Irwin is a young brand on the retail cycling and triathlon scene globally, with a foundation and tradition kept largely out of the spotlight until recently. Irwin has been designing, testing and manufacturing wheels and components for decades for many household names and recently decided to branch out using the best of its significant research and technology to bring to the consumer our own brand.
Irwin is family owned and operated. They are not a large corporation and so they take their work – and reputation, very personally and are very proud of that. They are dedicated, very clever and immensely experienced in combining all the details and features that the discerning athlete wants in their equipment.
What makes Irwin’s wheels different? It’s not often that any manufacturer can say that their wheels passed the UCI approvals test on the first pass. This a destruction-based test in which the quality and design of the wheel is put under enormous stress. To be successful on the first try without any changes to the design and build, is an immense achievement and testament to the elite quality of these wheels.
But what about technology in the build? Irwin believe the clincher section of the carbon rim is the most important part of the rim as it performs the most functions. It had to withstand outward expanding force from the air pressure, inward pressure from the brakes and manage heat from braking – all at once!
To perform all said functions, the rims are molded as a single piece without any post-production machining to the bead hooks, which best retains the structural integrity of the carbon fibres. Irwin utilise elastic band molds that has an 8% thermal expansion coefficient greater than regular clincher metal molds. This allows us to have a denser and robust clincher section to withstand outward expansion from tyre pressure and inward pressure from brakes. The elastic mold also displaces pockets of air trapped in the brake track during the production process, which would otherwise increase the chance of warping the rim during intense braking.
The 38s, 58s and 85’s have an external width of 26mm which is an upgrade from the original 38s and 58s (which were originally both 21mm wide at the brake track). This modification happened right at about the time when cyclists began embracing wider rims to seat the wider 25C tyres. The wider profile also added another benefit: the blunt more aerodynamically efficient profile that people see nowadays.
Ceramic fibres are also incorporated into the brake track. The ceramic fibre composite excels at insulating heat. That’s why we placed it on the brake track to prevent excessive heat from reaching the inner tubes.
The testing protocol is impressive too. There is a short clip on how it’s done on our youtube site.
The greatest test of quality as always, is feedback from our athletes. They can see and feel the effort and expertise that comes from perfecting the design and manufacturing process. They lovely part is, as Irwin are still family owned we don’t set excessive retail prices which makes top-end wheels more accessible. As we say, ‘we hope you enjoy riding them as much as we did perfecting them’.
Words by Richard Richest, Director at Irwin Cycling Oceania.
