Cole

Choose from a selection of the best cole road bike wheels available from online retailers

Cole C24 Lite Review

Cole has been manufacturing wheels in the U.S. for many years now however recently they have started expanding internationally and are gaining some traction with international cyclists. The company has a modest following in the UK and are beginning to grow their due to the success of their high quality products – this is one of the more recent Cole wheelsets to appear on the UK market.

Overview

The Cole C24 Lite road wheelset has been praised for some of its features including the aesthetic appeal of it. The wheelset is sporty yet lightweight and the stiffness and tension of the wheels back up the claims from the company that these tyres will last a long time and at a high level of performance. Additionally, they come at a reasonable price (£274.99) for cyclists who don’t have a lot of money or desire to purchase high end products. A wheel bag is also included in the set.

Wheels

The rim size is roughly 24 mm and made by Araya from Japan. They also feature a machine braking surface. The wheels weigh roughly 1650g, which is pretty light for a wheel of this size and class. Swiss-made spokes are bladed with 16 in the front and 20 in the rear and the spokes have a high level of tension which works to improve stability and balance. They also allow the bike to perform at a high level for a longer period of time.

Features

24 mm rims
About 1650g in weight
16×1 spokes in the front
20×2 spokes in the back
ARAYA Alloy Clincher Rim
Cole Lite DSA Patented design
Cold Forged Alloy Body
Hard-Anodized Alloy Free Hub

Verdict

With the momentum that these wheels are gaining within the cycling community, cyclists would benefit from purchasing a pair due to their reasonable costs and high performance. These wheels are light in comparison to other wheels of this type and size. They will provide cyclists with optimum performance on all road courses and for all levels of experience.

The wheels ensure high levels of stability due to the patented DSA spoke tension. Cyclists will be able to push through sharp corners and ride at high speeds without any worries. This is great for professional cyclists or cyclists who like to train at higher levels. The wheels have a visual appeal as well, due to their design and colour scheme. So, not only will they look good but they are also long-lasting and stiff. Bottom line, this wheel, which is available to all consumers, has all the characteristics and components of a high performance wheel but at a lower cost.

Cole C85 Lite Review

If you are interested in buying a set of wheels which get you noticed in heavy traffic and have excellent versatility, then Cole’s C85 Lite wheels may be the ideal purchase.

With enhanced aerodynamic features, the 85 mm rim depth offers as much for the racer as for those content to use them on a daily basis. One of the more striking features is the noise generated by the carbon clincher type rims, which can have its advantages on busy roads. But there is much more on offer with these wheels.

They have been constructed to withstand even the most difficult surfaces but offer the flexibility to allow excellent road racing capabilities.With its clincher variation, punctures can still be overcome by the more orthodox method.

Basically the wheel consists of a carbon high compression rim with double butted aero blade spokes comprising 16 on the front and 20 to the rear. An argument used by Cole, a company established in 2004, is that fitting these spokes allows for a more durable wheel where the spokes can self-align in the flanges on either side of the hub cylinder. These straight-pull spokes are said to be more advantageous than the more traditional J bend variety, which are more popular in the shops, as they their strength alleviates the need to use as many high tension straight spokes. This can be a great time saver on bike maintenance.

Another plus factor of these wheels is their reliability in braking. Cole have introduced their own manufactured brake blocks to complement other design features including a quick release mechanism, easily mounted valve extenders, rim tape for the spoke holes, cartridge style brake carriers and a padded wheel bag to allow for extra protection.

When riding a bike with the C85’s fitted there is no evidence of the rim weaving from side to side which not only impacts on the brake shoes but slows the bike. Acceleration with these wheels is excellent allowing for a general feel good factor in terms of bike riding.

At 1,865 grams the wheels are not as light as those with more traditional depth, but the improved aerodynamics enables speed to be more easily maintained once it has been built up. There has been some dialogue relating to the ability of the bike in handling crosswinds especially over rugged moorland areas. Although there can be a bit of movement, it is not really much in evidence and road handling ability is generally very steady even in strong gusts of wind.

At a recommended price of just below £1300 these C85 clinchers are not cheap, but for a good steady versatile ride they can be a money saver in the longer term. A few internet retailers may also have them available on special deals.

They can give your bike that very special look and the noise feature alone enables these wheels to be one of the safest sets around in all types of terrain.