When Newmen unveiled the Streem Vonoa range, the data sheet had enough to raise an eyebrow: 1305g the pair, differentiated profiles 49mm at the front and 54mm at the back, VOCOA Aerowide carbon rays, an integrated removable valve, all for 1690€. In a segment where carbon rays are generally reserved for wheels exceeding 2500€This position deserved serious verification, far from press releases.
CADEX has just unveiled its CADEX Max 50 WheelSystem wheels and the Aero tire that accompanies them, and the announcement deserves that we are attarded there, not for the superlatives of the press release, but for what the approach reveals of the Taiwanese brand's strategy for 2026.The idea of background is simple: instead of selling a wheel and a tire separately, CADEX designs both as a single aerodynamic object.
Princeton CarbonWorks has just announced in February 2026 the Princeton Wake 6560 Evolution II, sixth generation of its flagship wheel, and the brand comes out heavy artillery: it is according to it the fastest approved UCI wheel ever tested in their windmill. New lighter rim (420g vs. 470g on Evolution I), development process redesigned from tire, reinforced hook when everyone goes to hookless. Princeton once again did the opposite of the crowd, and not without arguments.
Every year, I review the wheels of professional cycling teams. In 2026, the market is more fragmented than ever: no less than 16 different brands equip the teams of my scope (18 WorldTour + ProTeams men's French). A strong sign that the hegemony of the mastodones is challenged by more specialized actors. This is the complete state of play of the wheels used in 2026 in the men's professional platoon.
The Corima Essentia 42, unveiled at the beginning of 2026, marks a clear strategic turn for the Drômois manufacturer. At 1190 € the pair for 1,510 g of carbon made in Loriol-sur-Drôme, Corima does not just throw a endurance wheel — the brand claims that one can produce in France, with hub owners, without blowing up the budget. A positioning that deserves to be husked against the Mavic Cosmic SL 45, Zipp 303 S and Fulcrum Wind 42.
The high-end road bike wheel market is undergoing unprecedented transformation. For decades, a handful of western brands dominated the premium carbon segment, with prices up to 3000€ for a pair of wheels. This situation was accepted as the norm: innovation, quality and performance had a price.
Forget what you thought you knew about Miche. With the new Miche Deva RD, the San Vendemiano brand is no longer content to follow the peloton, it attacks violently in the lead. Finish compromises: Miche deploys an impressive technological arsenal here — Carbon rays, differentiated widths and ceramic bearings — to come hunting directly on the lands of the most pointed American references.
This is the kind of collaboration that makes any amateur of beautiful material shudder. On one side, Reserve, the division wheels of Santa Cruz (and technical partner of the Visma | Lease a Bike), known for its carbon control and profiles « Aero Turbulent ». On the other hand, Tune, the German goldsmith of the Black Forest, obsessed with the superfluous gram since the 1990s.
We all know the song. A big brand releases a new pair of wheels at 2800€ and promise you « 12 watts save at 45 km/h » or « 10 minutes won on the Tour Stage ». You look at your current wheels with disdain, you take out the blue card, and the following Sunday... surprise: you don't fly, you just have the lighter wallet.
The world of professional cycling equipment is often made up of traditions and locked contracts. Yet this early 2026 marked a tectonic break in the WorldTour peloton. After years of trusting Shimano's Japanese reliability or Princeton's American exoticism.
