Fast Forward F9R Carbon Tubular Wheelset

Review from road.cc

These Fast Forward f9r wheels are a very deep, superfast, efficient offering designed to challenge the mantle of the zipp 808 as the standard bearer for deep aero wheelsets.

The Dutch manufacturer has recently signed a deal with Quickstep to supply wheels for the coming season with the pro tour team likely to use a combination of f9r and f6r models for stage racing and time trials. It will be interesting to see how they perform in the hands of top class riders against the best in the world.

With a retail price of 1500euros (which, with today's exchange rates comes in at around £1300) this 240s model undercuts the Zipp 808 wheel set by some £300 and is at the top end of the three versions of the f9r wheel set, however it is priced to come up against some very strong competition in the name of the Hed Jet V90 and the shallower the Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLR and Shimano Dura Ace 7850 to name but a few.

Technically, FFWD have put a lot into their new range of wheels and the f9r is no exception. The test pair that we at road.cc have had are the 240s model. The 240s are the DT Swiss hubs that provide the high quality foundation for the wheel set. The 240s provide the standard for lightweight, reliable, high quality hubs. They retail for around £130 (front) and £240 (rear) and when laced to the super stiff DARC 90mm carbon fibre rim with DT aerolite spokes you can see where the price comes from.

With 20 spokes at the front and 20 at the rear FFWD has sacrificed a little bit in the way of lightweight showiness in order to provide a stiffer, more compliant, more responsive wheel. The rear wheel uses 24 spokes instead of the 20 favoured by other brands and by ffwd on the front wheel. This slight increase in spoke count provides more of a dissipation of the power created by a rider when riding in an 'aggressive' way, such as time trialling. This power transfer obviously doesn't go through the front wheel therefore the spoke count can be optimum for aerodynamic gains.

The DARC profile, says ffwd, employs a negative arc section which will compress the air, thus increasing the pressure, similar to the way the air pressure works on the topside of an aerofoil. With so many companies vying for your cash it is difficult to navigate your way through the minefield that is technological advances and their claimed performance improvements. If everything that is on my bike had the claim benefit then I would have shaved 20% off my 10mile TT time (that hasn't happened!) so I take each with a pinch of salt until it proves to me, without fail, that it makes the ride faster. The carbon rim is made from a few types of carbon, only the top layer is the 'pretty' 3k weave that is a common sight on top end bikes and wheels. Beneath this skin are layers of UDF (uni directional carbon fibre) in sheet form that when overlapped and mixed up a little creates an extremely strong material. The negative section on the DARC rim is visible and does make sense but how much it would impact on the 'normal' TT'er or triathlete was the question posed.

Now, with the lovely winter weather we have been having you will forgive me for not taking my pride and joy Orbea TT bike out with these stunning looking rims on ice and snow...it just wouldn't have been worth it. However, with a few dry and clear days behind us I have managed to rack up some miles in the tuck position with promising results. During the summer I take part in the occasional sanctioned time trial near Clevedon, north Somerset and my 10mile target time of 23minutes on that course is normally a challenge. I went down there after a 150km-ish training ride at the weekend and clocked an unofficial 22:27 which I was extremely pleased with. Not much in the way of wind so no real handling issues to contend with but all in all a very nice ride. Compared to my usual Mavic Cosmic Carbone aero wheels the ffwd f9r's were surprisingly quiet and very smooth. The braking response when used with the supplied cork brake pads was very impressive, no sign of the 'jumping' tendencies of my old set of zipp 440's. When at speeds of over 40kph on the flat these wheels push the bike on, no sign of being a sluggish wheel set, make no mistake, when the speed increases these wheels feel more and more at home. They aren't designed to go up hills necessarily but out of the saddle, on the aero wings, sprinting up rises they really pull well.

An attractive wheelset at a tempting price, not many online retailers stock them so you could visit the paligap website to find your lbs stockist and see what they can do. Zipp rims seem to be the weapon of choice for many but if your bank account cant stretch that far then these really do prove an able substitute.

As with many expensive cycling purchases, they bling factor can't do any harm. These rims, with their carbon weave on show and ffwd decals under the lacquer coat cer

In conclusion...

When paired with a top notch tubular you have a winning combination. Yes, they are fantastic to ride on, lightweight, fast, smooth, comfortable and undeniably good looking. These sure are a crowd puller, just got to make sure the speed of the rider matches the look of the bike. I am in the market for some 80-90mm deep rims and I will be seriously considering these to replace my Mavics.

Rating: 9/10