Campagnolo Shamal Ultra C17

The Campagnolo Shamal wheelset has been renowned in the cycling world for 20 years now. The original was introduced as the first true factory wheelset from Campagnolo back in 1996, and featured a specifically tailored combination of rim, spokes, and hub to ensure optimal performance. The wheelset was actually of such a high quality, that it even found its way into the pro peloton at the Tour de France.Now, 20 years on, and the Shamal has once again been completely reworked by the Italian engineers from Campagnolo. The result? A lightweight, competitive, and strong aluminium wheelset with wider rims to accommodate increasingly wider tyres. In a world where carbon wheels become ever more ordinary, Campagnolo has opted to stick with aluminium as its material of choice, and with great results: the clincher version weighs in at just 1495 grams, with the tubeless-ready version being just 10 grams heavier. A very decent weight indeed!

The rims have, as the addition C17 to the name suggests, an inner width of 17 millimeters, making them 2 millimeters wider than the previous generation. All to make sure the Campagnolo Shamal keeps up with the wider-tyres-are-better trend. The new Shamals have been designed to work perfectly with 25 or even 28 millimeter tyres, which are known to improve both comfort and handling. Campagnolo also uses its Differentiated Rim Height technology, which refers to the slimmed down area between the spokes and the raised rim at the spoke holes. This keeps the construction light but strong where the spokes join the rim.The USB bearings in the hub use ceramic balls which offer less resistance and therefore a smoother running wheel. They’re also less susceptible to corrosion and weigh less. The new hubs also feature the the micro-adjustment lock ring as found on the Bora, Campagnolo’s top-end wheelset. The Campagnolo Shamal is radially laced with 16 aero spokes in the front wheel, while the rear uses 21 spokes in Campa’s proprietary Mega G3 pattern. This features twice as many spokes on the drive side as opposed to the non-drive side, ensuring the wheel doesn’t warp under high power, keeping it all nice and true! The nippels for the spokes have been placed using Campagnolo’s MoMag technology: inserting them via the valve hole in the rim, and guiding them to their final place using a strong magnet. This means the rim bed can stay nice and flush, allowing you to run the wheels tubeless without the need for a separate layer of rim tape (Two-Way fit only). The oversized rear hub completes the set-up and makes sure the wheel is as strong as can be.

The Campagnolo Shamal Ultra C17 wheelset is now available at Mantel, and will prove to be a great upgrade for any bike. Light, strong, stiff, and extremely reliable: the Shamal Ultra C17 is the latest evolution of an ongoing 20-year revolution. These wide aluminium wheels are ready for the future, and can go head to head with many of its modern carbon opponents!