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review
£1,549.99
VERDICT:
Light and stiff race wheels but don't offer the best braking performance out there
Weight:
1,469g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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The Miche Supertype 440 RC wheels are a decent weight and offer plenty of stiffness, plus with their gloss finish they'll certainly add a bit of shiny bling to any bike. Their narrow width and basic brake track makes them feel a little bit old school, though.
- Pros: Good balance of aerodynamics versus weight; very well built
- Cons: There are better braking carbon rims out there; lockring can catch on the chain
Current trends of increasing tyre widths has led to wheel manufacturers following suit with their rims, but Miche hasn't felt the need to embrace the fashion with its Supertype wheels.
> Find your nearest dealer here
The inner rim width is just 17mm compared to the 23/24mm I see regularly now, which does make fitting the 28mm tyres I was using very simple. They literally popped on with just a bit of a push.
Wider tyres would have a little bit of a lightbulb effect but these are race wheels after all, and 25mm rubber is probably the largest they are likely to see so no big deal.
The 40mm-deep rim has a u-shaped profile and while it doesn't offer a massive aero advantage at speeds above 25mph there is a noticeable difference to how well the rim cuts through the air compared with shallower rims. They don't get whacked about by crosswinds either.
The build is quite stiff and offers a much firmer ride than something like the Scope R4C wheels I've recently had on the B'Twin. It's not overly harsh, just a bit of buzz over the rougher stretches of tarmac.
Stiffness is impressive too. I can quite easily get wheels to flex enough to touch the brake pads under hard climbing or when sprinting, and there were none of those issues here.
At just 1,469g (649g F/820g R), the Miches are responsive too. Acceleration is brisk and they seem to come alive in the hills, especially when you are out of the saddle.
One aspect of the Supertypes that isn't as good as some of the latest carbon wheels I've ridden is the braking. Carbon rims have a bit of a reputation for being grabby, as in no real grip from the pads until you get a bit of heat into the brake track and then they grab, so not a whole lot of modulation. In the wet things can be even worse.
> The pros and cons of carbon wheels
Things have changed, though, and some of the newest carbon rims offer pretty much the same quality of stopping power as alloy rims thanks to different coatings or carbon layups, but the Miches aren't among them. Feedback is quite vague, and while you can bring the bike to a stop relatively quickly it's not exactly confidence-inspiring if you have to brake hard unexpectedly.
Miche is proud of its made in Italy heritage and I have to say the overall quality of the Supertypes is very good indeed. Straight out of the box there were no spokes pinging as things settled down or anything like that, and I had no issues with them remaining true.
The hubs have a carbon fibre shell with 7075-T6 aluminium alloy flanges. These are laced to the carbon rim with Sapim spokes which are made specifically for Miche rather than being off-the-shelf items.
The front wheel has 18 spokes in a radial pattern while the rear has 24 spokes laced two-cross on the drive side and radial on the non-drive.
Miche has gone for SKF sealed bearings and they roll smoothly.
If you like a bit of noise when you aren't pedalling you'll be fine with the Supertypes as they have a gentle click when the pawls disengage. Miche has used a titanium freehub body rather than the usual steel or aluminium and it is very hardwearing, when it comes to digging in from the cassette carrier.
Included in the package are a set of wheel bags, rim tape, some carbon-specific pads, valve extenders and a Miche lockring which looks rather snazzy in anodised red.
The issue I had with it, though, was that when in the 11-tooth sprocket the chain was climbing up onto the lockring, because it has a diameter of 38mm as opposed to the 35mm of a standard Shimano (which I swapped it back to). If you are using a 12-tooth as your smallest sprocket it should be fine, or you could get really anal with your limit screws.
The Supertypes are tubeless-ready but they don't come with the necessary valves or tubeless tape.
We've seen some really good quality wheels coming through road.cc Towers lately at some very good prices, which give these £1,549.99 wheels a run for their money.
The Scope R4c wheels mentioned earlier are £1,298 and weigh only a little more at 1,550g.
Other wheels I've tested recently are the RSP Calavera Carbon CC35s. I did have a few issues with truing these, out of the box, but they were just £809 and weigh 1,510g, which is pretty impressive.
> Buyer's Guide: 37 of the best road bike wheelsets
The Miche wheels do feel a fair bit better overall quality-wise and seem more robust, too. Plus Miche has a two-year crash replacement policy.
