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review
£599.99
VERDICT:
Will make you faster and your bike look great for not much money
Look brilliant
Fast
Stable in windy conditions
Braking is consistent
A little rim deflection on steep climbs
Weight:
1,470g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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Prime's RR-50 V3 Carbon Clincher wheelset is an accessible way into the world of deep carbon wheels. They look brilliant, are a massive upgrade over stock aluminium wheels, and they perform really well too. At this price, they're hard to beat.
If you are looking for cheap carbon clincher wheels, you've got a whole host of options from overseas, but the danger has always been getting something that doesn't work properly.
If you spend a bit more money then Hunt offers the 50 Carbon Wide wheels at £869, but the reality is that finding good carbon wheels below the £600 mark is tricky, especially if you want a set that you don't need to import and comes from a UK seller for returns. The Prime RR-50 V3 ticks a lot of boxes before you've even put the wheels on the bike.
Speaking of which, getting these set up with tyres is a doddle with the right tyre. Tubeless can be done with a standard track pump and I had them on the bike in a flash.
Once on, they instantly improve the look of a road bike compared to shallow aluminium wheels. That's what I believe many people will be buying these hoops for, and the stealthy grey decals certainly add to the aesthetic.
Thankfully, these hoops don't just look good. Although off-the-line acceleration isn't their strong point, the RR-50s are great for accelerations once you head north of 20mph. The 50mm profile seems to cut through the air, and if you're upgrading from stock aluminium wheels you'll notice the difference in speed.
Up at this speed, some wheels can be blown about by crosswinds but I found these wheels to be nicely stable. Sure, if you ride past a gap in the hedge on a windy day there will be some sideways movement, but these aren't twitchy like some wheels.
At some point, you will need to hit the brakes. This is always a crucial part of testing with carbon rim brake wheels, as braking can expose a poorly made rim. The consistent feel of the brakes suggests the rims have been well made, and this results in predictable braking. It isn't the most powerful stopping surface that I've used, but at least you can trust the brakes.
Their 50mm rim is getting deep for a wheel, and with the weight of 1,470g (bare, no skewers) these are best suited to flat and rolling terrain. When I took them on steeper climbs, the acceleration I wanted was a little dull. There was also a little brake rub when really leaning the bike over during a hard effort. Still, the performance is more than good enough for the money.
> Buyer’s Guide: 58 of the best road bike and gravel bike wheels in 2021
The actual build of the wheels is good, if not great. There was a tiny hop on the rear wheel, but nothing that you'd notice when riding, and with aluminium spokes and nipples sitting in the carbon rim, you're likely to be replacing a broken spoke at some point as this combination loves to corrode.
That said, you get plenty of spares in the box along with good skewers and very good brake pads, and tubeless tape is installed for you.
All in, for the £599, it is a cracking package and one that other brands can't match. In fact, we've not reviewed any rim brake carbon clinchers in the same price bracket.
These wheels are great at making your bike look good, they're great at making it go fast, and they're great value too. You can't get much better than that.
Verdict
Will make you faster and your bike look great for not much money
road.cc test report
Make and model: Prime RR-50 V3 Carbon Clincher Wheelset
Size tested: Shimano
Tell us what the wheel 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?
From Wiggle: "Whether you're training or racing, the Prime RR-50 V3 Carbon Clincher Wheelset gives you incredible strength, so you can conquer every challenge on your road bike.
This wheelset features an ultra-stiff carbon fibre construction, which makes it strong enough for road racing as well as training. Coming equipped with a revised wider rim profile, this race-ready wheelset delivers increased aerodynamics, comfort, speed and traction when you need it most. Prime has also ensured that its rim profile is deep enough for time trails and crits, so you can enjoy its versatile performance whatever your discipline.
Built for victory, this clincher wheelset is also engineered to look as amazing as it performs thanks to its customisable design. Prime has kitted out this version with grey stickers already applied, but sticker packs are also available separately in a range of different colours. This means that you can enjoy an eye-catching finish and customised look that matches your ride as you battle for the silverware."
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the wheel?
From Wiggle:
Rim Material: T700 UD Carbon Fibre
Rim: 19mm internal, 27.5mm external, 50mm deep
Brake Compatibility: Rim brakes
Hubs: R020, CNC machined 7075 Alloy hub body, Anti Bite Guard, Shimano/SRAM 9/10/11 speed freehub
Spokes: Pillar PDB 1415, double-butted
Tubeless Tape factory applied
Hub Bearings: Front: 2x 689; Rear: 1x 6802 & 1x 15267; Freehub: 2x 6902
Shimano/SRAM 9,10,11 speed compatible (Campagnolo and XDR freehubs sold separately)
Weight: 1635g
Product Data
Front Axle Type: 9mm QR
Clincher: Yes
Model Year: 2020
Wheel Size: 700c (622)
Tubeless Ready / UST: Yes
Rim Depth: Mid
Tyre Type: Clincher
Rate the wheel for quality of construction:
8/10
Rate the wheel for performance:
9/10
Rate the wheel for durability:
7/10
Rate the wheel for weight
7/10
Rate the wheel for value:
9/10
Did the wheels stay true? Any issues with spoke tension?
