Campagnolo Bora Ultra 50 Clincher Wheelset

CAMPAGNOLO BORA ULTRA 50 CLINCHER WHEELSET

The Ultra designation in the Campagnolo Bora Ultra 50 Clincher Wheelset is there to tell you that Campy has shaved every gram of weight and drag they could possibly remove from this wheelset. Though this shares a rim and spokes with the ONE 50, it departs at the hub.

These differences might look only cosmetic, as you get to see a cool carbon weave on the hub body, but the improvements are entirely performance-oriented. The carbon hub body helps shave weight from the wheelset, and, as the carbon hubs are moving so long as the bike is moving, the dynamic weight savings is important. The second change at the hubs is the upgrade to Campagnolo’s ceramic CULT bearings. These roll smoother and faster than standard steel bearings. This difference should be magnified thanks to the fact that Campagnolo relies on cup-and-cone bearing races, which can be faster than more popular pressed-in cartridge bearings.

Back to the rim. It is 50mm deep, with a 24.2mm external width, and 17.2mm internal width. The depth is for all-around racing, and is the one that pro racers prefer regardless of whether the terrain is flat or hilly. The width is for wider tires. They’re assuming you’ll want to run 23 or 25mm wide tires for both the comfort and rolling resistance, though going wider works better as well. While the internal channel is designed for tubes, the rim bed itself is not pierced for spokes at all. This means you won’t need a rim strip, which minimizes weight. the shape is a modified airfoil, which slices through the wind. The rim is also designed to come out of the box balanced for the valve stem of your tube. This makes the wheel accelerate smoother and some believe reduces the wattage needed to power the wheels at a given speed.

The braking surface possesses Campy’s AC3 treatment, All Conditions Carbon Control, a texturing of the surface that improves stopping power in the wet and dry. Campy also includes brake pads for the Campagnolo/SRAM/Shimano brake shoe standard to ensure braking quality is high and consistent.

Spokes are steel and bladed. The front has 18 radial spokes, while the rear utilizes 21 spokes in Campy’s G3 pattern. This is a two-to-one ratio, where there are two drive-side spokes set on either side of a single left-side spoke. This design is to create a more even load between spokes and strengthen the wheel overall.

Campy also includes their redesigned quick releases. To keep these as light and powerful as possible, they’ve combined a steel rod with a skeletal lever body and durable eccentric cam.

When purchasing the wheel, you need to specify whether you need a Campagnolo 9/10/11-speed cassette body or a SRAM/Shimano-compatible 9/10/11-speed cassette body. You also need to specify Bright Label or Dark Label for the logos.

In addition to brake pads and quick releases, the wheels come with valve extenders and a user manual.

Weight for the Campagnolo Bora Ultra 50 Clincher wheelset is 1435g.