Cane Creek Strados Disc

Price Paid:  $375.00 at canecreek.com

Favorite Ride:
somewhere hilly without people

Bike Setup:
Cannondale cyclocross disc

Summary:
When your road/cross bike has disc brakes, you have very few choices for wheel upgrades. I had been considering the Strados wheels for some time when I noticed that Cane Creek had a special through their website.

Once I got the wheels assembled (rotors, cassette, etc.) I noticed they didn't seem much lighter than the Cannondale stock wheels. That perception changed once I got rolling, however. The spokes are mounted “inside out,” if you will, with the adjuster nuts at the hub. This seems to reduce the rotating mass substantially, making the wheels seem lighter than they actually are. Acceleration is quick.

The only drawback I can foresee is that they might be a hassle to adjust, should the wheel need to be trued. The wheelset includes the adjuster wrench, but it looks like you may need to remove the disc to get to the nuts on the left side. So far this hasn't affected me. After 6 months and nearly 2000 miles of fairly rough service, they're still perfect.

I also like the look of the wheels, which can basically be described as “black.” All in all, I got a pretty good wheelset upgrade for about $500.

Strengths:
low rotational mass; nice looking

Weaknesses:
may be bit of a pain to true if necessary