There is nothing “standard” about the Lightweight Standard. Once you own a pair of Lightweight Standard 3 wheels, you may never ride any other wheels again. Yes, they are that good. When you take into account that they are now available in a clincher version that weighs within grams of the tubular version, the Standard 3 is more than just an impressive wheel – it is as close to perfect for just about every rider as you can get.

A little history. Lightweight was the brain child of two German aerospace engineers (who actually worked for different companies) – Heinz Obermayer and Rudolf Dierl. Like many engineers, Heinz and Rudolf used to work on projects at home and after designing items like a composite accessories for Mercedes Benzs and composite wheels for horse sulky racing they decided to try bicycle wheels. Their first wheels were actually disc wheels, but a new completely composite spoked wheel idea soon followed and this is where they focused their attention.

Lightweight officially produced the first generation of full carbon spoked wheels in 1995. Within just a couple years, their wheels were ridden to National and World Championship victories as well as being used by Jan Ulrich to win the 1997 Tour de France. Needless to say, interest grew rapidly and over the years pros from Mario Cippolini to Lance Armstrong have all used Lightweight wheels to take them to victory. A further testament to Lightweight is that pros don’t use their wheels under sponsorship arrangements, they actually bought them! Again, they are that good.

Today, Lightweight is building their third generation of full composite spoked wheels (thus the “3”) and the design has more than stood the test of time. Lightweight wheels remain as cutting edge today as they were when they first came out.

So, what makes a Lightweight Standard so special? The design, the application, the details and the quality.

The design: The Lightweight rim and spoke design is very well thought out. The Standard uses a deep 48-53mm deep (tubular version is slightly deeper) 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 while keeping them very light. The Lightweight Standard 3 tubular weighs 1100 a pair in tubular and the Lightweight Standard 3 Clincher weights 1135 grams a pair, a scant 35 grams more than the tubular version!

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. Generation 3 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 Standard 3 rear wheel also receives the internals of the DT 240s hub - a very proven design that is hard to question when it comes to reliability and durability. Lightweight uses the internals of the DT 240s inside their carbon wrapped hub body to not only keep things light and functional with their rim and spoke design, but to make sure you get a mechanically exceptional hub too.

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 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 normal 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 – and we have seen a few that were in pretty bad crashes. Remember when Jan and Lance both went down in the 2003 Tour? That didn’t break a spoke. 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 Standard 3 rear wheel is always a 20 spoke. The front wheels are 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? Just about anyone. The Lightweight Standard 3 reads like every rider’s dream come true 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 Standard 3 is a no compromises wheel that is very near or at the top of the list in regards to every important variable.