Developed with the Wilier-Pirelli Factory Team, Miche’s new K1 EVO carbon mountain bike wheels take lightweight XC & marathon to a new level of performance with a wider, stronger hookless rim. Larger tire sections, lower tire pressures, improved grip, better flat protection, and the same super low weight… Miche says the new XC wheels have evolved a much higher level of performance while retaining serviceability…
Miche K1 Evo mountain bike wheels
The original Miche K1 carbon wheels were already quite light since around 2018, with a claimed weight of around 1360g with their tubeless setup. And they delivered a light, stiff & quick ride on the ultralight Wilier Urta SLR XC bike we reviewed at the beginning of 2022.
But now with rims that Miche says are actually a few grams lighter, they’ve made the next-generation K1 Evo much more capable with some incremental sizing updates and a move to a wide hookless rim profile.
What’s new?
The new wheels now sport a 29mm internal asymmetric T700 hi-mod carbon rim (2mm wider) and 25mm deep (1mm shallower). They still feature a decidedly triangular cross section, but now get much wider 3.5mm thick hookless beads for improved pinch flat protection for an overall width of 36mm (5mm wider) and compatibility with wider XC race tires.
They also have a claimed 11% increase in stiffness thanks to the new shape.
The new K1 Evo gets simplified CNC-machined alloy straight-pull centerlock hubs vs. the older carbon-reinforced variety, and they now feature Boost spacing only. All those technical upgrades and Miche says they are only 1365g for the pair with tubeless tape & valves installed. Miche talks about them being a few grams lighter than before, although we see an extra 5g compared to prior claims. But it looks like those few grams could just be in the extra 4 spokes per wheel & new hubs, and there’s little doubt that a wheelset this light & wide will feel fast!
Tech details
The K1 Evos are built up front & rear with 28 double-butted stainless steel spokes & 7075 alloy nipples. The 12x110mm front & 15 x 148mm rear axles both spin on premium SKF sealed bearings. Wheelsets have a rider+bike weight limit of 97kg, are recommended for 29″ x 2.1-2.5″ tires, and all come with a wheel bag for storage.
Miche K1 Evo – Pricing & options
The new Miche K1 Evo carbon mountain bike wheels sell for 1885€ for the set standard with a Shimano MicroSpline freehub, or the option for a SRAM XD driver of Shimano HG freehub.
On the outside, the changes look pretty minor, but they seem to have added up, as Simone Avondetto has already won a U23 XCO World Championship this year, as well as an EU XCM title & several more National championships under the Wilier-Pirelli team riders.
