An avalanche of high-end wheelsets has blocked the gates of RCUK Towers in recent weeks.
With the market for deep section carbon hoops now approaching saturation point, we were intrigued to receive a set of lightweight aluminium clinchers.
These Spada Stiletto hoops have reached London from Tirano, northern Italy, and have taken up residence in our trusty Kinesis Racelight TK3 test rig.
Here’s a close look at the technical details before we begin the serious business of testing.
Spada pitch the Stiletto as “an everyday, go anywhere, do anything model”. This throws it into the ring with such seasoned campaigners as Mavic’s Ksyrium SLS wheel set, surely the undisputed upgrade king at this price point (around the £700 mark).
This relative unknown comes out swinging with a 1260g headline weight. Compare and contrast with 1395g for the aforementioned Mavic – a significant weight saving. Anymore than this and we would expect to be in the realms of expensive carbon exotica.
The Stilettos run 24 straight pull, aero spokes in the front and 28 in the rear. These are laced to some rather attractive aluminium-flanged hubs with carbon barrels, which revolve on ceramic bearings.
The rims buck the current trend for wider profile. We measured them at 20mm wide and 22mm deep – dimensions deployed by Spada no doubt with an eye on the overall weight. The rim is a pinned affair and the joint is not of the welded type that we have come to find on Mavic’s offerings. However, the brake track is machined so this should deliver a good, consistent braking feel. The freehub is available in Shimano/SRAM or Campagnolo, and in ten or eleven speed iterations. There are colour options on rims, nipples and hubs too.
We’ve saved what we consider the most intriguing part for last. At £699, for a 1260g wheelset, the Spada Stiletto offers a very competitive price. Will the quality match the value? We’ll be intrigued to see how these hand-built Italian hoops stand up to some hard autumnal miles.
Check back soon for a full review.
Price: £699
Size: 700c
Colour: aluminium, black, white
Website: Spada
UK distributor: VAM Performance
