German carbon wheel specialists Lightweight introduced their Standard C III clincher wheelset earlier this year to broaden their reach in the high-end road wheel market.
We've just got our hands on a set that Cycling Plus will be testing in an upcoming issue. But before they were squirreled away in a secure room for winter, we gave them a once-over.
Firstly – and this is important because most of us don't earn banker-type bonuses – they cost £2,700 a pair. That doesn't cover the cost of skewers but at least you get brake pads.
Secondly, our set weighed a mere 1,170g a pair – 640g for the rear (Shimano freehub) and 530g for the front. That's hellishly light for a set of clinchers.
Thirdly, and slightly worryingly, there's a big sticker on the rim saying 'do not ever exceed 8 bar (116psi)' with your tyre pressure. That's a little on the low side for most road racers, who commonly run pressures of between 120 and 130psi. But presumably it's to prevent the tyre blowing off the rim.
The hubs are a combination of Lightweight's own front hub (16 or 20 spoke, depending on the rider) and a DT Swiss 240s rear (20 spoke). The freehub is available with either Shimano/SRAM or Campagnolo spline patterns.
The rims are Lightweight's standard 48mm carbon models. They're built up using lens-shaped carbon/Kevlar spokes laminated to the rim and hub. These make the wheels extremely stiff and strong, which is why Lightweights are among the most sought-after wheels in the professional peloton.
The wheels come with their own built-in memory chip that contain a serial number and production data – useful for servicing. In addition, the front rim has a built-in magnet for use with certain cycle computers. Look out for a full review of these wheels in Cycling Plus.