Deda Elementi Zero2 Wheels

The Zero2 is the only all-aluminium wheelset in the Deda Elementi range, and its cheapest wheels, but the quality and performance is well above entry-level. Deda describes these wheels as 'Developed with Professional Teams and Triathletes for the everyday training'. What luxury it must be to train on £540 wheels... that's more than I would budget for the winter bike!

The wheels came in a bag with a box containing skewers (very tidy), a cassette spacer ring and rim tape. I fitted them to my trusty Cannondale CAAD10 which has run, since new, on a pair of Shimano RS80s. These make a good comparison with the Deda Elementi wheels, sharing their shallow rim profile, bladed straight-pull spokes and alloy brake tracks. They also fall into the same price bracket (an up-to-date RS81 wheelset has an RRP of just under £600).

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Shimano, however, chose to bond that alloy brake track to a carbon rim. With 10,000 miles now on them, these are looking pretty sorry for themselves and exposure to the winter weather has led to some delamination, which won't be an issue on the all-aluminium Zero2 Teams. Deda has chosen to go with alloy nipples, though, so I still wouldn't want to use them as winter wheels. I'm pretty meticulous about cleaning and maintenance but I have still had alloy nipples fail from use on salty, wet roads.

The Zero2s run on cartridge bearings all-round. They proved smooth, though not quite as free-running as a well-adjusted cup-and-cone setup. The freehub is quite loud too. Maintenance couldn't be easier – two 5mm hex keys will unscrew the end caps. The 15mm hollow alloy axle pulls out, bringing the freehub with it. Inside is a simple 3-pawl mechanism. Everything was still clean and fresh, even at the end of the test. The Enduro bearings are high quality and there was no evidence of water or dirt ingress in either front or rear wheel.

Despite the hollow axle there are no adaptors for different axle standards.

My main concern with any lightweight, low-spoke-count wheelset is stiffness, but deflection at the rim seemed very slight. I set the brake pads as close as I dared and honked and wrestled the bike up a series of climbs in gears low and high, but failed to induce any rub of pad on rim, something that I can't say about the RS80s.

The differences may well be in the spoke patterns: while the Shimano wheels rely on 16 radially laced spokes at the front, Deda uses 20. At the rear, the Deda uses 24 to Shimano's 20, and the handsome 3-cross pattern on the drive side (radial on the left) will certainly add to the stiffness.

A freshly machined aluminium brake track is a beautiful thing, and the Deda rims are immaculately finished. It was almost a shame to use them. On the first ride I nearly overcooked the first hairpin as bite seemed decidedly below-par, but that soon improved as everything bedded in. In the wet, with Swiss Stop pads, they gave me no cause to fear for my life. There are no wear-lines or markers of any kind, by the way.

The 25mm profile rims are shallow enough not to be unduly bothered by side winds (and we had some exciting days out together in relentless autumn hoolies on the exposed moors). Deda makes a point of the 22mm rim width, saying it 'provides vastly superior support to the tyre', but that's an external measurement which doesn't count for much, and between the hooks it's only a little over 16mm. However, the 25mm tyres sat nice and plump and handling was impeccable.

Tyre fitting was straightforward with all the tyres I tried – snug but not grinning tight, I would say, and the tyre bead bedded firmly into the hooks. It's a shame Deda hasn't gone with a tubeless-ready rim as it wouldn't, in my view, do any harm and would be a nice bit of future-proofing.

Out of the box the front wheel needed a tweak or two of the spoke key. It was a very minor deflection from true – only a perfectionist would be bothered – and since then everything has stayed perfectly straight.

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The bottom line is that this is a well-made, straightforward wheelset in the modern style. It's not particularly cheap and it's a debate to be had about whether they exceed in value and performance a custom-built set, such as the Pro-Lite Bortola A21, especially as their life will end effectively when the rims are worn. But they certainly add some continental panache with their understated graphics. Even though they turned out to be heavier than Deda claims, at 1,620g the pair excluding skewers and rim tape, the flex-free ride and overall quality of build make them a pleasure to use.  

Anyone looking to replace or upgrade their wheels and who doesn't want to lay down more than the price of the bike should certainly give these some consideration. If you want tubeless-compatible, the Hunt Race Season Aero Wide wheelset is worth a look (and now £399).

Verdict

Quality build and finish, flex-free and good-looking; at this price they should really be tubeless-compatible, though