice is the sprightly feel about them. Acceleration is impressive as they whip up to speed without any feeling of drag and the performance is very good all round for a wheel set that weighs 1680g including rim tapes. Stiffness is high on the agenda to as the Ventos also climb and sprint without any feeling of flex. Even hard out of the saddle efforts didn't result in any brake rub.

The usual standard of Campag quality is there with smooth running hubs, equal spoke tension and smart looking graphics. The machined braking surface has left no signs of the rim joint so braking performance is spot on and smooth.

There is one issue when it comes to braking though. The amount of aluminium dust around the brake calipers and frame after a wet ride highlights how soft the alloy rims are. I had a pair of Khamsins on my winter bike a couple of years ago and it was the same story. I got through a set of rims in around 7,000 miles, albeit 7,000 wet, salty, gravel strewn miles. I still use Campagnolo wheels on two of my own bikes and the key is to use soft compound pads as this will increase rim life no end.

Other than that though, the Ventos have stood up to some serious abuse and weather conditions over the last few weeks. The bearings are still running smoothly after plenty of very wet rides and they have remained as true as when they were delivered.

On the whole the Ventos are decent-performing training/entry level race wheels with good levels of stiffness for the weight and they look pretty smart too.

I've been running them on both short and long rides and while they're stiff they don't sacrifice comfort to achieve it. The wear rate on the rims needs to be taken into consideration if you're going to be doing a lot of winter riding but for fair weather duties performance per pound is impressive.

Verdict

Stiff, smooth rolling quality training wheel, soft rims mean that they aren't ideal for winter miles though.