The new Vision Metron RS carbon wheels have been hiding in plain sight since Paris-Nice

Vision has launched a brand new addition to the Metron wheel line today in the form of the new Metron RS (racing series) wheelset.

Until now, the brand’s top-line wheelset has been the Metron SL, a familiar sight at the sharp end of many WorldTour races. It seems the time is now right for Vision to roll out another top-end option. 

The wheels have actually been hiding in plain sight in the peloton already, they have been used at races like Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo and Paris-Nice. We are usually all over new equipment but missed these new wheels hiding in plain sight, with Lenny Martinez taking stage five of Paris-Nice on them.  

What’s the top line then? Well, the new wheels will be available in both 45 and 60-mm rim depth options, and use carbon fibre spokes and a new hub and drive ring design. They are lighter and stiffer than the SL wheels and there are some interesting new design points that we will go over down below. 

I recently got to spend an hour on the new wheels at a press event, and the increased stiffness was noticeable immediately. Vision told me a lot of pro riders had been wanting to use the wheels and use them for every race, like the rough and tumble of Strade Bianche for instance. 

Weights are competitive, to say the least; the 45mm deep wheelset comes in at a claimed 1290g per pair whilst the 60mm option weighs 1390 grams. A design choice that’s becoming a lot more common now as more of the best road bike wheels are being manufactured with carbon fibre spokes. 

One of the most obvious design changes when it comes to the new wheels are the new carbon fibre-bladed spokes. This arrangement provides around a claimed 108 gram saving compared to a steel spoked wheel. 

The spokes use a T-shaped head compared to a traditional J-bend spoke and are said to provide an advantage in tensile strength compared to a more traditional steel option. 

Vision has also rolled out a new V-1000 hub for the wheels, which features a new 72-tooth ratchet drive ring design. Visually it’s along the same line as several other drive ring freehub systems, but Vision told me the design is completely its own, and it didn’t have to work around any existing patents to execute it. 

The freehub body has also been machined in places to save extra grams, and the hubs use ceramic bearings. Importantly for the mechanics and shops, each hub shell has a scannable QR code, which instantly brings up an exploded assembly and parts diagram, which means finding the right bearings and replaceable parts should be simple. 

There are a few design features that are also worth mentioning, first is another 22-gram weight saving thanks to the wheel graphics being done in-mould, meaning no stickers are needed.

Secondly, the spoke holes are no longer drilled post-construction which can weaken the rim’s carbon fibres, and are now also formed in-mould.  The rim width is now also 23mm wide internally, with a hooked bead, compared to the Metron SL’s 21mm internal width. The rim bed has also been updated to generally improve the tubeless tyre experience with the rims.  

Aero testing 

Vision has tested these wheels in a wind tunnel, specifically at the San Diego low-speed wind tunnel. Quite a lot of material is attached in the brand’s press release, but I’ll include the key bits here for you. 

The Metron RS wheel showed a slight decrease in drag of -0.9W for the 60mm wheel (6% faster) and -1.6W for the 45mm option (9% faster) when compared to the Metron SL steel spoked wheel.  

It seems to be a measured message from Vision. There are no big wattage-saving headlines. The brand states that the RS wheels present a reduction in drag compared to the SL models on their own and that riders can also expect the same stability and handling as the SL models. Factor in a total rider and bike system, plus various tyres and pressures and it’s fair to say the wheels are at the very least slightly faster in comparison. 

The other key feature is the increased lateral stiffness from the carbon fibre spokes, which should increase power transfer, but also affect the feel for the rider. 

We tested a Vision Metron SL wheel in our last CN Labs aero wheels wind tunnel test where they were among some of the very best on test.