Photo: Alex Dowsett/YouTube
Solid-spoked wheels are not a new concept, as they’ve been around since the 70s. But those didn't look like Black Inc’s FIVE wheel, nor did they have such as insane price.
Black Inc has always focused on delivering premium road bike components that blend elegance with top-notch engineering, but its new, class-leading road wheel takes everything to a whole new level. The company touts it as the pinnacle of performance and luxury, designed for speed and long days in the saddle.
Black Inc calls it FIVE, because it has a five-spoke design, and it represents the company’s next generation of solid spoke wheels. It has a one-piece rim and spoke blade construction, it’s made of carbon fiber and it only weighs 46 oz (1,318 grams).
The entire design of the wheel is inspired by the Kamm tail design, a familiar style in the automotive industry. FIVE is a disc-brake-only clincher wheelset, also tubeless compatible and designed for modern 25-28mm 700c wide tires. We have no actual figures from Black Inc, but the manufacturer states the FIVE is developed for exceptional aero performance. Each spoke features a full airfoil at the tip, which moves to a truncated profile along the length of the spoke.
FIVE is compatible with the Shimano HG11/SRAM 10/11-speed and with SRAM’s XDR 12-speed. Black Inc designed the hubs in-house, specifically for its FIVE wheel, using CeramicSpeed bearings. and CFD (computational fluid dynamics) software to optimize the one-piece wheel structure of the FIVE. They claim the wheel can deliver faster performance over traditional mid-depth steel spoked wheels. Its carbon road wheel should also offer better handling.
While it’s a bit more affordable than the Biturbo Road six-spoke wheelset from German-based manufacturer Bike Ahead Composites, the FIVE wheel is still a costly investment that will set you back $3,500. The wheelset is now available to order.
Black Inc calls it FIVE, because it has a five-spoke design, and it represents the company’s next generation of solid spoke wheels. It has a one-piece rim and spoke blade construction, it’s made of carbon fiber and it only weighs 46 oz (1,318 grams).
The entire design of the wheel is inspired by the Kamm tail design, a familiar style in the automotive industry. FIVE is a disc-brake-only clincher wheelset, also tubeless compatible and designed for modern 25-28mm 700c wide tires. We have no actual figures from Black Inc, but the manufacturer states the FIVE is developed for exceptional aero performance. Each spoke features a full airfoil at the tip, which moves to a truncated profile along the length of the spoke.
FIVE is compatible with the Shimano HG11/SRAM 10/11-speed and with SRAM’s XDR 12-speed. Black Inc designed the hubs in-house, specifically for its FIVE wheel, using CeramicSpeed bearings. and CFD (computational fluid dynamics) software to optimize the one-piece wheel structure of the FIVE. They claim the wheel can deliver faster performance over traditional mid-depth steel spoked wheels. Its carbon road wheel should also offer better handling.
While it’s a bit more affordable than the Biturbo Road six-spoke wheelset from German-based manufacturer Bike Ahead Composites, the FIVE wheel is still a costly investment that will set you back $3,500. The wheelset is now available to order.
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