Cadex is the component division of Giant Bicycles, the world’s largest producer of carbon fiber bicycle frames. Cadex is much more than Giant’s OE component brand, however, offering a range of aftermarket handlebars, stems, saddles, tires, and road bike wheels, the lightest of which is the Cadex 36 Disc.
“Big Gains for Big Days” is the ethos behind the 36 Disc, as conveyed beautifully in this inspiring video featuring an epic route in Southern California, near the Cadex North American HQ. I was keen to test these wheels, as they are known to deliver exceptional performance and feature specs that support that reputation but also prevent some of the tire compatibility pitfalls that affect some other high-end hookless rims.
First, I’ll address the elephant in the room – yes, the Cadex 36 Disc rims are hookless, but this is not a reason to avoid these wheels. Thankfully, Cadex wisely chose an inner rim width appropriate for true road tires, of 22.4mm. While many brands have pushed the internal width of hookless “road” rims to 25mm, this renders them wholly incompatible with 25c tires, and in some cases, less than a sure thing with 28c tires.
So, if you’re like me and prefer a light and nimble tire, set up at a bit higher pressure, 23mm is the max internal width that makes sense on a hookless rim. Per Cadex, you can still use up to a 32c tire with the 36 Disc, provided it’s hookless-compatible. Cadex also offers excellent tubeless road tires, which roll and handle supremely well, are a snap to install on the Cadex 36 Disc and retain air between rides better than any other tubeless setup I’ve ever used.
Specs and Build
As mentioned above, the Cadex 36 wheels are built with a hookless carbon fiber rim. As the name suggests, these rims have a 36mm depth and they measure 22.4mm wide internal and 26mm wide external. Given the hookless bead design, these wheels should only be used with approved hookless tubeless tires, and even then, it is worth checking Cadex’s compatibility lists of recommended and not-recommended tires.
At the center of it all are Cadex’s R1-C30 low-friction hubs which feature precision-machined internals to eliminate excessive bearing load, reduce friction, and save a handful of watts by decreasing rolling resistance. Inside the hubs are ultra-hard ceramic bearings which Cadex claims roll up to 50% more smoothly than steel hub bearings. They come with a Shimano HG freehub, and are compatible with SRAM XDR and Campagnalo, though you’ll have to purchase those separately. The freehub uses a 30-tooth ratchet system which isn’t as quick as some at 12°, but doesn’t feel particularly lagging either. The hubs also use standard centerlock brake rotor interfaces.
The rims and hubs are laced together with straight-pull Cadex Aero Carbon Spokes. These high-tensile-strength spokes have a bladed, aero design and are intended to reduce lateral flex with minimal drag at a light weight. Furthermore, the carbon spokes are laced using what Cadex calls Custom-Tuned Dynamic Balanced Lacing Technology, which sets the spokes at a wider bracing angle that allows for higher spoke tension, further bolstering the responsiveness of the 36 Disc. The front wheel is laced with 21 spokes in a 2-cross on the brake side and radially on the other, while the rear wheel uses 24 spokes in a 2-cross on both sides.
The complete wheelset, including tape and valve stems, weighs in on my scale at 1354 grams. All that fancy-ness will cost you though, as these wheels retail for $1,400 for the front and $1,800 for the rear, or a cool $3,200 for the set. At present, however, Cadex is selling them as a set for $2,500 with a set of tires, and they told us that price is likely to stick around for a while (although the tire promotion may not). While not exactly affordable, the current price for the set does undercut several other premium wheelsets on the market.
Review of the Cadex 36 Disc
With all the technology packed into these wheels, it was a thrill to unbox them and get them set up to ride and experience first-hand. Cadex tapes and installs valves on all their wheels, which is about an $80 value and saves considerable time. This should be standard practice on all tubeless wheels, and I applaud Cadex for valuing the customer’s time. Plush wheel bags are also provided since you will perhaps travel to some high mountains once you’ve got these weapons in your arsenal.