One little hop in the rear out of the box, but they've been fine otherwise.
How easy did you find it to fit tyres?
Tubeless fitted with just a track pump, but it's all about the tyre.
How did the wheel extras (eg skewers and rim tape) perform?
The skewers and rim tape are decent. The brake pads are excellent.
Tell us how the wheel performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Fast, stable and the braking is good, they are excellent.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the wheel
The performance upgrade over the basic aluminium wheels that come on many mid-range bikes is brilliant.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the wheel
I'd like to have seen a slightly better build. Brass nipples would be ideal for longevity.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
A lot lower. There's nothing that is really comparable. You have to step up to the Hunt 50 Carbon Wide wheels at £869 to come close to this value.
Did you enjoy using the wheel? Yes
Would you consider buying the wheel? Yes
Would you recommend the wheel to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
They only drop points for a bit of brake rub on steep climbs and minor build issues.
About the tester
Age: 27
I usually ride: Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 My best bike is:
I've been riding for: Under 5 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, club rides, general fitness riding, I specialise in the Cafe Ride!
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16 comments
At this price range the main competition is Hunt and Scribe, it would have been useful to have compared them a bit more directly and advise where the value is... a fuller review.
Example being the crash replacement is very different under both.
How do they compare stiffness, speed, comfort, spoke and hub design, reliability, weight wise? Etc etc
Also rim brakes are a bit dinosaur now, why are you reviewing that instead of the disc version?
Also rim brakes are a bit dinosaur now, why are you reviewing that instead of the disc version?
I'm amazed that people can bring themselves to spend almost as much on these wheels as on my most recent new bike, to get a rim which wears out. I assume people don't use these rims on nasty mucky Lancashire roads.
I'd imagine a disc version review would be much like the rim one, but without the bit about the braking surface.
Is there a disc brake version?
That would overcome the brake rub issue...
Disc Brake version here for £500: https://www.wiggle.co.uk/prime-rr-50-v3-disc-wheelset-tubeless-bundle
I'm a big fan of the Prime kit - cheap, good quality and performance and Wiggle tend to be good with any returns. I bought the older RP-50s which use straight pull spokes and never noticed any rim movement at all, though that's less noticeable with disc brakes anyway.
My problem now is that I've bought a 60mm front wheel (I broke a spoke on the 50mm one) and it doesn't match the 50mm on the rear so I'm going to have to wait for them to sell the 60mm rear one separately.
I bought a set of these earlier in the year when Wiggle had them on offer for £499. I've been very pleased with them. They are very wide too, probably as wide practically as I could fit on my Argon18 Nitrogen aero road bike given the rear brake caliper clearance. I've noticed the improved cornering this brings as much as the straight line speed, giving a great sense of security on descents. And the braking surface makes an amusing turbine-like whine when slowing down, which makes me smile.
Weight-wise, they are very similar fully rigged up vs my Campagnolo Shamals.
With the money saved over other wheels I was considering I bought some Prime carbon aero bars which has set my bike off a treat!
Also worth mentioning you can get different coloured decals if you fancy a change, and upgrade to posher bearings, and there is a crash repair scheme.
Ooooo did you get the fancy aero handlebar? That's one of the best pieces of kit I've reviewed this year.
I did! I really like them, they are very comfortable in my favourite position with forearms on the hoods, and they look great. Although maybe a technique thing, I found threading the brake/gear cable outers through and out of the channels rather tricky so not looking forward to doing that again!
What worked well for me was using a bent paperclip as a hook, so once I'd pushed the cable through far enough, I could just hook the cable and pull it out through the relevant hole.
Good plan, will try that next time. I ran with a small Allen key, and lots of swearing. The moulding could be improved in my view by including more of a 'ramp' to let the cable outer slip easily out when pushed.
Did you weigh these at 1470g?
1635g is mentioned as the weight elsewhere in the review and on Wiggle's website.
Yep. We popped them on our usual scales when they came out of the box. Ours had no skewers on. I can't speak for how Wiggle/Prime weighed theirs.
With the score they received, they'll be back in the office for road.cc recommends photos. I'll strip them down and re-weigh them then too, just to be on the safe side.
Did you weigh the wheels?
Did you weigh the wheels?
The disc versions is said to weigh 1775g and my disc wheelset weighs in at 1743g.
I know that this review is for rim brake, but I thought this could add some perspective.
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