Text first, treats at the end
Installation - 28mm GP5k S TRs went on without levers, just requiring a normal amount of twisting and hand-wringing to get the last section of tire bead over the top of the rim. Tires inflated easily with my compressor, should likely be easy with any booster pump. 25mL of sealant, and the tires held pressure overnight, with very little loss.
On the bike - Disc rotors and 12 speed D/A cassete all installed without drama. My prior wheelsets all used DTSwiss 180 or 240EXP hubs. The CS4045 wheels mounted right onto the bike without needing any adjustment to either the brake calipers or rear derailer. Dimensional spacing for the rotors and cassette must be identical to DTSwiss with very good tolerance, as I experienced absolutely no brake rub, or gear indexing issues from changing the wheelsets. Wheels spin passes the eye test, looking perfectly straight and smooth. Bearings also feel very smooth. The nipples appear to be connected to the spokes via a taper-lock type interface, so I dont expect any issues with spoke tension or adjustment over time.
Ride Feel - This is where it gets interesting. These wheels are so light and smooth I had to look down to make sure I was actually on the road, and not hovering. These are easily the smoothest, lightest wheels I have ever ridden. On good pavement it felt like I was on a hoverbike, on rougher pavement the CRW wheels seemed to telegraph just a bit less road texture than other wheelsets I've ridden. Like any very good peice of equipment, they seemed to disappear, while rewarding any effort through the pedals with smooth surge directly to the pavement.
Comparisons - Feder 35 (1280 grams) - the CRWs feel tangibly lighter, and more responsive to the little accelerations up punchy climbs, or closing the little gaps back down to the wheel ahead. CRW seem to be stiffer and quieter. I had a noise issue with the front disc brake on the Feder wheelset where the steel spokes would occasionaly resonate under braking. Braking is totally silent with the CRW wheelset (with the same rotor) - the resonance disappeared.
FarSports Gravel 50 (1360 grams) - Equal in comfort. CRWs are again tangibly lighter and more responsive. CRWs seem less affected by crosswinds, very stable through gusts on fast flats and descents. I had 15-20mph swirling winds during my ride Sunday, so I feel like I got a good sample of conditions.
Roval Rapide CLX IIs - CRWs feel much, much more responsive. Maybe it is in my head, but the 350g difference was apparent to me. Quick accelerations feel a bit laborious with the Rapides, but effortless with the CRWs. CRWs seem to hold speed very well, but I need more time to judge this.
Armchair engineering - the lower spoke count on the CRWs probably help contribute to aerodynamics beyond what should be expected for their depth. Wheel lab tests show this advantage with other low spoke count mid-depth profile wheels (rim brake wheels, One-K RD Ultimate, Cadex Ultra 50). CRW seem to really leverage the advantage that carbon spokes offer to build a very efficient wheelset.
Elephant in the room - Price - these are $1600+ for a set. Where do I think these compete? If you are considering LB, Hyper or FS wheels with premium hubs (Carbon-Ti, DT180, etc) or carbon spokes, the price difference is not very much, to upgrade to CRW seems totally reasonable. If you are considering Roval, Zipp, or other mainstream brand, or want something like the first gen Rapide's at 1400g, the CRW 5060s seem like a no brainer. The CRW really seem like next-gen carbon spoke wheels.
PS. If you do order from Panda Podium, make sure you thoroughly check your box. Tom and team must have included these goodies - I almost didn't even notice until I was collapsing the box to toss in the dumpster. Thank you, Tom!!!
