Parcours launches “new benchmark” Ronde all-road wheelset

British wheel brand Parcours has introduced a new Ronde all-road wheelset to its range, aerodynamically optimised for 28mm tyres and weighing 1,400g.

With shallow carbon rims, the Ronde is said to be a do-it-all wheelset that’s versatile enough for everything from cobbles to mountain passes.

“If you are a rider who wants to mix things up with one wheelset for a wide variety of experiences, this is the one for you,” says Parcours.

“Built with precision-machined alloy hubs and high-grade EZO cartridge bearings to deliver a smooth ride, the wheelset uses 24 Sapim CX-Ray spokes front and rear for a sturdy feel. The rim also has a hooked profile so can be used with either a clincher or tubeless tyre.”

Parcours says that the Ronde is the most stable wheelset it has ever produced – 14% more stable than the Strade and 17% more stable than the Grimpeur Disc, for those of you taking notes.

Whereas the front rim is 32mm wide (external) and 35.6mm deep, the rear is 30.5mm wide (external) and 39.3mm deep. Each has an internal width of 22.5mm.

The idea of the different rim profiles is “to provide stable handling and maximum speed on all surfaces”.

The brand has produced a detailed white paper to explain the tech that features in the Ronde wheelset. 

“The #thinkwider project, part of our technical partnership with the Sports Engineering department at Nottingham Trent University, has demonstrated the enormous benefit of differential front/rear rim design,” Parcours explains in that white paper.

“The study has found that wind conditions (yaw angle and wind velocity) vary between front and rear wheels. The yaw angle at the front wheel is, on average, 1.5° higher than at the rear wheel. As a result, we use a more “blunt” U-shaped rim to optimise for higher yaw on the front wheel, while using a “sharper” V-shaped rim for the lower yaw conditions on the rear wheel.

“In addition, the rear wheel has minimal impact on bike handling as it is not free to move on its axis for steering. This allows for a deeper rear rim profile to be paired with a shallower front rim profile, whilst maintaining handling stability.”

You can check out the white paper for yourself but the conclusion is: “Wind tunnel data shows that the Ronde wheelset, fitted with a 28mm tyre, represents the new benchmark for an all-road disc brake wheelset.

“This setup has been shown to be marginally (0.5W) faster than an Enve 3.4AR wheelset, as well as outperforming a Zipp 303S wheelset by a wider margin (4.2W).

“The Ronde also maintains additional versatility by using a hooked rim design, allowing riders a wider choice of tyre. The Ronde does remain relatively sensitive to choice of tyre width, however, with data suggesting that when fitted with a tyre of ~33mm (stated) width or wider, it will no longer be faster than a standard box rim wheelset, fitted with a 25mm tyre.

The front wheel has a claimed weight of 620g while the rear is 780g, and the Ronde wheelset is priced at £1,049.

www.parcours.cc