Cadex adds new wheelset, two handlebars and road tyre to components range

Cadex has expanded its range of components through the addition of the new lightweight Max 40 wheelset, which the brand says is its “lightest high-performance WheelSystem” ever. While the wheelsets’ 1249g weight is the headline feature, it has also been aero optimised for all-round performance and, according to Cadex, delivers “best-in-class stiffness-to-weight ratio”.

In a revamp to its line-up, Cadex has also unveiled two new handlebars in the form of the Race Integrated and Aero Integrated. While both offer fully integrated, one-piece set-ups, they differ in purpose with the Aero, as the name suggests, built for speed, while the Race is designed for “long, hilly days”.

Completing the new-look road range, the Race GC tyre is the final addition to Cadex’s ever-growing component offering, adding to its Race selection of tyres.

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Cadex Max 40 WheelSystem: Lightweight, stiff and aerodynamic

Back in 2019, Giant revealed that it would be resurrecting the Cadex name, albeit in a much different guise. It’d previously been used as the name for a range of Giant bikes back in the 1980s, which were some of the first carbon bikes to be mass produced. That purpose changed in 2019 as Cadex became Giant’s in-house components brands.

In-house component brands, as is to be expected, often tailor their products for their parent company’s bikes. However, Cadex has routinely managed to reach out to a wider audience by offering some of the lightest wheelsets on the market, a theme it has continued with the new Max 40 wheels.

© Cadex

The wheels feature a 22.4mm inner rim width

At 1249g, they’re impressively lightweight but they’re purpose goes far beyond minimising grams. According to Cadex, they’ve undergone plenty of aero testing, resulting in its “lightest high-performance” wheelset ever.

Part of the weight-saving equation is the 40mm rim depths which are fairly shallow, falling somewhere between a mid-depth and very shallow rim. A light weight can sometimes come at the sacrifice of stiffness but Cadex says that it hasn’t only safely avoided this, it also claims to have created a wheelset that delivers “best-in-class stiffness-to-weight ratio”.

“In tests against other top wheels in its category, the Max 40 showed significantly greater front and rear wheel stiffness than the Lightweight Obermayer EVO and Syncros Capital SL,” Cadex said in a press release.

It mainly puts that down to the “ultra-stiff” Cadex Super Aero carbon spokes which, as the name suggests, offer an aero benefit. To complete the set of performance benefits, they’re also lightweight.

New Race GC tyre

© Cadex

The Race GC is a tubeless tyre

Even though it’s only been around for five years, Cadex already boasts a wide range of components, including nine tyres. That number has now been bolstered to 10 by the Race GC.

Cadex’s range consists of its Aero tyres, built for all-out speed, its more robust Classics range, plus its all-round Race tyres. The Race GC joins the latter range, building on the previous designs by taking the performance Silica-based compound from the Aero tyre and slightly adapting it. That has resulted in some shed grams and an increase in TPI (threads per inch) to 240. Catering to its more all-round purpose, it has Race Shield puncture protection built in too.

The tyre is available in a 28mm width, which weighs 279g.

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Cadex’s first one-piece handlebars

In its final additions, the Race Integrated and Aero Integrated have become Cadex’s first one-piece handlebars. It has been a bit behind the curve on this front but has now fully caught up with offerings that cater to both aero and all-round needs.

© Cadex

The Cadex Race Integrated handlebars

At 325g, the Aero is a little heavier than its counterpart but that’s to be expected considering its more traditional aero profile. Its flattened tops are designed to aid airflow while its longer reach is designed to help a rider get into a more aero position.

Like the Aero, the Race is also a one-piece bar and stem that offers full cable integration, but that’s just about where the similarities stop. There are no aero profiles here, having been ditched for a more oval shape, plus increased flare. This is a signal of the handlebar’s more all-round purpose, while at only 256g, it offers a legitimately lightweight option for those who care about counting grams.

Both bars are available in 38, 40 and 42cm widths.

Check out Cadex’s new range of components on its website, linked here.