Wheels

Vision Metron 40 clincher wheelset – review

A fast, reasonably light and very well priced set of excellent carbon wheels from Vision

Ridden by the Cannondale team in their previous guise as simply Cannondale (without the Garmin), Vision’s wheels have a big reputation without the price tag to match some other high-end brands. But if you think that gap in price goes hand in hand with a proportional drop in performance, think again.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Metron 40 is that – as the 40 in the name suggests – the rims are 40mm deep, though there’s also a 55 and 81 option.

Weighing in at over 100g lighter than the claimed weight, Vision’s Metron 40s might not be super light climber’s wheels but are competitive – and cheaper – than many others in their category

We have the clincher version here, although Vision also offer the Metron 40s as a tubular that have a claimed weight which is more than 300g lighter.

If you’re after a super lightweight bike, tubulars are almost certainly the way to go because the lack of a reinforced clincher section on the rim really does save quite a lot of weight.

But for the vast majority of riders clinchers are simply more practical, as the ease of puncture repair makes them highly convenient for pretty much anything other than racing where you might be after that weight saving.

On top of that 40mm depth, these are 25mm wide (internal width 17mm) making them rather chunky indeed.

Specification
Price: £1,449.95
Weight: 1,542g
Website: Vision
UK distributor: Windwave

Vision recommend nothing slimmer than a 23mm tyre to pair with these, but I tested them using 25mm – partly because 25mm is my preferred tyre width for everyday riding, and partly because matching tyre width and rim depth is a way of maximising aerodynamic benefit, so it just makes sense.

Another bonus of wide rims is that they ‘open up’ the tyre, in other words making the tyre take on a wider shape. This improves the contact patch and, theoretically, your rolling resistance as well as the very practical point that wider tyres reduce the risk of pinch flats as well.

Anyway, getting back to the technical details, spoke-wise these are run with 18 radial spokes for the front wheel and 21 on the rear (14 driveside and 7 non-driveside) all with an aero profile.

Vision have also chosen to not hide the spoke nipples on their wheels which, should worst come to worst, makes changing a spoke yourself that little bit easier. In terms of tension, the wheels came out of the box spot on.

Vision’s wheels are handbuilt which is always a nice touch, and if you’re the sort of person that likes to have had someone look over your wheels before you ride them then this will set your mind at ease.

Vision have chosen to not hide the spoke nipples on their wheels which, should worst come to worst, makes changing a spoke yourself that little bit easier.

Now spokes and spoke count may not mean much to you, but what it amounts to (along with other aspects of the wheels, of course) is that these are wheels that don’t flex/deflect very much at all.

Even out of the saddle uphill or sprinting I couldn’t manage to get any brake rub even with my brake pads in their preferred setting very close to the rims.

Lateral rim deflection is one of the biggest reasons for brake rub, and happens when a load is applied (climbing or sprinting being good examples) at one side of the rim (in this case, the side touching the floor) and the other side deflects proportionally in the other direction as a result, and this is far greater when you’re out of the saddle throwing the bike about.

Vision seem to have found a very good balance between rim stiffness and spoke count, while keeping the weight at acceptable levels.

Interestingly, the stiffer the rim, the greater the deflection, meaning that rim stiffness – or lack thereof – on its own doesn’t guarantee a lack of brake rub.

What matters is the number (and strength) of the spokes holding the rim in place. All this is a very long winded way of saying that in the Metron 40s, Vision seem to have found a very good balance between rim stiffness and spoke count, while keeping the weight at acceptable levels.

Speaking of weight, Vision claim that a set of these should weigh in at 1,650g. As ever, I stuck them on the scales to check and the actual number was 1,542g, which was a little surprising.

They’re not super light, but definitely competitive if you compare them to competitors’ wheels that come in around the same depth – Zipp’s 303s come in at 45mm deep with a claimed weight of 1,570g (and cost £800 more), Reynolds’ Aero 46 wheels are 1,505g and come with a similarly large price tag.

The point is that you’re getting some serious performance here for a fair chunk less expense. Although they’re still not cheap, obviously.

The Vision Metron 40s registered 1,542g on our scales

While the 40mm depth isn’t going to be making any aero revelations, the Metron 40s feel fast. As shockingly subjective as that sounds (and is), without a wind tunnel ourselves it’s impossible to empirically test any aero claims of manufacturers against each other.

Although it is interesting to note that Vision haven’t made any claims about the aerodynamic benefits of these wheels themselves, which is rather refreshing.

You won’t be really dreading wet days out riding the Metron 40s.

Of course, the other thing to think about is braking. These come with a supplied set of SwissStop black pads, and the resulting braking power is exceptional in the dry, and only loses a little in the wet.

They’re not right up there with the very best braking carbon wheels I’ve used when the rain begins to fall, but they’re far from the nightmare-inducing offerings of a few years back. You won’t be really dreading wet days out riding the Metron 40s.

Conclusion

The important question to ask, in my opinion, isn’t ‘are these the fastest wheels on the market?’ because that’s open a whole lot of opinion and even more diverse interpretations of wind tunnel data, but actually ‘will these wheels be faster than my current set, or will they improve my bike?’

And, frankly, unless you’re a racer then the first part of that question might be somewhat redundant, too. And these are a mighty fine set of wheels.

They ride very nicely, aren’t so stiff that hitting a pothole becomes a potential source of tears and broken wrists and yes, are noticeably faster than a bog standard set of wheels when you’re riding at speed.

Vision’s Metron 40 wheels are a very good set of carbon clinchers. They’re competitively light, boast an excellent ride quality and are fast to boot.

The bonus comes in the form of the price tag where, even though they’re not cheap, they’ll save you a fair bit of money over competitors’ offerings. If you’re in the market for a set of mid-depth carbon clinchers, these are definitely worth a look.