So the months have passed, we’re apparently in summer and Mr Hallett has asked me for an update on the mighty red gate… ahem, Cannondale, with particular focus on the wheels. The wheels on test were sourced when the ed. found himself chasing vendors on my behalf to uncover something sturdy enough (not at all as a result of my ‘testing’ the pair of Mavic R-SYS wheels we had kicking around). I’ve now managed a fair few k’s on the bike, albeit mostly on my 27.5km/17mile (each way) commute to the office, with the odd Hallett-inspired ‘tiki tour’ of the Surrey hills and, of course, the obligatory laps of Richmond Park.

That search for a bomb-proof wheelset appears to have been fruitful, with German manufacturer Citec coming to the party with their Classic 3000 model beefed up by a few spokes just for me! Whilst my experience of wheel sets is very definitely from the burly mountain bike side of the trail, I do have the prior use of the R-SYS wheels with which to hopefully compare.

First thing I noticed is the difference in the spin up speed between the two wheel sets; the Citecs just felt faster and it also felt easier to maintain cadence once reaching appropriate rpm. Out of the saddle, sprinting oron a fast climb the lateral flex on the Citecs is slightly greater than the R-Sys wheels, causing minor brake rub (unsurprising really, given my 110kg weight). While the front R-Sys sustained a cracked (but still rideable) spoke, the Citec’s durability has been great, in particular as the bike has mostly been used as transport to and from the office managing 200+ km’s a week, requiring that it be able to survive the mine field of London roads (you don’t truly know the ‘feel’ of a road until you get of your squishy mountain ‘sofa’ bike and plough the roads on something fast) so surviving the odd sharp road undulation is a must, which they so far have done quite nicely.

I’ve been very satisfied with the look and feel of the wheel set, along with the general ride on the road. Additionally the daily commute has upped my fitness, providing definite benefits off the road! Alas said enjoyment has me eyeing up other variants of the flavour. Jumbo single speed anyone? [No thanks – ed.}