Reviewed: Black Inc Black Fifty C wheels
In some ways, Black Inc is a fairly new company. You may have seen its wheels appearing in MEC stores this past spring.
Black Inc Black Fifty C
In some ways, Black Inc is a fairly new company. You may have seen its wheels appearing in MEC stores this past spring. In 2014, John Ebsen of Atlas/ Black Inc won the Taiwan KOM Challenge on a pair of Black Thirty tubulars. But the people behind the wheels have been involved with bicycles for at least 20 years. The company is based in Taichung, Taiwan. It owns three carbon-fibre factories and two aluminum CNC factories. Black Inc’s global brand manager Matthew Lai, who comes from Montreal, said the company has built frames, components and wheels for many major brands. (He’s not allowed to disclose those names.) In 2012, Black Inc started making its own brand of wheels.
Another Canadian behind these wheels is David Anthony. He’s worked at Cervélo on frames and at FSA on wheels and is the man behind Toronto’s Octto components. For Black Inc, he designed all the rim profiles. They follow the trend in aero wheels of getting wide. “It’s not just about how wide it is,” Lai clarified. “Anyone can make a wide rim. It’s about the profile. After benchmarking our rims against Zipp and some of the other leading rim designers, I can say we are toe-to-toe with them in terms of performance, thickness and weight.” The shape of each rim is specific to its depth. The Black Inc Fifty C wheels that I tested spent a year in development before their mould was made. I found the Fifty C wheels, which have a depth of 45 mm, very well behaved in a variety of conditions. I looked for side-to-side pull in different wind conditions, but couldn’t find it.
The hoops not only work well in real-world winds, they are also designed to work on real roads. The tire bed keeps the tire out from the rim, to provide more rubber on the road and to protect the rims from damage and the tubes from pinch flats. “Don’t avoid, just ride” is the advice Lai gave the pros who ride his wheels. While I conceded to Lai that his home roads in Montreal would have provided a greater bashing on the wheels, I did stick up for the potholes I facein Toronto. One of the longest climbs in my neighbourhood is on a pothole-riddled street that will probably stay that way for years because of seemly endless construction. Lai asked me if I rode down it on the wheels. I hadn’t. “You should try descending and hitting some holes,” he said. Eventually, I did. The Fifty C wheels, which I combined with Vittoria Open Pavé 25c tires, were fine. Under less gruelling conditions, the hoops offer a great road feel. They and the DT Swiss 240s hubs are smooth and great for long rides.
Black Inc argues that the 45-mm rim depth is in a sweet spot for aerodynamics, versatility, weight and stiffness. After riding the Fifty C wheels, it’s hard to argue with that. They climb over rollers with ease, they corner great and slice the wind effortlessly.
BLACK INC BLACK FIFTY C
Rim depth: 45 mm
Materials: Carbon fibre
Weight per set: 1,450 g
Hubs: DT Swiss 240s
Price: $2,100
Website: mec.ca
