After the recent announcement of finally introducing an 11 speed TT group, Campagnolo has been hard at work increasing their commitment to TT and Tri. Proof? Check out the new Bora Ultra 80 wheel. The addition of an 80mm deep wheel to their aero line up is sure to be welcomed, as riders can now pair them with the Bora Ultra One and Two to accommodate different courses and conditions.
More than simply introduce a new wheel, Campy has gone even further and introduced a new muted aesthetic to their aero wheel line up that is sure to please riders going for that look.
What makes a Campy Aero wheel special? Find out after the break!
There is a ton of tech packed in to one wheel, so let’s start at the hub and work our way out. In order to guarantee the fastest wheel possible, you have to have perfect bearings. Obviously, just about everyone in the cycling industry is looking to ceramics to improve bearing performance, but not everyone goes about it in the same way. Campagnolo is still using their special ball bearing set up referred to as CULT (Campagnolo Ultimate Level Technology) which is sort of a lame acronym, but it gets the point across. This is Campy’s top level bearing.
CULT is basically a precision ball bearing set up that utilizes extremely high quality ceramic ball bearings fitted to a special Cronitect Steel cup and cone. Rather than using grease for lubrication, CULT bearings are simply oiled, which prevents oxidation, but does not slow the bearing in any way. Campy claims that CULT bearings are a whopping 9 times smoother than traditional steel ball bearings, and even harder to believe, that it causes zero wear to the bearings and balls. All you need to know is that if you are slow on these wheels, it’s not the bearing’s fault.
The hubs on the Bora 80s utilize a carbon hub shell with an oversized aluminum flange to accommodate the additional stress on the driveside of the rear wheel. Spoking is radially laced on the front, while the rear gets the typical Campy radial non-driveside with two cross on the drive side. Continuing to leave no detail overlooked, quite a bit of care went into using the perfect spokes to be sure and improve aerodynamics. How? All 16 front, and 21 rear bladed and butted spokes are fitted with an anti rotation system to always keep them in the optimal aero position.
In order to create the most balanced rim possible, apparently Campagnolo applies a special technique to ensure that carbon placement on the rim creates the perfect balance so that the rim spins perfectly even at high speed. Currently, the Bora Ultra 80s will only be offered in tubular form.
Weight wise, the Bora Ultra 80 is extremely light, at 1540g for the pair. Which, if you’re keeping score is extremely close to a pair of Zipp 808s with a claimed weight of 1519g for the pair. A Bora 80 wheel paired with a 50mm deep Bora front wheel will produce a combined weight of only 1390g.
Above are the Bora Ultra Ones in the Dark Label colorway on the top row, and the Bora Ultra Twos on the bottom row also in the Dark Label Colorway.
Currently, there is still no talk of an 11 speed compatible Ghibli disc wheel (or even one that can use a standard Campy cassette) but I would have to guess one is in the works.
