Vision TriMax 35 Carbon wheelset

Aiming to provide good aerodynamics at a more affordable price point, the new Vision TriMax 35 wheels ride well but don't quite hit the high notes for wind-cheating performance or value.

Vision are an offshoot of Italian component manufacturers FSA. In recent years they've been expanding their wheelset offerings, and I've been really impressed with the Metron 40 carbon clincher and tubular wheels, which have been raced to victory at the highest level.

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Build

The TriMax 35s are constructed with a CNC machined aluminium rim mated to a 3K carbon fibre fairing which, as the name suggests, has an overall depth of 35mm. They're a really nice looking pair of wheels and the decals come in two colours, red or black, so there's a bit of customisation for you there.

The aero theme is continued with the bladed spokes, 16 radially laced in the front wheel and 21 in the rear – 7 radially laced on the non-drive side and 14 two-cross on the drive side. The spokes are secured at the rim using ABS self-locking nipples and the wheels are built by hand.

The smart looking hubs have a 17mm axle diameter, and there are two bearings in the front hub and four in the rear. The rear is fitted with an aluminium freehub that's available in Shimano and Campagnolo 10 and 11-speed configurations.

The rims' internal width of 17mm makes fitting a set of 25mm tyres the natural option, to make the most of the extra width on offer. FSA actually state a minimum tyre width of 23mm.

Ride

Coming from a set of 50mm carbon fibre clincher wheels, I found that the Vision TriMax 35s don't have the same level of responsiveness to changes of speed and acceleration. They simply do not feel as quick. They do feel stiff, though, which would seem to bear out FSA's claims that the carbon fibre increases the overall stiffness; it's noticeable when you really wind up the wheels in a sprint or over demanding terrain when you're charging.

They ride well, though, and the 35mm depth is a good everyday choice, providing decent performance in prime conditions, with little trade-off when conditions deteriorate and the wind picks up. I didn't find myself being blown across the road too severely in blustery crosswind conditions.

I've already noted how they compare with deeper section wheels, and against a shallower section rim it was tricky to discern much of a difference. A wind tunnel may reveal a bigger gap, but out on regular roads in typical conditions, feeling that suggested aerodynamic superiority was difficult.

The weight - 1,610g - is reasonable, but it's not particularly amazing. They do spin up to speed swiftly and they're not too much of a handful on steeper gradients. Through the corners, from high speed sweeping turns to extremely tight and steep hairpin switchbacks, they provide a high level of stiffness without much noticeable flexing. I put the wheels through my regular cycling routes and some fast-paced chaingang action and they performed faultlessly.

Where the wheels really perform - and outperform all carbon clinchers - is braking in the wet. The CNC machined surfaced took a little while to bed in, but after a handful of rides, and some heavy braking, the deceleration on offer was right up there with the best aluminium clincher wheels.

Conclusion

The Vision Trimax 35s are good wheels, but I don't feel the aerodynamic performance is noticeable enough in real-world everyday riding to justify them over a lighter or cheaper wheelset that forgoes the fancy carbon fibre finish. Especially as it does little to keep the weight down - Zipp's similarly shaped 30 clincher wheels are all aluminium with roughly the same weight.

You can get the excellent Shimano Ultegra 6800 aluminium wheels, which weigh about the same and are tubeless-ready, for half the price. Okay, the shallower rim might not be as aerodynamically efficient, but in reality you're going to be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Or save yourself £100, and 100g, and pick up the Spin Koppenberg Max25 clincher wheels. And if you want an aerodynamic wheelset, there are better options.

Verdict

Reasonable everyday wheels with good braking performance, but there are cheaper and lighter options