Ultima SED - 38 - 1414 Grams

Equipment
: Llewellyn Colossus for racing
: Sram force running gear,
: tyres specialize turbo cotton 26
This bike was built for criterium racing at sandown Victoria.Up to now I was running the aluminum ultimate aero from craftworx.
These wheels has tranfered this bike from a great racing frame to a great racing bike. I was amazed the response in acceleration , there was no turbo lag.Going through the fastest corner at sandown , Dandenong corner , there was no turbo lag in the counter steering and steering through the corner.

Braking , though optional, There was a few times i had to hall on the brakes there was no issue.

The rolling sound that carbon wheels usually have , these wheels that sound was not that obvious in fact the rolling sound was close to the aluminum wheels.

CON.

out of the box the wheels were not balanced in fact they were terrible compared to the aluminum I have. When the wheels were dressed up the front wheel required 10g of weight and the rear wheel require 14g of weight to balance them. The aluminum wheels in contrast required 3g and 5g respectively.This is my only issue. I think it would be a problem with most carbon wheels.

Overall wow these wheels are great.

I prefer a lower profile rim depth and these wheels are perfect. They are particularly light and ride really nicely. I'm rolling them with clinchers and they are easy to work with, look nice and were simple to set up. The service was excellent too, Mark dealt with all my picky build instructions and other questions, and delivery was quick. Very, very happy indeed.

Yes I’m a man crazy about cycling and my most recent purchase from Craftworx has allowed me to fulfil a dream of one bike two sets of wheels ~ one for off road the 36 backroads and for on road the new Ultimas. After just a few rides the Ultimas have proved to be top shelf providing a smoother more comfortable and faster ride. The customer service and the great products is what keeps me coming back!

Bit early for a review but high expectations. This will be my second pair of Ultima hoops. Previous wheels still going well after quite a few years. The new rims mark my transition to disc brakes so can't wait to get the bike built and try out the latest set. Look great out of the box so far and expect the performance to match based on past experience.

Have always wanted a proper set of carbon wheels but hard to justify the pretty steep prices. Big thanks (& congrats) to the Craftworx team for the 10th anniversary sale for the excuse to take the plunge.
Boy I wish I'd gotten them much sooner, they are amazing in so many ways. Even in the delivery box they're lighter than my lightest current wheelset :)
The bike is now so much more responsive, it just leaps forward and I find myself changing up to an easier gear much less often. Braking performance is remarkable, loads of modulation & power - better than my alum wheels which was a surprise.
Most remarkable though is the increased comfort - I actually checked tyre pressures. Was not expecting that from 50mm deep aero wheels.
Abosutely perfect build quality (of course) & always a pleasure to deal with the Craftworx crew.
Certainly the most lavish bike purchase I've made but worth every cent.
Thanks so much Mark & the team at Craftworx