Cadex has today released a high-end 50mm deep tubeless wheelset that aims to take on the fastest in the business and tubeless tyres that are said to be “shaped for speed”.
Cadex 50 Ultra Disc
As the name suggests, this is a 50mm deep wheelset and if you’re eagle-eyed you may have also noticed that they feature a hookless rim profile. As tyre standards improve we’ve seen many manufacturers switching to this technology as it often results in a lighter wheelset.
The internal width of the wheels is 22.4mm, which Cadex says is “optimized for high volume tyres”. The brand recommends between 25 and 32mm.
> Buyer’s Guide: 10 best road bike and gravel bike wheels 2022
The 50 Ultra Discs have a very impressive claimed weight of 1,349g (front 595g/rear 754g) and Cadex claims that the lateral stiffness-to-weight ratio is improved by “up to 41.4% compared to competitors’ wheels” thanks to a larger bracing angle.
> Review: Zipp 454 NSW tubeless wheelset
* This line shows the difference in lateral and transmission stiffness-to-weight ratio between the competitors’ wheels and the CADEX 50 Ultra Disc. For example, -46.5% means 46.5 percent less efficient in terms of lateral stiffness to weight. It should also be noted that the Zipp 454 NSWs tested were the much heavier previous generation. As always, we recommend taking manufacturer claims with a pinch of salt; the numbers they quote need to be true, but brands can choose to show only the preferential data.
Cadex also makes some impressive claims about the aerodynamics of the wheels and visually there are some clear differences over the previous generation of Cadex wheels. The carbon spokes are much deeper while the new R3-C hubs are said to be more aerodynamically efficient and these are fitted with ceramic bearings as standard.
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Cadex claims that when fitted with the same tyre and tested at 40km/h (25mph), the new 50 Ultra Discs are quicker than the competition. The brand also says it ran tests using different tyres and fitted them to popular aero bikes with similar results.
A further test on crosswind stability showed that the Cadex wheels outperformed the DT Swiss, were on par with the Zipps and were only slightly behind the super wide Rovals and Enves. We’re looking forwards to reviewing the wheels to see whether they can live up to the lofty claims.
You’ll find 21 spokes at the front and 24 at the rear. Inside the rear hub, there’s a 40T ratchet system that gives an engagement angle of 9 degrees.
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The 50 Ultra Discs will retail at £1,149.99 for the front wheel and £1,699.99 for the rear wheel. That’s a total price of £2,849.98 for the wheelset, making this a very premium option! Cadex says it is expecting to see delivery of stock to the UK during the last quarter of this year, and the wheels will be available with either a Shimano 11-speed, Sram XDR or Campag 13 freehub.
Cadex Aero Tubeless Tyre
The second product to be released is a new tubeless tyre with the headline feature being that it’s “shaped for speed”. Cadex says that its new tyre has a taller, more oval-shaped profile with thin sidewalls and a thicker midsection that’s specifically designed with hookless rims in mind.
Once again Cadex has conducted aero testing, claiming that the tyre is up to 5.22 watts faster at 40km/h (25mph) when fitted to a selection of leading rims when compared to popular 25mm and 26mm alternatives.
To assist in minimising losses, the new tyres get a lower rolling resistance compound. The RR-A compound that replaces the RR-S compound we’ve seen on previous Cadex tyres is said to be 15% more efficient.
The tyres have a 170 TPI casing with new microfile tread, and Cadex says that these have already been tested at the highest level, including the 2022 Tour de France.
> Buyer’s Guide: Best road bike tyres 2022
The tyres will cost £64.99 each which is in line with competitors’ high-end tubeless tyres, but just one size is listed on the spec sheet, that being 700x25mm.
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6 thoughts on “Cadex reveals new 50 Ultra Disc wheelset and Aero tubeless tyres “engineered for outright speed””
Cadex claim that at 40kmh
Cadex claim that at 40kmh their wheels are faster than the competition.
Why do press releases persist with this nonsense? At 40kmh, they are all going the same speed!
PRSboy wrote:
Presumably because it works.
Because if they say that at
Because if they say that at 40kmh their wheels are more efficient, a lot of the buying public won’t equate that to being able to go faster. There should be a standardised measurement, maybe a speed achieved for a certain power input, but there’s so many variables that they’d all find ways to show their wheels are the fastest.
I prefer the measurement that
I prefer the measurement that shows watts required to do 40kmh vs the competition. Seems intuitive.
But yes, they all seem to find a way with yaw angles etc of proving theirs are faster than others.
Interesting to see if those
Interesting to see if those new bladed carbon spokes show up on Hunt wheels, afaik Giant is where they get their current carbon spokes from….
I do like those spokes..
I do like those spokes.. those are some lovely looking wheels..