Shimano WH-R561
These 105 wheels are light and good value, which, coupled with Shimano’s legendary reliability, makes them an ideal winter wheel. The 24mm rims offer a smooth, pliable ride for coping with potholes, and also makes them less prone to gusting than deeper hoops.
Placing the nipples of the straight-pull spokes (16 front/24 rear) at the hub, not the rim, means these already light wheels spin up to speed really easily.
Where these wheels really score, though, is with their internal bearings, which are as smoothly polished as the externals. Under the excellent labyrinth seals they use old-school serviceable cup-and-cone bearings, so with a bit of care they’ll be rolling sweetly for years.
If we had to niggle, the off-centre rim and straight-pull spokes might be awkward to replace in a hurry, and the stickers fall off fast, but overall the performance and longevity for price makes these a clear favourite.
Contact : Madison www.ultimatepursuits.co.uk
Matt Baird
Editor of Cycling Plus magazine 
