From the first week of this year’s Giro d’Italia, a new set of lightweight Deda Elementi RS4DB tubeless carbon wheels were in the break at the front of the peloton. The new mid-depth Deda wheels debut a new lightweight tubeless carbon rim construction, lighter aero optimized hubs, and improved internals to create a more versatile wheelset from everyday riding to Grand Tour racing…
Deda Elementi RS4DB lightweight tubeless road wheels
Once the Giro actually hit the roads of Italy, Italian component maker Deda Elementi had their UCI Pro Conti Team Bardiani-CSF-Faizané racing on the new wheels, and Alessandro Tonelli put them in the Stage 5 breakaway right away. The RS4DB wheels set a new benchmark for modern lightweight road wheels, shedding 200g over Deda’s next lightest disc brake offering.
Tech details – What’s new?
The new wheels feature a shallower 38mm aero profile for a better balance of lightweight and aerodynamic performance, with a 19mm internal (26mm external) hooked tubeless bead to work with any modern road tires, tubes, or not. The new lighter mid-profile rim features variable wall thickness, with an internal “composite stiffener” molded inside the hi-mod carbon layup to reinforce the spoke holes that allow Deda to thin the rim wall between spokes to reduce weight.
The wheels also feature all-new 7075 alloy straight-pull RS centerlock disc brake hubs with a revised shape and rifled finish to reduce airflow turbulence over the hubs for improved aerodynamics. Now 80g lighter for the hubset and spinning on ceramic bearings, they also get new faster-engaging 20T ratchet internals, putting a larger ratchet in the hub flange for improved power-transfer stiffness & durability.
The wheels are built up with 24 aero, butted spokes front & rear and feature internal nipples for better aerodynamics, and self-locking alloy nipples that promise to hold tight.
Complete Deda RS4DB wheelsets claim a weight of just 1340g with standard 12mm thru-axles.
Deda RS4DB wheels – Pricing & options
The new tubeless-ready Deda RS4DB carbon wheels sell for 1950€ +VAT, and are available with freehubs for Shimano, Campagnolo & SRAM XDR freehub bodies. The new lightweight wheels aren’t available just yet, but should be soon from your local Deda dealer bike shop.