The Cyclist Choice Awards 2016 : Piston Cycle, Piston Racing Road Wheelsets

Piston Racing Road Wheelsets
Probably not many of us local cyclists have ever heard of the cycling brand Piston Racing, but for those who have heard of this brand before, they should be aware that they make affordable and great quality wheelsets for both road and off road bikes, as well as other accessories like  wheel accessories and their superbly comfortable silicone bar tapes.  I personally am using their Silicone bar tapes and they are not only very comfortable to hold while riding as it really absorbs quite a bit of vibrations from the road, but the tackiness and feel of the tape is just right, even when wet.  I recently got caught in a very heavy downpour while riding overseas and due to the lack of any cover or shelter within sight, I decided to just continue riding on in search for the nearest shelter , and while riding in the rain, there was still plenty of grip with the tape and handlebars, even when riding on the hoods.

Piston Cycle is a local store which started in 2013, and with their vast experience in building, repairing, re-building and trouble-shooting thousands of wheels, it is only natural that they also progressed to producing their own brand of wheels and accessories called Piston Racing, and therefore, they deserve a special mention too despite not having enough votes to emerge as Cyclists Choice.

Piston Racing offers road wheels in both aluminum and carbon materials, for the aluminum range, there are three variants for 700c sized wheels which are all tubeless ready if you ever wish to go tubeless in the future, a road wheelset, a cyclocross wheelset and a road disc wheelset.  The P25AC aluminum road wheelset uses a 27mm profile rim for slightly better aerodynamics than the previous model’s 25mm profile, with an only 10g added weight disadvantage, fitted with Piston Racing road hubs and laced with 20 spokes for the front and 24 for the rear to keep the total weight low at about 1.5kg, they also contain smooth rolling Enduro ABEC 3 bearings and are 10 and 11 speed compatible, the brake track is also anodized black in colour for a nicer and cleaner look.  The cyclocross wheelset uses Piston Racing MTB hubs instead, for added durability in case if it ever gets ridden on rougher surfaces, there are also 32 spokes for both the front and rear wheel for added strength.  These cyclocross wheels are also compatible with 15mm front and 142x12mm rear axles if your frame has such a requirement.  The Road Disc wheels are fitted with Piston acing Road Disc hubs that have 24 lightweight round butted spokes each to keep weight low but at the same time also make them slightly more durable.

Piston Racing’s carbon wheels are all clincher models and is offered in a range of rim profiles from the lightest 36mm climbing wheels up to the very aerodynamic 50mm and 88mm high profiles which is usually suited more for time trial riding and TT bikes.  The carbon rims are made with Toray T700 carbon fibre filaments from Japan and are manufactured with strict quality controls and processes, each carbon rim that comes out of the factory has a bar code with a unique serial number embedded directly into the rim itself, this is to facilitate traceability of the rim during production and also for warranty issues.  Apart from the raw carbon material, a special patented high TG resin is also used to pre preg the carbon fibre, this resin is capable to withstanding temperatures up to 240 degrees Celsius, even under intensive braking tests, no softening of the resin was ever found and the completed carbon rims passed all stress tests as well.  Carbon rims are manufactured using a double core mould which consists of an EPS mold to finish the molding of the internal walls as well as a special plastic core to mould the clincher portion.

The Piston Racing 36CC wheelset is more suited for long rides and climbs as the 36mm profile provides some aero advantage while still being light enough to conquer any climb, hubs are Piston Racing road hubs which utilize a 24 engagement system using 3 pawls for efficient power transfer, the front wheel has 20 pillar aero spokes while the rear has 24.  Also available is the 50mm high profile 50CC wheelset, these wheels provide even better aerodynamics and therefore are suited for riding at higher speeds or sprinting, and Piston Racing’s highest profile wheel comes from the 50/88CC wheelset, which is perfectly suited for time trials or the biking leg during a triathlon.  The front wheel has a 50mm high profile and the rear wheel has a much higher 88mm profile.

Check them out here