Corima 47 Aero+ Carbon Clincher Wheel Review

The earlier review of the Corima 32 Viva “S” tubular wheelset by Jim Weaver provided a nice overview of Corima as a company and some of the qualities and characteristics that apply to the Corima wheel line.

The Corima 47 Aero+ Carbon Clincher has a 47mm deep, 22.6 mm wide rim made from pre-impregnated (“prepreg”) carbon fiber. The front wheel has 18 Sapim CX Ray spokes and the rear is built with 20 spokes. The 12 drive side spokes are 3-crossed, while the 8 non-drive spokes are radially laced. This pattern provides excellent power transmission and lateral rigidity while minimizing weight. The 3k carbon hubs are easy to service exhibit very low friction, and are beautifully made.

I have been riding the Corima 47 Aero+ since early spring and my first impression was how smooth they are. Granted, the wheels are shod with Continental GP 4000S 25c tires… Nevertheless, it was immediately apparent how “quiet” the wheels themselves ride. Not only do they make little noise when rolling over rough surfaces, they simply make bad road surfaces that you would feel on most other wheels disappear.

When it comes to side winds, this spring gave me plenty of chances to test things as it was pretty windy in Vermont.  While I could tell I was on a deep section wheel, they handled gusty crosswinds very well – remaining consistent and predictable.

On my first training ride with the Burris Logistics-Fit Werx cycling team it was revealed how fast these wheels are. I was able to simply roll away from my teammates, of similar size, on the descents.

While not superlight at 1560 grams, the weight is very competitive with other carbon clinchers of similar depth and price.  The wheels climb very well and feel stiffer laterally and more responsive under load than several other carbon wheels I have ridden.  A recent uphill time trial revealed no time penalty due to weight as I was faster on the Corima’s than on a previous try on wheels weighing less.

After an initial truing at 500 miles, the Corima’s have stayed true despite several crits and road races on lousy roads and over 2500 training miles on Vermont roads.  The rear hub is a breeze to service. A couple of 5mm allen wrenches and 10-15 minutes was all it took to disassemble, clean, reassemble and adjust.

I initially used SwissStop yellow pads as the Corima pads that came with the wheels were not fitting into my Campagnolo brake pad holders easily.  At the urging of Corima, I replaced the yellow SwissStops with the red cork pads that are supplied with each wheelset.  It took some effort, but I was able to make them fit and what a difference they made! Any pulsating and squealing was immediately eliminated. The braking is now very consistent and predictable, even in wet conditions.

I was initially interested in testing these wheels as a carbon clincher “event” wheel, used only in races or other special occasions.  The more I rode them, the ride quality combined with the durability has qualified them as being more than capable as an everyday wheel and they have remained on my bike ever since.  The bottom line on the Corima 47 Aero+?   I’d certainly buy them again.