Shimano is dropping the new WH-RS-C50-CL carbon clincher wheelset at the Ultegra level, but it gets the same carbon/alloy rim as the top-end Dura-Ace WH-7850-C50-CL.
The name scheme may leave a little to be desired, but the price for performance should make budget racers happy. Claimed weight is 1,750g per set, which is just 55g more than the Dura-Ace set. Since they share the rim, you know the weight’s not coming from the outside, making it less of an issue.
The wheels use 16 front / 20 rear butted and bladed stainless steel spokes to mate the rims to the Ultegra RS hubs. The front hub has a steel axle and the rear is alloy; both use angular contact bearings.
This isn’t the first time Ultegra has directly borrowed DA tech. At Interbike, Shimano unveiled their new Ultregra RoadTubeless wheels using the same rim extrusion as the Dura-Ace set (albiet in Aluminum rather than Scandium). Pricing isn’t available yet, but they’ll be available in December. Put it on your Christmas list now (or whatever you celebrate…we’re not judging).
