First impression of these wheels. I think these are a winner in terms of bang for your buck.
I bought this wheelset from serenadebikes.net which is the brandname of 7-Tiger Bike Components. These wheels are clearly modelled after the Princeton Carbonworks 4550 Evolution wheels, but obviously a LOT more affordable and a lot less over the top in terms of decals and design.
They're 529 USD with Pillar Wing20 spokes and 569 with Sapim CX-Rays (which are what the original wheels use). Personally, I've built and own wheels with both types of spokes and, I think they're pretty much the same and they're certainly indistinguishable when riding. The Pillars might be a touch less aero, being 0.2mm wider but I believe that's splitting hairs.
The specs
The standout feature obviously is the weight. As you can see, I've measured them to weigh 1190g. Frankly, I think that's absolutely bonkers for a 50mm deep clincher wheelset with steel spokes.
Inner width is a more traditional 21.5mm hooked. Externally, I've measured them to be 29.75mm.
My other wheelset has an internal width of 25mm and personally, I've come to the conclusion that I like a narrower internal rim width more because the tire cross section of a 28mm is rounder and steering and handling feels better. More like I'm used to from a tubular. Also, particularly when climbing out of the saddle, I really didn't like the feeling of a squishy front tire squirming underneath me with a 25mm internal rim. I'm talking the exact same tire pressure. About 60psi in the front for me. I think 21-23mm internal is the sweet spot for 28c-30c tires which is what I ride. It just feels better and more nimble to me.
So are they aero? Obviously I need more riding time to at least assess whether there's a discernible difference in the data on my usual routes. These 28c Tufo tires blow up to 30.5mm on these rims. As you can see though, the rim at least visually appears to basically be exactly as wide as the tire.
The ride
I've been looking for that "zingy" kind of feeling of a superlight wheelset. IME it truly transforms the way that a bike feels and it's just plain fun to ride. My rim brake Chinarello that I use for crits has 60mm deep tubular wheels weighing just 1300g. Combined with cotton tubs that makes for a truly special ride feel. Aero and still crazy responsive when sprinting up sharp inclines. These wheels can recreate that kind of feeling in a truly magical way. I had a super aero wide wheelset on there before that weighs 1450g. But it just felt sluggish every time I needed to sprint up a hill. These just GO. And I don't feel like they lack inertia on the flats. There's no discernible lack of stiffness. The hubs are the now ubiquitous straight pull ratchet centerlock hubs with 36 tooth. They're DT Swiss compatible should you have to source different freehubs.
This is my second wheelset by Serenade / 7-Tiger. I can wholeheartedly recommend them. I think they offer some of the best stuff there is in the 4-700USD price range. You can order via their website. However, I usually communicate per whatsapp with Marya (+86 180 2020 4229)
This is my initial impression. I've only ridden these for a week now and I'll do an update when I've done a few thousand kilometres.
