By Ed Cangialosi, interviewed here

@##=#<1,L>@##=# Topolino is located in the peace and quiet of western Connecticut in beautiful riding country and just down the road from the site for the popular Bethel racing series which starts in the spring and moves right through the season. The fantastic roads with their challengingsk mix of climbs, descents and turns, as well as the Bethel circuit so close by provide the perfect proving grounds for Topolino wheels. Topolino founder Rafe Schlanger is a down to earth guy who loves things with wheels. Our discussions usually include comparing notes about scaring ourselves driving at Lime Rock Park. Rafe has been in the cycling business for a few years having worked at every one of the Connecticut bike companies possible. After a stint at Cannondale Rafe went to work for Spinergy and was behind the original Rev-X wheels. The Rev-X was revolutionary. It was a product that launched a company and gained a dedicated following. The Topolino wheels should gain an even bigger and more dedicated following since they too are revolutionary, but leagues ahead of the Rev-X.
Up to now if you wanted the lightest wheels the best style has been the low profile wheel with a low spoke count like the Campy Hyperon or American Classic Magnesium wheels. These wheels are a bit delicate however and so best suited for riders under 200lbs. These low profile wheels are the easiest to accelerate because they have the least mass out at the edge for the rider to move around. Think of swinging a baseball bat. It is much easier to whip a whiffle ball bat through the air that weighs only a few ounces compared to a full sized baseball bat weighing in the 30 ounce range.

The game is changing however and a look at the Topolino wheels will show you how. Topolino Clincher WheelsI recently had the opportunity to visit the Topolino factory inorder to take delivery of two sets of wheels. The Topolinos use a low profile aero shape rim making them easy to accelerate and an overall weight of 1350 grams for the pair making them as light at the Hyperons so they will be easy to climb with, but they sell for about a third of the price of Hyperons!
What low profile wheels have given up in the past is a better aerodynamic profile and lateral stiffness due to a longer (more flexible) spoke. Again the Topolinos have changed the rules by using an entirely new construction technique and taking advantage of the possibilities that carbon and kevlar offer. The Topolinos use a proprietary kevlar carbon sandwich spoke formed in an ovalized section for aerdynamic efficiencey. Put on the mini medieval rack at the factory these spiokes are shown to have greater strength than 14 gauge steel spokes. Although these spokes appear to be the same length as traditional spokes athey are actually twice as long so they can reach from one side of the rim around the hub to the other side of the rim. Spokes that are acceptabley clean and smooth are molded into each of the carbon hub halfs, reinforced at the traditional crossing point with more carbon and receive their carbon ends allowing the traditional threaded spoke ends to be attached.

From this point the hubs are constructed adding the cartridge bearing axle assemblies and appropriate hub body for Campagnolo or Shimano so the hand building process can be begun. Each spoke is threaded into the custom drilled rim and brought up to tension by hand using Park’s most advanced truing equipment. Each wheel is serial numbered and signed off by topolinos master builder. The blending of the most advanced materials with the human touch and feel that is the hallmark of craftmanship in the bicycle industry is truly appealing and so the fact that all the parts are manufactured here in the US.

My favorite wheels have been the Campy Eurus wheels. They are a mid section wheel that takes elements from both the low profile and aero camp. The mid section wheel carries speed almost as well as the deep section wheel and the low spoke count helps keep weight in check. Being a bit stronger due to the shorter spoke and deeper section rim mid section wheels are suitable for the bigger rider, but won’t beat up the lighter rider either especially when a paired spoke design such as the G3 pattern on the rear Eurus is employed. This design helps to reduce the stress on each individual spoke to promote long wheel life and a shock absorbency somewhere between the low profile and deep section wheels. The down side for the mid section style wheel is perhaps that at 1500+ grams they are neither as light as low profile wheels and not as easy to accelerate, but neither are they as aero efficient as deep section wheels in a time trial.
So the Topolinos are light and thanks to their spoke and rim profile they are aerodynamically efficient, but what about lateral stiffness? The answer lies in the ability of the carbon and kevlar spokes to be very strong and stiff when held in tension. Just like a finely constructed carbon frame or handlebar the spokes composition allows them to absorb shock and provide a road feel like a nice set of hand built traditional wheels, but provide the stiffness to respond efficiently when being leaned on in a turn or a sprint.
The topolinos represent a new approach to wheel building and construction. In addition to all the technology and care of construction Topolino had to develop a way to test their wheels. A separate room is devoted to their in-house designed torutre tester. A wheel is mounted as on a frame and rolled as on a dynomometer against a drum. The wheel can be loaded laterally at the rim and the hub to measure deflection and lateral stiffness. A cleat can be attached to the drumn to simulate hitting a pot hole to determine at what point rim failure occurs.

What you see in big races on the top riders’ bikes are the lightest most aero wheels they can find which are comparatively delicate and cost a fortune, but provide the best combination for total performance. For the normal rider and even the elite rider in typical rides and even local races a compromise wheel like the mid section was probably the best bet, but not anymore. Topolino has broken through to create a new archetype. It is a design we will be seeing more of in the future.