For decades Lightweight’s carbon-spoked, made-in-Germany Meilenstein carbon wheels have always been lust-worthy for their unique looks, stiffness, and well… light weight. But only now do they finally get modern, with a 23mm tubeless internal width designed to fit the latest premium road racing tires and an updated profile for improved all-rounder aerodynamics. At yet they are still incredibly lightweight at a claimed 1190g, and still feature eye-watering price tags that push up to almost seven thousand euros!
Lightweight Meilenstein Art carbon road wheels are now wide!
Lightweight calls this their “most advanced wheelset to date“.
On the outside, it’s the updated no longer flat-sided aero shape, the now 27% broader internal rim width, and wildly ultralight weight – 13.7% lighter than before – that really caught our attention, of course.
Aerodynamics are really a big improvement here. Lightweight designed and iterated the new Meilenstein Art wheels in CFD and then verified their improvements in the wind tunnel to reduce overall drag and especially to improve crosswind stability. Overall, it seems like a huge performance upgrade for Lightweight, after what seemed like a decade of stagnation as the rest of the wheel market advanced.
But there’s also actually a lot more interesting tech inside that made all that possible.
What’s new?
Four years in development, the new Lightweight Meilenstein Art wheels are a big departure from the traditionally flat-sided Meilenstein that Lightweight has actually been making since 2004 (then dubbed Standard). That flat shape was an integral part of their previous unique construction, with widened extensions of their continuous rim-to-rim spokes molded into the rim walls.
But now, a new patented Alpha Rib Technology means that the ends of these continuous carbon spokes widen to form ribs that provide structure inside of the new blunt-nosed aerodynamic rim shape. This let Lightweight further reduce rim wall widths to save more weight, shedding 190g of the previous generation Meilenstein Evo, dropping the new Art wheels under a 1200g threshold, while improving strength and stiffness.
In between the new Alpha Ribs, Lightweight uses a new reusable core (presumably wax?) that allows them to precisely control the profile and internal surfaces. And they can fully remove the core after the wheels are cured, and reuse the material in future wheels, reducing waste.
Tech details
- 45mm deep x max 28.6mm wide aero carbon rim
- 22.9mm internal width, for 28mm and larger tires
- hooked tubeless with uninterrupted rim bed (no need for tubeless tape)
- Alpha Rib Tech internal structures at each spoke inside the rim to maintain stiffness & light weight
- 20 continuous full carbon spokes tied & bonded to machined alloy hub shells front & rear
- proprietary Penta-Fly alloy hubs with DT Swiss 180 Ratchet EXP freehub internals
- centerlock disc brake only for 12mm thru-axles with tool-free end caps
- Shimano, SRAM & Campagnolo freehubs available
- includes tubeless valves, tire levers,
- 120kg (265lb) max rider+bike system weight
- 5-year warranty, plus free minor repairs for life
- protected by individually-numbered, read-only microchip molded into each wheel
- 1190g claimed weight +/-3% (550g front & 640g rear)
Lightweight Meilenstein Art wheels – Pricing, options & availability
The new raw UD carbon Lightweight Meilenstein Art wheels come in two versions – Standard or Schwarz ED.
The ‘base’ Meilenstein Art Standard wheelset sells for 6550€ with stainless steel bearings and silver decals. And the upgraded Meilenstein Art Schwarz ED wheels upgrade to low-key black graphics and CeramicSpeed bearings at the low, low price of just 6990€.
The new wider Lightweight Meilenstein carbon wheels are available now through dealer bike shops and specialized online partner retailers.
