Look at Trek’s Emonda and Domane lineup.?None, at any price point, has a rim deeper than 35mm.?Only the Madone sports a deep-section rim.?The total lineups of Emondas and Domanes top out at 37mm rims. Specialized is the same way.?Though,...
Look at Trek’s Emonda and Domane lineup.?None, at any price point, has a rim deeper than 35mm.?Only the Madone sports a deep-section rim.?The total lineups of Emondas and Domanes top out at 37mm rims.
Specialized is the same way.?Though, at least the top-of-the-line Tarmac features a 60, but the top-end Roubaix sports a measly 32! The Tip-toppy Aethos, a bike costing an astounishing $15,500 only sports a 37mm rim.?The Dura-Ace Di2 model, with a price tag of $13,000 only comes with a 33!
The mid-range Aethos, a $4,700 bike, doesn’t even list the depth of the alloy wheelset that comes on the bike (looks like a 25, maybe a 27).?It wasn’t long ago you could find a nice set of 40s on a mid-range road bike.
What in tarnation is going on here?
Of course, I’ve got my cynical guess, but I’m trying with everything I’ve got to?resist the urge to put this to a silly money thing, where the manufacturers are trying to get top Dollar for their high-end bikes, only to turn around and burn cyclists for a decent set of aero wheels on a bike they’d already shelled out five figures on.?I’m going to email Trek and Specialized to see what’s up.?If I get a buzzword-laden corporate email, it’ll be quite easy to see what they’re up to.