Princeton CarbonWorks Wake 6560 Disc Tune Wheelset

The Princeton CarbonWorks Wake 6560 wheelset looks quirky, but it certainly delivers on performance, handling... well, pretty much everything really. It just comes down to whether you can justify the price.

Thanks to their looks, the Wake 6560 wheels are guaranteed to be a conversation starter, with the first question being, 'Does the wavy pattern work?' My honest answer is, it's hard to tell outside of a wind tunnel.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy these online here

The Wake pattern took four years of development, and what you are left with is a rim that contains 24 sinusoidal oscillations, giving a variable depth of 60mm and 65mm, which should make it more aerodynamic and less of a handful handling-wise over a large range of crosswind angles.

The Wakes still catch the wind – go past a gateway after being sheltered by the wind and you can feel the wheel take a slap from a sidewind – but considering the depth, it isn't as bad as some other deep-section rims I've used, and they react to your input quickly and without fuss. And with winds coming from any angle apart from fully side on, they are barely affected.

Some deep-section rims can also feel like they are stalling at certain wind angles, especially when you get out of the saddle. I never got any of that from the 6560s.

In fact, the Wakes are surprisingly easy to live with in all kinds of conditions, making them suitable for more than just time trials or triathlons.

Their weight of 1,540g is impressive for such a deep wheelset, which means that they climb well, so you're getting a boost on the way up and the aero advantage on the way down.

When it comes to travelling at speed there is a noticeable difference to how much effort you need to put in to keep the wheels spinning, especially in the sweet spot of between 20 and 30mph, compared to something with a much shallower rim.

I wouldn't say they feel faster or easier to keep at a specific speed than the 62.5mm-deep Swiss Side Hadron 652 aero wheels, but that's not a criticism as I found the Hadrons a very efficient set of wheels.

One of my well-used testing routes is an out-and-back covering 35 miles. In fact, it's my old commute done in one go, and a trip I have done thousands of times over the years in every type of weather condition. There isn't a whole lot of climbing – five or six longish drags – with the majority of it fast and relatively smooth A-road with a lot of traffic: a perfect testing ground for the Wakes.

With quite a few traffic lights and roundabouts dotted on the main trunk road section, there are plenty of bits where you are mixing it with stop/start traffic, and it can require instant hard accelerations to maintain your primary position.

This is where the Wakes really showed their stiffness levels and how that works with the low weight. Under some very hard efforts there was no feeling of any flex or waste of energy, and they are quick to transfer that energy into forward motion.

Then, once you are up to speed, like I said earlier, you aren't having to work so hard to maintain your speed. It makes it easier to close gaps to get into the slipstream of an HGV as it labours away from the lights as well.

Comfort levels are also good. Deep-section wheels have a lot of material in the rims and this can lead to a harsh ride, but you don't get any of that here.

The 18mm internal rim isn't that wide compared with the latest standards (26mm external), so I went with a 25mm tyre, the Pirelli P-Zero Race that I used on the Hadron 625, which gave an excellent profile.

Pumped up to 100psi they obviously give you a firm ride (which I like), but it's not one that batters you about or feels uncomfortable. The BMC Teammachine SLR Two I was using them on has quite a firm ride too.

If you like your pressures lower, then you're going to benefit even more from the comfort levels afforded by the Wakes.

Fitting the tubeless tyres wasn't an issue either. A bit of a snug fit, which required a tyre lever to get the last section onto the hooked rim, but I'm fine with that. It gives a bit of reassurance that they aren't likely to blow off at high pressures.

Using a standard Topeak Joe Blow track pump they 'popped' onto the rim without issue and sealed quickly. Removal was just as easy, which is what you want just in case you need to fit a tube at the side of the road if your sealant can't fix the puncture.

Tune hubs

When it comes to the build, the Princetons are available in a few hub options. Ours are running 24-hole Tune King (front) and Kong (rear) which run absolutely beautifully. They spin up effortlessly and just keep spinning.

The test period has been a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to the weather, and these wheels have seen it all: rain, sleet, hail and some dry, dusty lanes.

I've had them for about six weeks which is a relatively short time for testing the durability of the hubs, but I haven't found any issues with them. The only thing I would say is that the freehub body is a little on the soft side. It's aluminium alloy and has no steel reinforcing strip, which allows the cassette to cut in under high loads like when pulling away from a standing start in a high gear. Something worth keeping an eye on.

The hubs use a Centerlock design for attaching your brake rotors.

Other than that, durability of the whole wheelset is impressive. The beauty of testing wheels like these is that I don't have to treat them with kid gloves like I might if I'd splashed out my own cash. That's not to say I try to wreck them, but they've seen the odd pothole at speed and been taken down a few gravel byways to see how they get on. The rims, hubs and Sapim CX Ray spokes all came away unscathed.

Value

When it comes to the pricing, they ain't cheap! This build comes in at £3,199.99 a pair, which to start with I couldn't get my head round. The Swiss Side wheels I mentioned earlier are £1,920, for example.

Then again, Zipp released its 454 NSW a little while back with its Sawtooth technology, which isn't a million miles away from the idea that PCW is using here, and a set of Zipps will set you back around £3,570 at full rrp.

> Buyer’s Guide: 33 of the best disc brake road wheelsets

For some stiff competition you have to consider the Hunt Limitless Aero Disc wheelsets. I tested the 48s and they're an unbelievably fast set of wheels. They're heavier than the Wakes by a good 150g, but to be honest that's barely noticeable out on the road.

Hunt has now released a 60mm version which I'm desperate to test. They are priced at £1,429 with CeramicSpeed bearings, or £1,169 with EZO steel bearings. That's a very good price.

Conclusion

Summing it all up, the Wakes are an impressive set of wheels. Deep-section rims that behave themselves, allowing anyone to exploit them not just racers, and you don't have to stay away from the climbs either. It is a big outlay, but from what I can tell so far, they will make your riding very enjoyable and will just absorb the miles without issue.

Verdict

Big money, but impressive ride quality and performance gains in the real world