Miche SWR RC 50 DX OLT Disc wheelset

The Miche SWR RC 50 DX OLT Disc wheelset's build is absolutely top quality, while also offering a noticeable aero advantage as your speed increases. The hubs are smooth, as is the overall ride feel, and they do well in crosswinds. Being tubeless and thru-axle compatible they're up to date and should suit any new build, though they're neither the lightest nor the cheapest option out there.

Miche hasn't gone quite as extreme with width or bulbous profiles as many manufacturers of late, instead sticking with a 19mm internal rim width and a more traditional tapered aero section – albeit with a rounded edge where the spokes exit, rather than a sharp V-section.

> Find your nearest Miche Test Wheel dealer here

For road use it works, though. I may be a dying breed, but I'm happy with 25mm tyres for fast road riding and am not fussed with going any wider. The transition between 25mm tyres and the SWR rim is spot on, especially as it stretches the tyre to just over 26mm for a smooth, rounded profile.

Our set came tubeless ready with tape and valves, and the majority of the tyres I tested – in 25mm and 28mm widths – required very little effort to fit. That includes the Michelin Power Road Tubeless tyres I ended up carrying out the majority of testing on, tyres which, at least when brand new, aren't the easiest to get on a rim.

The Miche wheels have a smooth ride quality, with harshness from the road only making its way through the deep section rim on the roughest and most broken surfaces.

Some deep section wheels can be a handful in crosswinds, but here the SWRs do well too. If you catch the odd unexpected gust passing a gateway or something, the front can take a bit of a slap, but during general riding I never found the steering becoming a handful.

Spoke tension is top notch, and when paired to the 50mm deep rim, stiffness is very impressive. This is probably one of the best attributes of the SWRs – they're a real powerhouse of a wheelset. Hard efforts see no flex, and you can really smash the power through them when sprinting or climbing hard.

The Miche hubs, machined from 7075-T6 grade aluminium, add a touch of class to the build. If you like a subtle tick to your freehub you'll love these, as there's very little noise from the rear when you aren't pedalling.

The EZO bearings run very smoothly indeed, and never wavered throughout testing in what has been a bit of mixed bag for weather. Should any play develop, there's an adjustment ring on both hubs for twiddling it away with a small hex key.

Miche have gone for a 24 spoke pattern on each wheel, which is quite common. The front gets eight spokes radially laced on the drive side (DS) and 16 crossed x2 on the non-drive side (NDS).

At the rear that's reversed: eight on the NDS and 16 on the DS.

The brake rotors are Center Lock, rather than the traditional six-bolt option, so that gets a thumbs up – they're much quicker and easier to change or fit. The rotors slide over splines, and are held in place with a lockring similar your cassette's one.

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The SWRs come in at 1,780g with tubeless tape and valves (around 40g) fitted. That's fairly high: I've ridden plenty of wheels of this rim depth that are a good 300g lighter, and had no issues with reliability or durability.

Nevertheless, the SWRs aren't exactly heavy, and unless you spend all your time in the mountains they certainly don't feel that way on the roads. Everywhere else, the aero advantage wins over weight anyway.

The upside of that mass is a really solid-feeling set of wheels which promise to stand up to plenty of abuse.

The 38mm version of the Miche SWR RC wheels are over 100g lighter than the 50mm version we've reviewed here. Miche also offers lighter DX carbon wheels: Supertype DX 38mm in tubular (claimed weight of 1,430g) or 44mm in clincher (1,545g).

Deep section carbon fibre wheels cover a large spectrum for price, and the market is very, very competitive. At £1,380 the SWRs are pricier and a bit heavier than most others. For instance, the Fulcrum Wind 40 Disc wheelset is £1,099.99, and offers impressive stiffness and ride quality at 1620g.

Meanwhile the Halo Carbaura RCD wheels at £1,099.95 are very similar to the SWRs in rim shape and depth, but weigh 1,629g with tape.

Direct-sales operations such as Hunt are even more competitively priced, with the very, very good 4050 Carbon Aero Disc wheelset clocking in at 1472g and just £819.

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Miche's own 38mm-deep Revox DX carbon wheels are £999 (with a claimed weight of 1,660g).

None of this means the SWRs are overpriced, though. They absolutely look and feel like a premium wheelset, and carry the 'Made in Italy' label that always brings extra kudos to cycling components.

If you're driven purely by price or weight, the SWR RC DX 50/50 wheelset will not be your first choice. But, if you want an exceptionally well built set of Italian wheels that really deliver on strength, stiffness and speed, you won't be disappointed.

Verdict

Premium wheels with excellent stiffness, a great ride and impressive speed – but spendy and not the lightest