Princeton CarbonWorks has four all-new ultralight, wavy Peak 4550 carbon wheelsets and one of them is being raced now by the Team INEOS Grenadiers at the Tour de France. Those Peak 4550 Launch Edition tubulars come in at a claimed 1071g for the 26mm wide rim brake wheels that the pros are racing now, but there are also special Launch Edition tubeless-ready versions for rim or disc brakes that are also available from today…
Princeton CarbonWorks Peak 4550 lightweight aero carbon wheels
With the start of the Tour de France kicking off over the weekend, we’re starting to spot all sorts of new road bike tech popping up on the biggest stage of the year. While they haven’t won any stages yet, the INEOS Grenadiers have mostly been trying to avoid major crashes in these first chaotic few days on their new wheels.
Princeton CarbonWorks tells us that INEOS chose to race the ultralight new Peak 4550 tubulars as ideal Grand Tour all-rounders on their new Pinarello Dogma Fs, over the standard Shimano tubulars most of the team have been riding throughout the spring & early summer racing. At just 1071g for the rim brake tubulars, obviously saving rolling weight over the Dura-Ace C60 wheels (claimed 1496g) was a big driver. But Princeton also suggests that their wheels are extra stiff thanks to continuous, undrilled rim beds.
And of course, aerodynamics is a prime concern, especially of a detailed-oriented team like INEOS, so the undulating 45-50mm shape of the Peak 4550 wheels with a max 26mm outer width, must really deliver solid aero performance. We’ll see if the team sticks to the since depth Princeton Peak 4550 throughout the varied racing of the Tour, or switches out to shallower or deeper (like the Wake 6560) Princeton wheels for big mountain days or wind-swept sprint stages.
(While INEOS are still holdouts on rim brakes, a disc brake tubular version of the wheelset is also available if they need the improved braking.)
Lightweight tubeless carbon wheels, too!
While INEOS pro might be opting for tubulars out of a desire for the ultimate in lightweight (and simply resistance to change), there’s really no denying that tubeless (and even clinchers) offer lower rolling resistance and an easier to manage experience. So Princeton does tubeless clinchers of the new wheels too, sharing the same outer dimensions – 40-45mm deep & max 26mm wide outside.
Here the rim brake tubeless clincher wheels claim a weight of 1297g for the pair, and for the disc brake tubeless clincher wheels a weight of 1348g.
The tubeless-ready wheels also feature a non-drilled rim bed which ensures more wheel stiffness and an easier tape-free tubeless setup. The tubeless clincher rims feature a hooked bead with a relatively narrow 18.5mm internal width.
Princeton CarbonWorks Peak 4550 Launch Edition lightweight carbon wheels
Developed to be “exceptionally aero, stiff, and reliable” and of course fast enough to race the Tour de France, the Princeton CarbonWorks Peak 4550 wheels are available now in a lightweight limited Launch Edition series of wheels just like INEOS is racing.
These are all built up on Italian-made Carbon-Ti hubs with Sapim CX-Ray aero spokes & SecureLock alloy nipples – 16/24 lacing for rim brake wheels, 24/24 lacing for centerlock disc brake wheels.
Pricing & availability
All of the Princeton CarbonWorks Peak 4550 Launch Edition wheelsets sell for the same $3400 pricetag, and include special Launch Edition 2021 red & blue graphics, available now through July 31.
Standard black-decal production Peak 4550 wheels – like on this new Pinarello Dogma F Disc – will go on sale August 1 for $3100 with either Tune or White Industries hubs, as will custom builds.
