Take all the things that make the Lightweight Standard 3 the top rated Multi-Purpose wheel you can ride and subtract weight, through the use of a DT 190 Ceramic rear hub and a lighter rim lay-up, and you get the Obermayer – our overall winner of the Aero/Ultralight category.

In 2004, Lightweight developed “L’Alpe d’Huez” to satiate pro rider requests for a “lightweight at all costs” wheel for uphill time trials. The result was an exceptionally light wheel, but also a wheel that was not particularly safe to ride downhill – a one trick pony. Lightweight learned a lot during the process and they wanted to use the new technology from “L’Alpe d’Huez” project to build a wheel that could be ridden in all conditions. The Obermayer and the Ventoux are the results and they can be ridden anywhere a Standard can be, but they are even lighter. 960 grams and 950 grams a pair respectively.

Like the Standard, the Obermayer uses a 53mm deep section rim to take advantage of aerodynamics while the Ventoux uses a lower 27mm depth for those who are more concerned about side winds or want to really minimize any and all weight. Unlike the Standard, the Obermayer and Ventoux are available in tubular only.

Like the Lightweight Standard, the Obermayer is made special by a few key items: The design, the application, the details and the quality.

The design: The Lightweight rim and spoke design is very well thought out. The Obermayer uses a 53mm deep foam core rim that is not only aerodynamic, but is also incredibly stiff. Using an innovative spoke pattern and bonding process, spokes are directly lined up with the rim’s outer wall and thus become structural reinforcement members of the rim. On their own, the spokes and rims are stiffer than average. However, when they are assembled together in this manner they become exceptionally stiff. Almost unbelievably, the Lightweight Obermayer weighs 975 grams a pair.

The Application: Lightweight spokes are not round or square, they are a true lens-based aero shape. Small details like this help make the wheels more aero without compromising strength. The Obermayer’s spokes weave carbon along with Kevlar to take full advantage of the qualities of both materials. The result is that you maintain the durability of the Kevlar, but you gain even more stiffness while losing weight with the carbon.

The Obermayer rear wheel also receives the internals of the DT 190 Ceramic hub - a very proven design that is hard to question when it comes to reliability, durability and weight.

The Details: From integrated wheel magnets and microchips that house all your wheels identifying information (serial number, tolerances, production conditions…) and weigh only 1 gram (yes, 1 gram. Together.), to the shape of the spokes and using special clearcoats on the braking surfaces to improve modulation, Lightweight covers all the details.

The Quality: While no product is perfect and any handmade product is going to show some variance unit to unit, the consistency of the quality from Lightweight is superior to other comparables.

Common concerns we hear from people thinking about a Lightweight and the answers:

Concern: “Carbon wheels can’t be ridden all the time.”
Answer: Some probably shouldn’t be, but Lightweight most certainly can. DT hub internals are some of the most reliable on the market and the rim and spoke design and application means that Lightweights are ready for rough roads and stacking up miles. They are designed to be your everyday wheel and your event wheel.

Concern: “They can’t be trued.”
Answer: They won’t need to be trued. One of the exceptional qualities of top quality carbon and Kevlar is that they really don’t stretch or twist. There is nothing to go out of true.

Concern: “Aren’t the spokes fragile and how do you replace one?”
Answer: During riding, you will never break a spoke on a Lightweight. The elongation strength of the carbon/Kevlar spokes found in a Lightweight is over 2500 lbs and the Kevlar makes them quite durable in resisting side loads. One of the only criticisms we can even start to make of Lightweight is that you can’t replace spokes. However, the only way to break one is to kick it quite hard or to be in an inordinately bad crash. To date, we have yet to see a broken spoke on a Lightweight – crash or not. Remember when Jan and Lance both went down in the 2003 Tour? That didn’t break a spoke either. If you crash hard enough to break a Lightweight, you likely have far greater concerns than the condition of your equipment.

If a wheel is beyond repair, Lightweight does offer a replacement discount of 30% for registered owners.

Concern: “Isn’t this a lot of money for wheels.”
Answer: Yes, but they are worth it and they are a great investment in the future as they will still be working well a decade from now and will still be at or near the top of what you will be able to get. Also, once you ride them, you won’t think about the price any longer. Lightweight wheels are definitely one of those, “you don’t know what you are missing” products.

Which spoke count is for me?

The rear wheel is always a 20 spoke. The front wheel is available in two spoke counts – 16 and 20. 16 spoke wheels are the lightest and the most aero and make a good choice for time trialists, triathletes or those who are not as concerned about maximizing stiffness at all costs. While not being as stiff as the other counts, they are still much stiffer than a standard wheel and only the most powerful riders would want for more in this regard. 16 spoke front wheels are the one most pro riders use for their balance of weight, stiffness, handling and overall durability. 16 spoke wheels have a maximum recommended rider weight of 198 lbs. 20 spoke wheels are best for sprint specialists, really big folks or those doing cyclocross where stiffness at all costs is the goal. 242 lbs is the maximum recommended weight on the 20 spoke version.

Who is it for? Unless you won’t ride a tubular, the Obermayer is for just about anyone. The Obermayer reads like every rider’s wish list and it rides like it too. Whether you are looking for a versatile race wheel or an exceptional wheel to ride all the time, the Obermayer is a no compromises wheel that is very near or at the top of the list in regards to every important variable.