Overall, the Miche Supertypes are a very good set of wheels if you are happy to live with the braking performance, but they are up against some stiff opposition.
Verdict
Light and stiff race wheels but don't offer the best braking performance out there
road.cc test report
Make and model: Miche Supertype 440 RC White Label Wheels
Size tested: 700C
Tell us what the wheel is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Miche says, "The Supertype wheelsets have always been a staple in the range and for 2019, Miche have taken the name and modernised it for updated trends. The tubeless ready 17c rim section means that it will handle any road tyres, no matter the width you want to run.
"The 40mm rim profile has been developed for maxmimum performance, incorporating wind resistance and strength with T-700 unidirectional carbon fibre and HTG resins.
"The hubs have been made from carbon fibre, with CNC AL 7075 T6 over-sized flanges for a lightweight but strong outcome. The Supertype hubs use SKF bearings for precise and long-lasting smooth rolling."
I think the Supertype wheels have a couple of minor flaws but they are a decent overall race wheel.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the wheel?
From Miche:
Tech Specs
Compatibility: CA/SH/SRAM
Hubs: AL 7075 T6/ 3K Carbon
Bearings: SKF Sealed Bearings
Freewheel Body: Titanium
Rims: 3K Carbon Fibre
Spokes: Sapim spokes / Nipples which are specifically manufactured for Miche
Included in the box
Wheel Bags
Carbon Rim Brake Pads
Valve Extenders
Maintenence and Service booklet
Lockring
Rate the wheel for quality of construction:
9/10
Rate the wheel for performance:
8/10
For such light wheels they have no issues with lateral stiffness.
Rate the wheel for durability:
8/10
Rate the wheel for weight
8/10
Rate the wheel for value:
4/10
Did the wheels stay true? Any issues with spoke tension?
Stayed true throughout with no issues.
How easy did you find it to fit tyres?
The narrow rim profile made it easy to fit 25 and 28mm tyres.
How did the wheel extras (eg skewers and rim tape) perform?
Everything worked well, but the larger diameter lockring isn't a fit and forget item.
Tell us how the wheel performed overall when used for its designed purpose
A good all-round set of wheels balancing aerodynamics, stiffness and weight.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the wheel
Light and stiff, which means they make good sprinting or climbing wheels.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the wheel
Braking performance could be better.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
They aren't the most expensive we've tested but we are seeing some very good wheels entering the marketplace for a lot less.
Did you enjoy using the wheel? Yes
Would you consider buying the wheel? Possibly, if there was a good deal on.
Would you recommend the wheel to a friend? They are worth considering.
Use this box to explain your overall score
There is a lot to like here when it comes to the weight and the quality, but there are a few brands delivering similar products for less money.
About the tester
Age: 40
I usually ride: This month's test bike My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed
Since writing his first bike review for road.cc back in early 2009 senior product reviewer Stu has tested more than a thousand pieces of kit, and hundreds of bikes.
With an HND in mechanical engineering and previous roles as a CNC programmer/machinist, draughtsman and development engineer (working in new product design) Stu understands what it takes to bring a product to market. A mix of that knowledge combined with his love of road and gravel cycling puts him in the ideal position to put the latest kit through its paces.
He first made the switch to road cycling in 1999, primarily for fitness, but it didn’t take long for his competitive side to take over which led to around ten years as a time triallist and some pretty decent results. These days though riding is more about escapism, keeping the weight off and just enjoying the fact that he gets to ride the latest technology as part of his day job.
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8 comments
Dear road.cc,
I have read your review and I am really quite puzzled as to what you tested, it certainly does not seem to be the same Miche Supertype 440RC that I own! In my experience these wheels have been brilliant, and as you have agreed they hold their speed well, they're extremely responsive, and they handle themselves remarkably well in crosswinds.
However, I have particular issue with your comments regarding the braking performance. I have used a variety of wheelsets over the years from different brands (Zipp, Cero, Reynolds etc) and I have found the performance of the Miche Supertype 440RCs to be fantastic for the standards of carbon rims; they stop quickly and effectively without snagging, and there is a lot of feel through the wheelset for modulation. I use the Miche Grey Compound (wet specific) brake pads with my wheelset, which seems sensible in British conditions, and they have been long lasting yet soft so react well to the forces of braking - I don't know whether you tested the Miche Blue Compound (dry specific), but I have not used this so cannot comment. I have also used my Supertype's in the wet a variety of times, and they also impressed in this instance as I had little issues; they were not too bad compared to aluminium rims if I am honest! Also, Swiss Stop Yellow pads are a little useless due to being far too firm, so you are never going to get the best feel of the braking quality using a pad like that - I would suggest trying the Miche rims with a far softer pad to get the most out of them.
