3T introduced two new road wheel lines at the Giro d'Italia, including the top-end Mercurio LTD 60 carbon tubulars.(Image credit: 3T)
3T says its new Mercurio LTD 60 rim shape was designed to offer good aerodynamic performance at a wide range of yaw angles.(Image credit: 3T)
The flange-located spoke nut technology was purchased from Cane Creek.(Image credit: 3T)
Spoke heads are inserted into molded-in pockets on the side of the rim - not milled-in slots - so as to not cut any fibers. Spokes are anchored on one side of the rim and them are attached to the opposite hub flange.(Image credit: 3T)
The aluminum front hub sports a sleek profile.(Image credit: 3T)
Aluminum freehub bodies are readily interchangeable between Shimano/SRAM and Campagnolo spline patterns.(Image credit: 3T)
3T says complete Mercurio LTD 60 tubular carbon fiber wheelsets will weigh less than 1,400g.(Image credit: 3T)
A Formula 1-derived brake track coating supposedly yields similar friction coefficients in both wet and dry conditions.(Image credit: 3T)
Handlebar, stem, and seatpost specialists 3T unveiled two new road wheel collection just prior to the start of this year's Giro d'Italia and while that market is undoubtedly highly competitive and arguably already saturated, the Italian company has still managed to instill a number of technical features that set it apart from its peers.
The all-carbon Mercurio LTD 60 features an aero-profile 60mm-deep, 23mm-wide tubular rim whose shape is said to be, "optimized for stability in the random airflow of real-world conditions." What's more interesting, however, is how the straight-pull spokes are anchored in the rim. Rather than use conventional spoke holes, 3T has incorporated T-shaped pockets directly into the sidewalls and reinforced the surrounding carbon structure with radiating fibers that 3T technical director Richard McAinsh acts like the supporting members of a suspension bridge.
"We considered the spokes in tension as an integral part of the composite lay-up," he told Cyclingnews. "Within the laminate we have a unidirectional ‘truss’ structure distributing the spoke tension load into the wall of the rim and connecting each pocket. Imagine a suspension bridge with the road suspended from the tension cables. Now bend that into a ring. That gives a picture of the structural configuration of the rim."
3T integrates these pockets directly into the mold so there is no post-production machining or cutting of fibers required, and the outer rim wall is also left totally solid - save for the valve hole, of course - further increasing rim strength and rigidity and providing more surface area for improved tire adhesion. The slots are also aligned specifically for each particular wheel drilling so as to keep the spokes perfectly straight when tensioned.
From a mechanic's point of view, 3T's unique setup allows the wheels to be trued without having to remove the tires and both the front and rear wheels use a single spoke length.
"There are no holes in the rim apart from the valve hole," said McAinsh. "As a composite engineer I try and avoid drilling holes in composite where ever possible. You place all those fibers so carefully than cut them with a hole - that’s not so clever. The pockets are aligned to the hub machining allowing the spokes to be perfectly straight. That’s a big expense for us going forward as each spoke configuration needs a dedicated rim and hub. The rear rim for example is handed by the tangential pockets on one side and the radial on the other."
Interestingly, McAinsh also says that testing at both the San Diego Low-Speed Wind Tunnel and at the Mercedes Petronas facility in the UK also confirm that the open slots have no negative effect on drag. Surprisingly, those slots also don't serve as overt failure points as 3T says the new wheels have already passed the UCI's impact tests.
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In addition, 3T says a Formula 1-derived brake track coating yields nearly identical friction coefficients in both wet and dry conditions.
3T uses straight-pull spokes on the new Mercurio LTD in an inverted configuration with the threads located in snowflake-like aluminum hub flanges to reduce wheel inertia - and if they look familiar, they should. McAinsh says that 3T purchased the intellectual property behind the inverted nipple design from Cane Creek, who stopped producing road wheels several years ago.
"Having a 'bulletproof' hub design to work with cut that development time from our program," McAinsh admitted. "Our suppliers invested in some pretty sophisticated five-axis machining to get the precision we needed. We produce the hubs ourselves to get the control over the complete program we wanted. We have also set up our own build facility."
McAinsh says current Mercurio LTD 60 rims weigh between 385-395g each and complete wheelsets are, "under 1,400g." 3T also plans to release 40mm and 80mm-deep Mercurio versions soon.
Complementing the new Mercurio tubulars will be the Accelero clincher range, to be offered in 60mm and 40mm-deep variant. The top-end Accelero LTD will use an all-carbon rim with the same spoke slot technology as on the Mercurio; the Team will use a carbon-and-aluminum rim; and the Pro level wheels will use all-alloy rims.
Pricing for both wheel ranges is still to be determined.