From the first few turns of the pedals, it was clear that “big gains” was no overstatement, and that the Cadex 36 Disc wheels want to go fast. The 36 Disc spun up so easily and held speed so well going uphill, that I needed to exercise a bit of restraint and slightly recalibrate my effort when riding up some of my local hills. This is the true benefit of super-efficient equipment like the 36 Disc for a recreational rider – the ability to go the same speed, with less effort, for longer.
Eventually, however, I gave in to my urges, stomping the pedals and pushing the bike side to side with everything I had. It was here that the 36 Disc truly impressed me, responding with a potent combination of lateral rigidity reminiscent of a much deeper rim, and the peppy rush of momentum that only wheels this light can deliver. Even my most favorite climbing wheels up to this point – Roval’s CLX 32 disc (the precursor to the Alpinist CLX) – were exposed as rather one-dimensional by riding the Cadex 36 Disc. While the CLX 32 are gloriously efficient uphill, they respond best to power delivery that is sensible, deliberate, and unhurried. Conversely, the Cadex 36 Disc wants to attack, throttle down to a ruthlessly efficient tempo, then attack again as soon as possible. Their speed feels elastic, like a slingshot. And when you’re not attacking, the Cadex 36 lurks beneath the frame, with a resolute efficiency that reminds you they are ready anytime you are.
At 1354g, the Cadex 36 is an impressively light wheelset but utilizes more than just a feathery rim to deliver uphill speed. While climbing, more than their low weight, I was impressed by the lateral stiffness and responsiveness of the 36 Disc. While the high tensile strength carbon spokes surely account for a portion of the weight savings achieved in the Cadex 36 Disc, they also generate this super fun and rewarding feeling when pushing the pace uphill.
These ride impressions corroborate the exceptional levels of both transmission and lateral stiffness the 36 Disc exhibited in lab testing performed by Cadex. While many tests like this, especially those involving aerodynamics are to be taken with a grain (or cup) of salt, Cadex’s tests of the 36 Disc are simple and relevant measurements of wheel flex, using other benchmark wheels as controls. So, they are relatively insightful within the realm of in-house testing in the cycling industry.
In testing, compared to the Alpinist CLX mentioned above, Cadex measured the 36 Disc as having 43.6% more transmission stiffness than the Alpinist CLX and 38.2% more lateral stiffness. Transmission stiffness is a measure of how well the hub resists winding up or rotating within the wheel torsionally, and lateral stiffness indicates how well a wheel resists moving laterally when force is applied from the side with the axle locked in place. For complete information on how the Cadex 36 Disc stacks up against other popular climbing wheels from Roval, Bontrager, and Zipp, check out this detailed information from Cadex. TL;DR: The Cadex 36 Disc offers better transmission and lateral stiffness than the competition. Combined with its low weight, the result is a best-in-class stiffness-to-weight ratio with real-world advantages in climbing, sprinting, and descending, according to Cadex.
At 36mm deep, the Cadex 36 Disc are pleasant to ride at a less intense effort and on rough surfaces as well. High-speed handling is predictable and stable, while quick maneuvers are confident and precise. On rough roads, the 36 Disc soaks up plenty of road chatter and takes the edge off low-frequency bumps like driveways and potholes.
Speaking of potholes, the Cadex 36 Disc wheels are protected under a two-year warranty against defects in materials and craftsmanship as well as Cadex’s Composite Confidence guarantee, which states that if any composite component is structurally damaged while you’re riding in the first two years after you bought it, Cadex will repair it or replace it free of charge. This is in addition to a 5-year incident replacement program where you can replace damaged products at a 50% discount.
After a week of riding the Cadex 36 Disc, some things had changed – familiar hills looked flatter, and short steep climbs late in rides seemed to sting a bit less. I wanted a Giant TCR in my stable, just to match these incredible wheels, but the 36 Disc have a classy look that will look rad on just about any high-end bike, even a boutique Titanium beauty, as shown in the video linked above. At $2500/set including tires, for now, the Cadex 36 Disc are premium wheels for road riders who want the absolute best wheels for shredding pavement.
