What’s more exciting (bike wise) than a new set of wheels? Aside of getting a whole new bike, a new set of seep section wheels is probably the most desired upgrade and as a result the ‘which wheels should I buy?’ is probably the most contested post on cycling club facebook pages across the country.
So when our friends over at Baldwin Titanium Bikes gave us a call inviting us to come over and test their new ‘Actif’ range of wheels we jumped at the chance.
Hand built in the UK, Actif wheels are fully customisable with rim depths available in 38, 50,60 & 80mm, and are built around either Hope RS Mono hubs or Chris King’s for those with deeper pockets. Also available as either clinchers or tubular the rims are sourced from the Far East (like 99% of those on the market) and use a combination of T700,800 & 1000 filaments from Toray in Japan so there shouldn’t be any quality issues at all. Clinchers are also treated to better braking with a proprietary resin used in the composite allowing them to withstand extreme heat (220 degree is claimed).
Our wheels for the day are the 60mm tubular (Hope hubs) and they’ve been added to a lovely Baldwin Titanium bikes for us to ride. The first thing that surprised us was the overall bike weight (inc pedals) of just 6.7kg!!! That’s astonishing for a metal bike with 60mm deep section wheels and a mid range Shimano groupset. When you factor in the added comfort of titanium it really starts to look like an attractive option that blows most carbon race bikes out of the water for weight and comfort.
Anyway back on to the wheels.
Our test route for the day is a fast 40+ miler around the pretty flat roads in East Yorkshire, so perfect for deep rims. As luck would have it, despite soaring temperatures there’s also a strong coastal wind to test how they react in less than ideal circumstances.
So are they fast? Well in a word yes, but you already knew that. Very light, 60mm rims and with excellent Hope hubs – of course they are fast.
So are they comfortable? Well it’s hard to say as we were riding a ‘new to us’ titanium bike but what we can say is overall comfort was remarkable. Typically deep rims = less comfort, for obvious reasons but the overall package was substantially smoother and comfier than our high end carbon bikes with shallow rims.
So are they stiff? Yes. Not to the point of being harsh but sprinting out of corners (which we did a lot of just to keep up with our chaperones for the day) resulted in no noticeable flex.
So are they good in wind? They were much better than expected and equal to anything else we’ve tried including very expensive wheels from the biggest brands out there. Again whether we were just lucky when the gusts hit or not is hard to say as winding country lanes do provide good shelter but at no point did they catch to the point of concern.
So do they brake well? Braking on our test route was excellent although it has to be said we had no steep hills to really test them. Stopping on the flat from 25mph was stable and rapid so we’d have no problems using them on almost any terrain. Obviously there are always concerns over any carbon clincher under constant heavy braking so we probably wouldn’t take these to the Alps or in to The Lakes but then you probably wouldn’t want to anyway. With the added heat resistance of these rims though there is nothing to suggest they are not every bit as good as top end brands.
So are they expensive? Well they’re not cheap but then you are getting an expertly hand built set of wheels. Prices start from just over £1000 depending on what spec you go for so they will dent your wallet but not to the extent of the top brands or some mid range wheels.
So what did we think of them overall? Well we came away really liking the new Actif 6.0 wheels. OK 60mm rims are not for everyone and personally we would be more likely to opt for the 38mm versions (Actif 3.8) as they are better suited to our riding but performance wise they are great and we had nothing negative to report at all.
Price wise they are of course a serious investment but we have no issues with the cost. Essentially you get what you pay for and they are a really nice set of wheels, perfect for adorning an outstanding custom Baldwin Titanium frame.
To find out more visit the Baldwin website – http://www.baldwintitanium.co.uk/product/actif-hand-built-carbon-wheels/