Shimano RX31 wheelset

Shimano's RX31 wheelset is a good value setup for anyone running a disc road bike or 'crosser. It's not designed as a lightweight race wheelset and doesn't perform like one, but it's solidly built and happy to rack up the miles.

Shimano have had a bit of rethinking to do with regard to their wheel line, what with discs and the switch to 11-speed, so there are a lot of new wheels out there. This is the first widely-available road disc model from the Big S and it's aimed at the same territory as the non-disc RS31: commuting and training.

So, it's a solidly-built unit, with a 24m disc-specific rim attached to a centre-lock disc hub with 24 straight-bladed spokes in a two-cross pattern. Bearings are well-sealed angular contact loose balls like all Shimano wheels, although you don't get the tool-free adjustment of the pricier options. All-in weight for our pair was 1,831g with rim tape, but without the discs, so you're looking at just over 2kg rotating mass once you have your brakes fitted. The wheels arrived tightly built and there have been no issues with them running out of true. Not that you'd necessarily notice of course, since there are no brake blocks to rub on the rim.

We've used the RX31 wheels on board three different bikes. The Culprit Croz Blade, a full-on aero road bike, felt like it deserved lighter – and deeper – hoops, and it duly received some in the form of Reynolds' Assault SLG carbon wheelset. We also had the RX31s fitted to our test bikes at the Shimano road disc launch out on the slopes of Mount Etna, where the difference up a proper mountain (it's an 18km climb to the top) between the RX31-equipped disc bikes and the non-disc bikes running Ultegra WH-6800 hoops was certainly noticeable, although how much of it was down to the wheels (the disc bikes had a heavier frame, too) was harder to pin down.

Now they're on my Kinesis Tripster ATR, which is designed as a do-anything bike, and they're an excellent match. The bike itself isn't enormously heavy (9.3kg with these wheels) but neither is it so light that you feel that a robust wheelset will hold you back. It's a multi-purpose bike too, capable of taking a big tyre for more adventurous riding, so the 25-38mm range of the RX31s is about right.

And they roll very well. A lot is made of overall weight when talking about wheels but most of the extra weight over non-disc wheels here is in the hub; the rim, where extra mass should in theory be more noticable, is shallow and reasonably light. The rim bed is wider than a standard road rim, flattening out the profile of a 25mm or 28mm tyre. Many people tell me that should make a difference in terms of comfort; I'm yet to really discern it. But a bigger tyre unquestionably makes for a comfier ride and these RX31s will go pretty big if you want them to and your frame allows it. I've run 30mm Challenge Strada Bianca tyres on them (at 70psi) and the difference over a race slick is very noticeable, much more so than any drop in speed.

I've been using this set of RX31s for some bigger rides, most recently 180km on the LVIS Audax and for rolling terrain on awful UK tarmac with plenty of flat sections and a few chewy climbs they don't give much away to a lighter set of wheels. If you're racing cyclo-cross or bagging Alpine cols you might start to feel them drag a bit, but for everyday riding they're a very good choice. They're strong enough to cope with some harsh treatment without being so overbuilt that you feel that you're doing a bunch of extra work for nothing.

Like the WH-6800 non-disc wheels, Shimano are pitching the RX31s at an Ultegra level. And like the non-disc wheels, they doesn't really match up with that groupset's privateer racing heritage; even more so here, in fact. But that's not to say they're bad wheel because they're not. As a replacement for heavy own-brand wheels on a disc crosser, or as spec for an all-purpose disc build, they're spot on.

Verdict

Very good all-purpose wheelset for your do-anything bike or 'crosser