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While Shimano’s hotly anticipated Dura-Ace Di2 R9300 groupset has yet to be announced, the Japanese brand has already launched a suite of matching wheels – and we’ve got our hands on a set to test.
Although the overall designs are fairly conventional (there are no sawtooth rim profiles here, for example), it’s fair to say the Dura-Ace WH-R9370 wheelset line-up has received a much-needed overhaul.
To refresh your memory on the spiel from the launch in late July, Shimano has redesigned the rim profiles around wider, 28 to 30c tyres and incorporated bladed carbon spokes for a significant reduction in weight across the range.
In a somewhat surprising move, though, Shimano has stuck with cup and cone hubs – something we thought might have gone the way of the Dodo last year following the launch of the cartridge-bearing equipped XTR M9200 wheels.
Although there are four wheels in the new range, starting with the climbing-focused C36s and finishing with the time-trial specific C99 and Disc combo, we’ve got the mid-depth C50s – which are considered the range’s jack of all trades.
More bling than before
Although we’ve yet to put any kilometres on Shimano’s new hoops, one improvement that’s immediately obvious is the new wheels have a bit more presence about them.
Like the Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset, the R9200 C50 wheels took a restrained approach to both spec and branding.
I tested the C50 TLs on the old Orbea Orca Aero back in 2021, and their middle-of-the-road spec sheet and subtle logos meant they never stood out as notably desirable – at least to me.
In contrast, the new C50s display their Dura-Ace branding proudly in capital, chrome letters.
As we saw when Mathieu van der Poel leaked these wheels earlier this year, the logos will catch the sun and leave onlookers in no doubt as to what you’re riding.
I’m sure there’ll be riders out there who appreciated the more subtle approach of the previous wheels, but to my eye these new ones are a big improvement. Whether we like to admit it, one of the main reasons most of us ever cough up for a top-end bike, groupset or wheelset is because they often look really cool.
This is backed up by a more modern spec, too. It’s not pushing any envelopes in terms of road rim design, but the 23mm internal width and 31 / 32mm external widths (front / rear) are at least on trend.
Shimano has also stuck with traditional hooked or 'tubeless crochet' rims, rather than going hookless.
This means the wheels are compatible with both tubeless-ready and clincher road and gravel bike tyres, with maximum pressures detailed by stickers on the rim sidewalls, according to the size of tyre being used.
The weights are now far more competitive, thanks largely to the use of carbon spokes made by Vonoa.
Our mid-depth C50 wheelset, for example, sees the weight drop from 1,461g to a claimed weight of 1,302g (a 159g saving).
On my scales, the set weighs 1,320g with tubeless tape, but without valves.
This puts the C50s in a similar ballpark to other top-end carbon wheelsets, such as ENVE’s SES 4.5 Pro (1,295g) and Roval’s Rapide CLX III wheels (1,305g).
While obviously not cheap, Shimano’s asking price of £2,299.98 / $2,970 is fairly competitive. The ENVE wheels cost £4,100 / $3,750 / €4,499, after all, while the Rovals will set you back £2,998 / $3,399.98.
Sticking to its guns
While ENVE and Roval might justify their higher prices by claiming their rim profiles are more progressive, with asymmetrical shaping front and rear (the WH-R9370 C50 rims are asymmetrical, but only by a tiny amount – the rear rim is 1mm wider than the front), the Dura-Ace WH-R9370 wheels also have a party trick.
While practically every high-end road bike wheelset has now moved to using cartridge bearings, Shimano has stuck to its guns with cup and cone hubs on the new WH-R9370 wheels.
For an in-depth look at the differences between cup and cone, and cartridge bearings, check out our guide to bicycle bearings, but Shimano’s justification is that cup and cone bearings offer greater adjustability and potentially better long-term durability.
The traditional downside of cup and cone bearings is that you have to know how to adjust and maintain them, otherwise you could risk ruining the entire hub if the bearing cups get damaged (something I have, in fact, experienced myself with older Shimano wheels).
Thankfully, Shimano has made these new cup and cone hubs fully serviceable, meaning you can replace not only the ball bearings but the bearing cups and cones, too.
Whether these benefits can be felt on the road, or only show themselves over time, remains to be seen, so stay tuned for a full review.
Last but not least, it's worth noting the new Dura-Ace wheelsets come with an HG L2 freehub. According to Shimano's current literature, this is designed for 12-speed Dura-Ace cassettes and a minimum sprocket size of 11 teeth.
Whether it can be used with Shimano's upcoming 13-speed Dura-Ace Di2 R9300 groupset as specced is therefore still technically to be confirmed.
That said, the bike belonging to Alpecin - Premier Tech's Lindsay De Vylder was equipped with these wheels when he was spotted using the unreleased groupset at La Vuelta last week.
It would also be somewhat unusual to ship wheelsets carrying a groupset's series name that weren't compatible with it. Whether the wheelset can be updated with Shimano's leaked 13-speed freehub standard, or whether the new 13-speed cassettes will be backwards compatible with the HG L2 freehub remains to be seen, then. Watch this space.
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