There is more to wheels than weight. Sure, we all want them light and responsive. But what about price? Or practicality? Or durability? True aero performance, or ride quality, or serviceability? Shimano has never been about micro-lightweight anything. Shimano engineers their wheels for day after day of proven performance and durability. Not every road racer can justify $3K+ for a set of aero carbon tubular wheels they will only run on race day. That is one of the reasons we love the Dura-Ace R9100 C60 Wheelset. You get proven aero, 50mm, carbon/aluminum engineered D2 clincher rims carrying an excellent brake track, with a pair of the smoothest, most durable, serviceable, and high quality Dura-Ace hubs- all for a list price of $1699. Perfect for the building road racer or triathlete who is on a budget, and can truly train on the wheels they will be racing on, meaning one wheelset that does it all, and can truly handle the load.

Shimano moved to the D2 rim concept a few years ago, to offer the wider 22.4mm rim structure that most riders are looking for. It also allowed the Japanese component geniuses to make the rim structure lighter and change the overall aerodynamic profile. For the C60, Shimano starts with a aluminum rim structure that carried spoke tension and provides the reliable machined alloy brake track. That rim becomes a striated spine structure to which layer upon layer of carbon laminate is bonded, creating the build up of the deep section fairing that defines the visual look of the wheel. Shimano perfected this technology a decade ago and it is incredibly strong, reasonably light weight, and durable over time and all kinds of on-the-road stress. The overall story is that of a rim structure that offers improved aerodynamics, inherent rim lateral rigidity, and increased responsiveness.

For spokes, Shimano developed black, stainless steel, lightly bladed, butted models that can be laced to high tension, yet still offer a bit of give under impact, taking the edge off the rim and the rider. Black stainless steel nipples are also used, ensuring that corrosion will be minimal and easily countered, while again allowing for the high tension required. The front wheel features 16 spokes, laced in a the radial pattern, allowing leading edge to pass cleanly through the oncoming air. The rear employs 21 spokes, and odd number for sure, but finely calibrated with a radial pattern on the non-drive side the hub design to counter the offset nature of the rear hubshell to the cross pattern of the driveside, creating better wheel balance without using an asymmetric rim design. ... Read More