The Vision Metron 45 SL disc brake wheelset is a very good all-rounder. Lightweight, aero, tubeless ready – what’s not to love?
Out of the box, the Vision Metrons are presented in a pretty premium feeling double wheel bag – which gives a nice first impression. They include a lock ring and are supposed to come with a “tubeless kit” – which was sadly missing.
After fitting my cassette to the PRS freehub, mounting my brake rotors, and fitting some tyres (I started with a 27mm pair of Challenge Elite XP clinchers, and switched out for a 30mm pair of Conti GP5000s, and some 30mm Schwalbe Pro Ones over the course of the testing period), I was ready to roll. Fitting the wheels to my bike and giving them a spin, the noise of the freehub is quite loud and distinctive. Some people will probably quite like this, and I’m sure others will find it a bit much. If you’re picky about noisy freehubs, this is probably a wheelset to avoid.
I had a go at setting the wheels up tubeless with a control pair of 30mm Schwalbe Pro One tyres – a set I use across all wheels I test to offer a consistent ride feel and to better enable me to isolate how the wheel feels. They went on without any issues, and without the need for an air compressor. I did use a set of Muc-Off valves rather than Vision’s own “tubeless kit” as this wasn’t supplied, but the interface between the tyre and the rim was very good and caused no headaches whatsoever.
The bladed spokes are a nice touch, and obviously suit the wheels’ intended racing applications. The spokes also feature external nipples, which is a nice touch that makes truing and servicing the wheels a tad easier than an internal option. These do feel like a premium racing wheelset that can be used in day-to-day training as well.
First riding impressions of the wheels were overwhelmingly positive. They felt stiff when accelerating, lightweight when climbing, and very stable on descents or in strong crosswinds. It’s hard to say exactly if there’s any one key feature in the Metron’s arsenal that directly contributed to this positive first impression, or if it’s more a sweeping statement on versatile 45mm deep rims in general – but I was definitely happy using these wheels for all riding.
On the whole, I really liked the Vision Metron 45s, but I did find they were missing something that would elevate them from a good set of wheels to a really great set – especially at what I think is quite a premium price point. They were durable, stiff, light, stable, and aero – but lacked that silver bullet quality that would make them really stand head and shoulders above the competition.
When I got up to speeds above 45-50km/h, the wheels didn’t have that sail effect, feeling that they were adding speed and momentum to my effort – a sensation that I’ve felt in the past with the likes of the Roval Rapides or Zipp 404 NSWs. Similarly, while a 1,400g wheelset is not to be sniffed at by any weight weenie, there are lighter out there for similar (or less) money. Don’t get me wrong, the Metron 45 SLs are really nice, but they didn’t wow me in the way I’d like from a £2,000 set of wheels.
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For a similar price, you’d be looking at something like the Fulcrum Speed 42 wheelset, but for a little less you could have the fantastic Roval Rapide CLX II wheels – which I personally think are a better proposition at a similar weight and deeper depth, with a few more technical features that really make them stand out.
The Visions are obviously a lot cheaper than the truly premium Enve SES 4.5 wheelset, the stratospheric Syncros Capital SL 40, or the quite frankly ludicrous Princeton Carbonworks Peak 4550 Evolution Wheelset, so there’s definitely a case to be made for the £2,000 price tag to be “good value” – but when you could spend nearly half of that and end up with something like Scribe’s Core Superlights, or virtually anything from the Hunt stable, it’s a little harder to justify.
Overall, I do really like the Visions. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a solid all round wheel upgrade who wants a do-it-all option in their stable. Vision’s initial description of ‘the essential tactical wheel for your quiver’ seems to be spot on in that regard. If you’re an aero geek building a super fast package, a hill climber looking at a real weight weenie build, or a really discerning rider who wants a premium, special feeling from every component on their bike, I’d say the Metron 45s might not be quite what you’re after: very good, but not great.
Verdict
Really good ‘jack of all trades’ option, but lacking that wow factor
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Vision Metron 45 SL Disc Carbon Road Wheelset //ALEX//
Size tested: front: 620g, rear: 780g
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?
