What does the ‘R’ in R26 stand for? Try Real World: the R26 is a Wheelset that performs equally well outside the wind-tunnel as in, with a reactive ride that will transform the feel of your bike, and aerodynamics that work well in all conditions. Thanks to a CNC hub, Pillar Wing Spokes and a mid depth aerodynamic rim, the R26 stands up to the brutality of all conditions riding, while increasing the feel and performance of your bike.
It Starts In the Middle
The responsive feel of this Kinesis Wheelset begins at the hub. The R26 features our lightweight CNC hub that maximises stiffness and torque transfer, with angled flanges that follow the path of the spoke, ensuring stress is kept minimal at this critical junction. Inside, we’ve used Revo Cream bearings for miles and miles of smooth spinning performance.
Wing Power
The R26 Wheelset is built with the Pillar Wing Spoke. Unlike regular flat bladed spokes, the Wing Spoke features an ovalised profile inspired by the nose cone of a missile. This addresses several issues that are present with flat bladed spokes.
Firstly, flat bladed spokes are optimized for a fully laminar airflow coming directly from the front. In the real world, air flow is turbulent and from many directions. The Pillar Wing profile is aerodynamic through different yaw angles.
The second advantage of the Wing spoke lies in the bigger cross section. The thin nature of flat bladed spokes means that sideways deflection is high. Furthermore, they fail to adequately deal with braking forces generated from the hub, such is the case with disc brake bikes. Thanks to the Pillar Wing Spoke the R26 road bike wheelset is stiff when sprinting and cornering, and extremely responsive under braking and acceleration.
The Rim is All Round
Those that have been unfortunate enough to ride a deep section aluminium rim know all too well that they are heavy, stiff, and jarring. Any aerodynamic advantage that such a rim offers is offset by the lack of vibration damping, which ironically fatigues you faster and slows you down.
By contrast, the R26 road wheelset features a tubeless ready rim that is 26mm deep, occupying the sweet spot between aerodynamics, ride quality and weight. The large 19.5mm internal width works great with everything from 23mm to 36mm tyres, but especially well with tyres in the 28 to 32mm range, which are quickly becoming the de facto choice for anyone not riding on the track.
SKU: 9002474