Furthermore, I am surprised that you decided to test these wheels with 28mm tyres which they are definitely not designed for. Yes they are narrow rimmed compared to some, but that's because they are fundamentally race wheels designed for 25mm tyres. This 17mm internal width also prevents 25mm tyres from becoming 26/27mms which is an issue I have often found in the past with wider rims - my Vittoria Corsa G2.0 tyres come out at 25mm dead with this wheelset which is a big plus.
A few other things:
- I know the lockring that comes with it is only compatible with a 12 up cassette, but I just used the standard Shimano one with my wheelset so this really is not an issue to be commented on. If anything, Miche should be praised for providing something a little unique here which I can't recall any other brand doing.
- You mention they are tubeless but failed to really explore this side of the wheelset. Whilst I understand this is fairly common place in wheelsets these days, it would have been good for you to have set them up as a tubeless wheelset for your test rides - this really helps to get a feel for the wheelset itself instead of all of the buzz that comes through the harsher clincher setup.
- You failed to explore the SKF bearings aside that 'they roll smoothly'. I would argue that this is a big plus compared to some other wheelsets as they're Miche's answer to Ceramic bearings. They may not be as perfect as Ceramic, but they're far superior to standard bearings you may find in other wheelsets around this price point.
So to conclude, I would suggest that you revise your Miche Supertype 440RC Wheelset Review by taking them on further test rides after setting them up correctly (correct brake pads toed in etc, 25mm tyres, preferably tubeless) and then you will feel the actual performance of this wheelset.
I hope you are able to use this information to better your experience,
Ben Williams
Strange to get a lockring with a pair of wheels, usually comes with the cassette?
Probably best to stick with 23mm tyres to get the aero gainz with these wheels.
Please note you have fitted a 12T up lock ring for a 11T up cassette, this is why the chain is catching the lockring. All Miche cassettes come as standard with the correct lock ring for each cassette.
It is also not clear from your review if you have used the Miche brake pads or not? I have found the braking performance when used with the specially developed carbon pads [note there are also two versions, Blue for dry, grey for wet] to be excellent, nothing like your description.
Also I do not understand how rim width can be a negative? Technical wheel development is not about following fashion, horses for courses, these are performance road wheels ideal for 25 or 28mm tyres, if you want to ride wider tyres Miche make other wheels with wider rims for such use.
20190815_081552.jpg
Hi @micheuk
Would the wheels normally come with the lockring included or is just with a cassette?
The reason I ask is because our test wheels came with the one I used in the box. It was in the packaging with the quick release levers and brake pads so that is why it was fitted.
Also, with regards to the brakes I used both the pads supplied and a set of Swissstop Yellow pads which I test every set of carbon wheels with as a benchmark.
I've tested a lot of carbon rim brake wheels overly the last few months, often side by side and I just didn't find the braking performance on the Miche wheels was that impressive against the others I've been riding.
Regards
Stu
Hi Stu
The wheels come with a Supertype lockring, as do all the Miche Cassettes come with the relevant lockring [11 or 12T up and SH or CA] I have made the suggestion to the factory that both 11T & 12T lockrings are supplied with the wheels, in case users are not using a Miche cassette. Lockrings are also available as spares.
I am very surprised with your comments about braking, all the Pro riders who use these wheels describe them as having excellent braking performance, personally I am lucky enough to use many different wheelsets and just two days ago I was flying down the Pyrenees into hairpin bends on the 440's braking from high speeds, the performance was perfect, very progressive and responsive. Maybe it is an issue with your callipers, brake set up?
Please note Miche recommend that ONLY Miche pads are used with their carbon wheels, these have been specially developed on our rolling road to work in harmony with our rims, in the dry and the wet. Other pads can cause overheating and or excessive rim wear and void your Miche warranty.
Regards
Peter
Hi Peter, I’m interested why the wheels come with a lockring?
As soon as I saw the damage to that lockring I knew it was the wrong one for the cassette. The chain would be skipping really bad when on the 11 tooth which is always a giveaway...
Under rated brand. Been running their cranks for years on fixie and track bike. Use their cassettes for the chunk but percise chunk change on my Campagnolo rig.