German high-end carbon road and gravel wheel manufacturers, Lightweight, are rolling out the all-new Lightweight Pfadfinder EVO disc wheelset. Based roughly on the Wegweiser EVO carbon road wheels, the Pfadfinder EVO can accommodate wider 40mm tires, in-line with the trend for higher volume tires.
Lightweight Pfadfinder EVO
The new Lightweight Pfadfinder EVO wheelset is disc only, with carbon rims braced by 20 carbon spokes, front and rear. Based on the Wegweiser EVO, the Pfadfinder EVO gets a 36mm deep rim is said to have a low sensitivity to side winds.The wheels have an 18.2mm internal width rim (24mm outer) which is said to allow the fitment of tires up to 40mm wide for additional riding comfort, but down to 23mm wide too. That rim width is narrow for road wheels, let alone gravel, so these certainly aren’t chasing the fad of ‘wider is better’.
The carbon rims themselves are made up of special high-modulus CFRP fibers (carbon fibre reinforced polymers) with the layup specifically optimized for significantly increased robustness. Lightweight say these rims have an outstanding stiffness to weight ratio, with a complete wheelset for SRAM 12 speed gearing weighing in at a claimed 1430g.
Laced to the rim is the Pentagon Hub, also seen on the Meilenstein wheelset. This was developed to be stronger and safer, able to withstand the braking heat generated at the hub due to the disc brakes. It uses a hub shell with 5 sides instead of one that is round. This means the hub shell is held in place not only with the bond of the epoxy, but also with a mechanical bond of the flanges around the pentagon shell.
The Pfadfinder EVO will be available in standard and Schwarz ED. The latter is the premium option with black decals and lower friction Ceramic Speed hub bearings. The wheels are compatible with SRAM, Shimano and Campagnolo groupsets.