Vision says: “The Metron 45 is the essential tactical wheel for your quiver. The Metron 45 wheelset is designed for both climbing and CX. Victorious on the Cyclocross course, the cobbles of the Spring Classics, and the twisty mountain stages in the Pro peloton, this wheelset can handle whatever you put them through.”
That lines up with my experience. Wheelsets of this depth are great all-rounders for pretty much any type of riding, and the Metron 45s are low enough in weight to suit a lightweight build, but deep enough to also fit into a more aero optimised package.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the wheel?
From Vision:
Full carbon rim
45mm depth rim
21mm inner width
PRS Hubs with DP spokes CL
6 sealed cartridge bearing (2F + 4R)
ABS self-locking nipples
Artisan built, entirely by hand
2:1 aero bladed spokes 21F / 24R
Compatible with SHIMANO and SRAM freehub
Straight out of the box, the build quality of the Visions is immediately clear. Running straight and true, with all the bladed spokes correctly orientated, they live up to what you would expect from an entirely handbuilt “artisan” wheelset.
The wheels felt plenty stiff enough, the hubs ran smoothly, and the 45mm-deep rim offered plenty of stability in crosswinds.
After a month of testing on British roads, the wheels are still running true, the hubs are still smooth, and there are no obvious signs of wear.
They have a quoted weight of 1,390g, and 1,411g on our scales, which for a 45mm-deep rim is very competitive. They felt light and sprightly out on the road.
A penny under £2,000 is a lot of money to spend on a wheelset – there’s no two ways about it. I’d say that the handmade build, light weight for a rim of this depth, and general “prestige” of the Vision brand justify a large part of the price tag, but they’re not quite as good value as some of their competitors in my opinion.
Did the wheels stay true? Any issues with spoke tension?
Yes, the wheels stayed true, and no issues with the spokes after a month of riding.
How easy did you find it to fit tyres?
I tried three different sets of tyres from Challenge, Continental, and Schwalbe, which all went on without issues.
How did the wheel extras (eg skewers and rim tape) perform?
The rim tape is still in basically perfect condition after a month of testing. The included double wheelbag is really nice – and is a nice touch if travelling with the wheels.
Tell us how the wheel performed overall when used for its designed purpose
The wheels performed really well. A great all round option.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the wheel
I liked the versatile rim depth and relatively low weight. They felt stable and inspired confidence on descents whilst still feeling stiff and responsive uphill.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the wheel
Nothing in particular springs to mind.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
At £2000, the Vision wheels sit somewhere in the middle of the price range. For a similar price you’d be looking at something like the Fulcrum Speed 42 wheelset, but for a little less you could have the fantastic Roval Rapide CLX wheels – which I personally think are a better proposition at a similar weight, deeper depth, with a few more technical features that really make the wheels stand out.
The Visions are obviously a lot cheaper than the truly premium Enve SES 4.5 wheelset, the stratospheric Syncros Capital SL 40, or the – quite frankly – ludicrous Princeton Carbonworks Peak 4550 Evolution Wheelset, so there’s definitely a case to be made for the £2,000 price tag to be “good value” – but when you could spend nearly half of that and end up with something like Scribe’s Core Superlights, or virtually anything from the Hunt stable, the price tag is a little harder to justify.
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
I loved riding the Vision Metron 45 SL wheelset. They were light, aero, stiff, and durable – really solid all rounders.
About the tester
Age: 28 Height: 175cm Weight: 67kg
I usually ride: Road (Tarmac SL7) 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, mtb, Occasional Ultra Racing
3 thoughts on “Vision Metron 45 SL Disc Carbon Road Wheelset”
What an odd review.
What an odd review.
“The Vision Metron 45 SL disc brake wheelset is a very good all-rounder” – intro.
The you mark them down for being…an all-rounder (jack of all trades).
What an odd comment.
What an odd comment.
They didn’t – you left out second, more germane part: “master of none”. And they didn’t exactly mark it down much – an 8/10 is still a very good score.
When they’ve highlighted other options that they believe give you more for the same or less money, it’s hard to see how you could justify scoring it higher.
Please always also mention
Please always also mention outer rim widths.