Home > Bike Types > Road Bike

New FFWD RAW and RYOT44 road wheels box up an interesting aero design for wide tires

FFWD RYOT 44 wide rim aero road bike wheels
3 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

FFWD is stepping out of the box with an almost box-like new shape for wide aero rims. Designed for tires up to 42mm, two designs are on offer. The rowdier RYOT44 uses traditional spoke installation and DT 240 EXP hubs, while the lighter RAW wheels hide the nipples and upgrade to DT 180s.

2021 FFWD RYOT 44 all-road wheels

FFWD RYOT 44 wide rim aero road bike wheels

While not specifically designed for dirt roads, they do get a pass for “light gravel”. Which is good since they have a massive 30mm external width, and 21mm internal. Minimum tire size is 700×23, max is 700×42.

rim profile shape for FFWD ryot and raw aero road bike wheels

Their trick is the LAW (Laminar Airflow Wing) profile, which they say is optimized to create a seamless transition from rubber to rim when using wider tires. Compared to other modern aero rim shapes, which have definitely gotten thicker and wider, these push the lower edge to a new extreme.

The profile suggests it will better mimic the shape created by 25-28mm tires, giving it similar performance on both leading and trailing edges.

FFWD RYOT 44 wide rim aero road bike wheels

As the name implies, they’re 44mm deep, and built with 24 straight pull spokes per wheel – DT Aerolite front and DT Aerocomp rear. Those are laced in to the new DT 240 EXP Centerlock hubs, which have simplified and lighter internals than the prior generation.

Claimed weights are 695g front and 825g rear, for 1,520g per set. They retail for €1,699, which includes preinstalled rim tape, alloy tubeless valves and a padded wheel bag. Max rider weight is 120kg (265 lbs).

2021 FFWD RAW lightweight road wheels

From the looks of it, both wheels use the same rim profiles and shapes, but the RAW moves to DT Pro Lock Hidden Alloy nipples placed inside the rim. This gives them a sleeker, more aerodynamic appearance (and presumably reduced drag).

FFWD Raw wide aero road bike wheels for wider tires with an embossed molded logo on rim side wall

They also switch to an embossed logo design that’s molded into the rim during construction. Other specs, including the types of spokes, are the same, except…

FFWD Raw wide aero road bike wheels for wider tires

 

The hubs upgrade to DT 180 EXP with their SINC ceramic bearings. These help drop 100g off the wheelset weight. Claimed weights are 650g front and 770g rear, totaling 1,420g per set.

Price bumps a bit to $1,999 and includes the same setup and wheel bag.

FFWD.com

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

3 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Miclaroc
Miclaroc
4 years ago

Sexy

K-Pop is dangerous to your health
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
4 years ago

Debossed (sunken), not embossed (raised).

Who Gomz
Who Gomz
4 years ago

What does Hambini have to say about this. If you don’t know look it up.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.