Just Riding Along Mahi Mahi Core disc brake wheels

Just Riding Along's Mahi Mahi Core disc brake wheels are a good value upgrade over the stock wheels you'll find on many bikes, shedding some weight and giving a modest but worthwhile aerodynamic boost.

Check out our guide to the best road bike wheels for more options.

> Buy now: Just Riding Along Mahi Mahi Core disc brake wheels for £700 from JRA

These wheels from JRA's reasonably priced Core range are a bit of a bargain, with useful features, and a refreshing lack of the fluff that pushes up the price of many carbon fibre wheels.

I'm always sceptical of component testers who say they can feel a difference when they replace a pair of wheels with ones that are just 100g or so lighter. However, the Mahi Mahi Core wheels replaced the stock set on the Giant Defy I tested recently, and with narrower, lighter tyres the whole shebang was some 600g lighter. The bike certainly felt livelier, though I'm still doubtful that the weight difference accounted for the change in feel; after all, it's still a small percentage of the total system weight. However, the lighter tyres will have lower rolling resistance than the Giant tyres they replaced, and between the deeper rims and better profile they almost certainly cut through the air better.

That makes the Mahi Mahi Cores a worthwhile upgrade over the stock wheels you'll find on even some quite expensive bikes.

When you first roll out on these wheels they're nicely silent. That's good: a lack of pinging and popping is a sign of competent wheelbuilding that doesn't leave the spokes twisted.

In fact, if you had to build a wheel to my tastes these are almost what you'd end up with. The rims are 40mm deep, which gives an aerodynamic improvement over lower-profile rims, and they're joined to the hubs with 24 J-bend spokes per wheel. The hubs have Center Lock mounts for your brake rotors, so you can remove them easily if you're packing your bike for travel, and there are now plenty of alternatives to Shimano's rotors if you don't want to feel locked in to the big S.

The aluminium freehub body has a small but effective steel insert to stop your sprockets digging in and the Sapim nipples are brass for longevity and corrosion resistance. I've fought too many seized aluminium nipples over the years to use anything else, though Sapim and JRA claim their 7075 aluminium nipples are more durable than brass and have a corrosion-resistant coating.

Just Riding Along reduces the cost of Core wheels by limiting your customisation options. For example, you can have the regular Mahi Mahi wheels in 24, 28 or 32 spokes, and in 30mm, 40mm and 50mm depths. The Core wheels also use steel bearings instead of the more expensive version's stainless steel. The only thing you can tweak is the spokes: Sapim CX-Ray bladed spokes will cost you an extra £24/wheel over the stock Sapim D-Light double-butted spokes.

You do have a full range of freehub choice, though. Shimano 11-speed and Campagnolo 11/12-speed are options at no extra cost. Shimano Microspline will cost you an extra £16; SRAM XD-R adds £9, and Campagnolo N3W 13-speed is £22.

Because the rims aren't especially deep, they're stable in side winds. Unlike some deeper rims, you don't get that exciting moment of being blown around as you pass a gap in a hedgerow.

At 100kg, I'm bang on the rated maximum weight for these wheels, but I've been pleasantly surprised that they haven't budged at all in use. I even fitted them to my Giant Revolt E+ gravel bike, subjecting them to the extra weight and power that bike brings, and they just went, 'Yeah, whatever.'

Tubeless tyres (one Schwalbe and one Hutchinson) went on without any fuss. I only needed a standard track pump to pop them into place. Nominally 25mm tyres end up 30mm wide. With the 30.5mm maximum width that gives a profile that, in theory at least, should exhibit good aerodynamics.

Value

The less-expensive carbon wheels sector has exploded in the last few years, and you really are spoilt for choice if you're looking for a wheel upgrade that doesn't cost a fortune.

Although £700 isn't a bad price for the Mahi Mahi Cores, they do face some stiff competition – especially when you start to look at current discounts.

The Prime Orra 700C Carbon Gravel Wheels we tested recently, for example, have an rrp of £599.99 and are actually on sale for just £529.99 – although they are a hookless design, so you can only use them with tubeless tyres.

If you want something deeper, Prime's Doyenne 56 Carbon Disc Wheels will give you that extra aero boost – they have the same rrp but are currently selling for just £498.99, though they're a shade on the heavy side. Stu reviewed those earlier this year.

The Mahi Mahi Cores are cheaper than the similar Vel 60 RL Carbon Tubeless Disc Wheels at full price, £799, but those currently discounted to just £519, which has to make them worth a look.

It's also hard to go past the Scribe Inception Aero Wide+ 42-D Carbon Wheels, which we were also really impressed with. They were £720 when we tested them last year, but are currently on sale for £599.

You'd expect wheel specialist Hunt to have some solid offerings in this category and you'd be right. Its 40 Carbon Aero Disc wheels were £779 but are currently just £662.15, and they're light too. If you want a little more speed (and can afford a bit more cash), check out the 44 Aerodynamicist Carbon Disc wheels for £949.

Conclusions

This a nippy, reliable and well-made pair of wheels, and though not as big a bargain as some, it's still a sensible price. I'd be slightly tempted to spend the extra £145 on the regular Mahi Mahi wheels to get the option of more spokes and different rim depths, and the stainless bearings, but in these straitened times it's refreshing to see a wheel company offering a less spendy option like this.

Who should buy the Just Riding Along Mahi Mahi Core disc brake wheels?

Got a disc brake bike with regular, low-profile wheels? Put them on the scales. If they're in the 1,900-2,000g range (and far too many off-the-peg wheels are) then these will save you some weight and improve your bike's aerodynamics. Pairing them with low-rolling-resistance tyres yields a detectable improvement in speed and ride feel without any of that pesky extra training.

Verdict

Quick and sturdy do-everything wheels; a sound choice in the 'less expensive carbon wheels' category