We just can't get away from the feeling that in a variety of technical equipment categories––wheels included––there are authentic producers, and there are (no better way to put it) fakers. Me-too companies. Companies that participate for defensive reasons. Companies that just don't want to be shut out of a category. In some cases, a company can be extremely authentic in one category, but a faker in another. Maybe we're just being freaky, but, speaking for the editorial staff of Slowtwitch, this is just how it is with us.
Should Corima decide to make, say, aluminum bikes, or derailleurs, or wetsuits, we'd probably cry "Fake!" But not with carbons wheels and bike frames. There are undeniably legitimate carbon wheel companies––firms who've paid their dues and whose products and service have stood the test of time––companies like Hed and Zipp. You can certainly add Corima to this list.
4 SPOKE UL
This is the wheel Corima is known for. It sells for $600 to $800 apiece, depending on who sells it to you and which model you buy. Rears sell for more than fronts, and clinchers are more expensive than sew-ups.
One thing about its clinchers: This is one of the very, very few companies whose braking surface is made of carbon. That's very tough to do! It lightens the wheel considerably, yet you can use clincher tires and in so doing save a bagload of money.
These wheels are a slight bit lighter than Hed3s, perhaps 75g to 100g per wheel. This is certainly due to the carbon braking surface vs Hed's aluminum surface. As to the relative value of each as a braking surface, while people will have their own parochial views, each works fine. You will pay for these, though. While Hed3s will cost $800 or so per pair, Corima 4 spokes will cost $1300 to $1500 per pair.
The hubset on these wheels can accept a cassette body that will work for both Campy and Shimano, which is to say, like Hed, you can swap out the cassette body down the line if you want (but you've got to buy the body that will work for the other platform).
Jurgen Zack has been racing on this model Corima wheel for several years.
X-1
Corima is full into the aero rim market, and has done so with an exceptionally light one. The X-1 is a brand new version of its 41mm-deep rim––again carbon all the way––built into low spoke count wheels.
As is the case with such wheels built by Mavic, Lew, and others, you've got to decide whether it is or isn't a big deal that the profile of the rim is not the same as the patented profiles used by both Hed and Zipp.
This wheel is wickedly light. A 650c tubular front wheel is 470 grams. It's right there with a Hed Stinger, just a tad lighter than a Zipp 404. It's just a bit heavier––like about an ounce––than a Lew Sydney. But then you could buy four and a half Corima X-1s for one Lew Sydney.
Aero UL
This is the deep rim Corima's had for awhile. I suppose it thought it needed to put out an exceptionally light wheel to keep up with the Joneses, and the X-1 was born. But this wheel is very light, and a pair will cost around a grand. These are 80g heavier per wheel than the X-1s, and one will just have to decide whether having the bike carry six extra ounces offsets the $200 you'll save over the X-1.
DISC UL
We're glad to see that Corima isn't abandoning the disc market. This all-carbon disc is similar in many ways to the Zipp disc. Both are flat, and they weigh almost precisely the same. But, this disc comes in clincher or tubular, whereas Zipp's disc is tubular only. If you want absolutely the lightest clincher disc money can buy, this one is way ahead of second place.
We've got one problem with Corima. We LOVE the lightweight clincher options. But, there is a max pressure designation on the clinchers of 115psi. Why? Probably because of braking. If you brake on these wheels a lot, the carbon will heat up, raising the pressure in the tires, and causing a possible failure in the rim, or causing the tire to blow off the rim.
While we can't in all good conscience override Corima's admonition about max tire pressure, in all likelihood we speculate––and speculate only––that you're probably not in grave danger putting 120psi to 125psi in these wheels, maybe even 130psi with an exceptionally high-pressure tire (more than that and we start worrying about the fitness of the tire at higher pressures, not just the rim). But, putting these higher pressures in the tires––should you decide to ignore Corima's warning––assume normal racing conditions. What of a hot day and a hilly course? You might have to back off the pressure a little, and be happy with 115psi. If you want to run pressures higher than 115psi in a Corima clincher rim, perhaps it's a good idea to talk to Corima about it before making the purchase.
Otherwise, Corima makes great wheels, and we would unhesitangly use them in both wheel sizes, in both component platforms, and in both clincher and sew-up.
