How do I upgrade my road bike?
How do I get an advantage over my opponents on the road, on the slope? How do I improve my performance? The best upgrade a cyclist can make to your bike is on your wheels; lightweight carbon wheels. You will not believe the difference when you try a pair of carbon wheels, they are far more responsive, offer more control and are smoother than their alloy counterparts.
Upgrading to carbon wheelsets will lower the rotational weight, improve acceleration and give you a speed advantage. Carbon wheelsets deliver stiffness, lightweight, and superior aerodynamics. Carbon wheelsets offer you free speed more noticeably than any other upgrade; allowing you to ride faster for the same amount of effort. There are various rim depths on offer; the 50mm depth is ideal for rolling terrain and racing whereas the 40mm depth variety is more of a general purpose wheel.
The ICAN 40mm FL wheelset comprises of a carbon fiber aerodynamic clincher tubeless ready rim (40mm in depth and 25mm in width), a straight pull hub with Shimano 10/11 speed (model: ICAN 360G straight pull) and aero Sapim cx-ray spokes(for both rear and front wheels).
DESIGN AND FEATURES
Carbon fiber aerodynamic clincher rim
ICAN 40 FL with 2:1 Spokes, designed for speed and durability. The 40mm profile together with aero Sapim CX-Ray spokes offers superior aerodynamics, creating the flywheel effect while remaining in balance: increases handling and speed on quick climbs.
The rim is lightweight (front wheel; 665g +10g. rear wheel 805g +10g, just a fraction of its aluminum counterparts).
Purely molded from carbon fiber, each rim, made of 69 folded layers of aerospace grade carbon fiber; thus strength and lightweight.
However carbon fiber wheelsets gain an advantage over its alloy competition by up to 5% weight saving, it can effortlessly match and mostly exceeds the performance of aluminum equivalents.
Regarding lateral and radial stiffness, carbon fiber has an impressive stiffness to weight ratio- this is a show of strength. Wind tunnel testing data show that high profile carbon wheels provide an aerodynamic advantage over low profile alloy wheelsets. Carbon wheels also handle better, are stiffer, accelerate better and climb better than alloy wheels.
Hub
A hub is the central and turning axis of the bicycle. The hub consists of a hub shell, an axle, and bearings.
The axle is the non-moving piece, attached to the fork or frame while the bearings allow the outer shell of hub and the rest of the wheel parts to spin freely.
The ICAN 40mm FL wheelset uses ICAN 360G straight pull hubs, the two sealed bearing variety for the front wheel and the four sealed bearing variety for the rear wheel.
ICAN hubs, installed with the Japanese EZO sealed bearings. EZO is arguably the world’s leading bearing manufacturers regarding quality.
Front wheel (636g total weight): the ICAN 40mm FL front wheel, fitted with the ICAN 360G straight pull hub with two sealed bearings. It comes with hand fitted with Sapim CX-Ray spokes- which are aero bladed spokes flattened to reduces air resistance. Light as titanium with better aerodynamic design, the Sapim CX-Ray spoke boasts the best result against fatigue. Rear wheel (772 +10g total weight): fitted with the ICAN 360G straight pull hub and an oversize flange with 2:1 spoke arrangement offers an excellent, stable, extra responsive structure and can support the weight of a rider up to 105KG.
How do you think of the FL40 carbon road wheels
The carbon fiber craftsmanship on the ICAN 40mm is exquisite, molded from T700 carbon fiber. Carbon fiber layer arrangement determines the strength and weight of the wheelset. As discussed earlier the wheels are made from 69 folded layers of carbon fiber. Fiber layers offer strength and life to the rim, ICAN 40mm wheelsets have a long life and can deliver more than 12,000km.
The ICAN 40mm FL is lightweight (1378 +20g for both front and rear wheel). In performance lighter is better; less effort is required to propel the road bike.
The lightweight property of the ICAN 40mm FL improves its performance on climbs and flats making it excellent for racing.
ICAN 40mm wheels sets achieve a balance rivaled by few that allow you to soar to speeds as high as 45mph (attributed to its aerodynamic design) while creating a flywheel effect.
The Sapim CX-Ray spokes currently boast the best result in fatigue testing and have a flattened cross-section to reduce air resistance.
Sapim aero spokes, used by professional road racers, downhill racers and triathletes globally. The ICAN 40mm FL is Sapim CX-Ray compatible and gives you an advantage over other road bikes using regular non-aerodynamic spokes.
Hub: the front wheel comes fitted with the ICAN 360G straight pull hub (2 sealed bearing), smooth rotation and durable.
The rear wheel is also equipped with the ICAN 360G straight pull hub (4 sealed bearings) with 24 holes and allow a spoke pattern of 2:1. It is compatible with 10/11 speed Shimano and Sram cassettes. Relatively cheaper than other carbon road bike wheelsets, the ICAN 40mm FL offers value for money as it Lasts longer and able to rack up mileage over the 10,000km. This wheelset has a broader weight capacity range, being able to support the rider’s weight up to 105KG. The ICAN 40mm FL pack comes with one wheelset, one skewer. One rim tape and two brake pads. Below is a summary of ICAN 40mm FL wheelset over other road bike wheelsets
i. Superlight; very light, front wheel weighs 626+10g while the rear wheel weighs 772+10g, attributed to the extensive use of carbon fiber instead of metal alloys.
ii. Better handling; attributed to the aerodynamic structure of the rim and the aero Sapim CX-Ray spokes that cause flywheel effect while remaining in impeccable balance (stable at 45mph).
iii. Broader riding spectrum; serves multiple purposes, racing, commutes, and sports. The ICAN 40mm FL is excellent for climbing, rolling and flat road surfaces but can still handle the rocky terrain, shows how strong these wheelsets are.
iv. Strength; your standard ICAN 40mm wheelset can support weight up to 105KG.
I would recommend anyone looking to upgrade from stock wheels just looking for new wheelsets to grab the ICAN 40mm FL wheelset for road bikes and enjoy this experience.
Rear wheel (772 +10g total weight): fitted with the ICAN 360G straight pull hub and an oversize flange with 2:1 spoke arrangement offers an excellent, stable, extra responsive structure and can support the weight of a rider up to 105KG.
