Miche Xpress wheeleset

With an asking price around the £200 mark, Miche’s Xpress are a very worthy wheelset for mid to upper end road fixer builds. They might lack the outright rigidity of a deep section aero rim but machined sidewalls and super smooth CNC machined hubs complete with sealed cartridge bearings mean they’ll laugh at the grottier months- they’re good enough to double as track hoops too. Smart, contemporary graphics might clash with classic builds and draw unwanted attention to bikes locked for long periods in and around dodgy neighbourhoods but they’re pretty much perfect for general road duties.

Straight from the box, the Xpress exude trademark Italian flair-luxurious, deep anodising that seemingly laughs off the witches’ brew of salt, grit and general road slime whereas the large flange hubs not only look gorgeous but deliver a responsive yet surprisingly forgiving ride over most surfaces. Double fixed will certainly warm a purists’ heart, allowing a choice of ratios at the flip of a wheel but Miche also cater for the flip/flop fraternity. As you’d expect, machining is to very high standards and with a lick of lube, most sprockets breeze along the threads effortlessly but a generous application of marine grease is advisable to prevent potential seizing of alloy and Cro-moly offerings.

Traditional 122mm spacing means they’ll slot straight aboard Road Path/track frames, if you're running a conversions and/or your frame has 135mm rear triangles spacing you will need to change the axle. Thirty-two spokes laced two cross might lack the out and out zip of radial patterns but arguably strikes the best compromise between performance and reliability-the rims will even entertain 32mm rubber. Build quality has been tested by distressingly frequent encounter with pothole infested roads but I’m pleased to report no loss of tension or hint of the dreaded wobble, reinforcing increasingly positive feedback from the dispatch mob.

Verdict

A fine pair of road fixer wheels with a moderate price tag .