Cannondale Hollowgram R45

£899 Wheels that perform above their pay grade

- Robin Wilmott

THIS WHEELSET PLAYS  understudy to the £2,000 KNOT 45 SL, which sit alongside the deeper KNOT 64 SL wheels at the top of the company's range. But while their price suggests that the R45s are more of a budget than a high-performance wheel, the details suggest that all may not be quite as it seems.

Crucially, both the R45 and KNOT 45 SL share exactly the same tubeless carbon rim, although the R45 rims each have four more spoke holes. Where the KNOT 45 SL has DT Swiss 240 rear hub internals, the R45 has a Formula hub with a traditional 3-pawl design. The R45 has a Hollow Gram front hub with 24 double-butted spokes, with 16 spokes crossed twice on the brake side, and eight radial spokes on the other side. The rear wheel has 28 spokes, crossed twice on each side.

Cannondale claims that a pair of R45s weigh 1,730g, but including 12mm thru axle end caps and rim tape, the front weighed 804g and the rear 964g, totalling 1,768g. The KNOT 45 SL have a claimed weight of 1,540g, with the savings over the R45 due to having eight fewer of their lighter DT Swiss Aerolite spokes, and different hub internals.