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For years, Cadex has been the ultimate low-weight, highly aerodynamic wheel choice.
The price point put Cadex products in a tier above products from Roval and Enve but in exchange you’d get ceramic bearings and unheard of weights all coupled with an aero-focused design. Nothing in our reviews could really touch the combination Cadex offered.
When the first Cadex 65 wheelset hit the market at 1,500 grams it was groundbreaking. A wheel that deep at a weight that low meant never thinking about climbing vs aero performance.
Then the Max 50 came out with most of the aero benefit but pushed the weight down to 1,350 grams. Again, Cadex was setting a new high-bar for weight vs aero.
Now the Cadex Max 40 is coming to market and things are a little different. Cadex isn’t the lightest in the same class of wheel and there’s some leveling off on both the aero and weight advantages.
Now that I’ve had a chance to spend time riding these wheels, I’m ready to share my thoughts. Is Cadex still a performance king? Is the Max 40 the new, “best wheel” that Cadex makes?
Quick hits: eight things to know about the Cadex Max 40 wheelsystem
- The carbon spokes, hub flange, and aero hub are all one integrated piece
- If you like loud hubs, the CADEX R3-C48 Aero Hub 48-tooth ratchet engagement is unlike anything else
- Quoted weight is 1,249 grams and with tape and valves the scale showed 1,313 grams
- Tire interface is hookless with a 22.4 mm internal width
- Although it’s designed as the lightweight option in the Cadex portfolio, the 40 mm depth keeps an eye on aero performance
- Aero optimized for use with a 28 mm tire
- Lifetime warranty and 5 year Incident Replacement (for registered original owners)
- Ceramic bearings are standard
- For purchase and more information visit the Cadex website
Hub soundcheck (Video: Josh Ross/Velo)
Cadex Max 40 Wheelsystem details
Cadex wheels occupy rarefied air. The brand only has a few options and none of them are low end. The focus is on being the best available option then slowly entering different product categories. The brand started with a 65 mm wheel then added a 36 mm climber’s wheel before rounding out the road offerings with a 50 mm all-around solution. This year the brand is revising that 36, and it’s grown a bit.
One of the more obvious changes is the move from 36 mm to 40 mm. This is inline with a general focus on aerodynamics from Cadex but the brand doesn’t give specifics about the gains that come from an extra 4 mm.
Instead Cadex only shares that a “40 mm hookless carbon rim hits the sweet spot for optimal aerodynamic gains without adding weight or sacrificing stability in crosswinds. The cleanly integrated Super Aero carbon bladed spokes and thin aero hub flanges further minimize drag.” Given that lack of details, all we can go on is deeper wheels are always more aero and call it a day.
The more interesting piece of that statement is actually the reference to the spokes and hub. At a quoted weight of 1,249 grams for the wheelset, this is the lightest wheelset Cadex has ever offered. It’s also, as already mentioned, deeper and it retains the same 22.4 mm hookless internal width. How did the brand get to that weight while not removing material in the rim?
The answer starts with the spokes. We first saw the carbon spokes come to a Cadex product with the Cadex Ultra 50 and they were also a topic of discussion in relation to the Roval Rapide CLX II. Roval claimed that the brand chose a metal spoke instead because it was thinner. There are other advantages to the carbon spokes though. Cadex is obviously taking full advantage of the lower weight but there’s also the increased stiffness that the carbon offers.
Stiffness is a point of distinction where Cadex veers away from other brands. Some brands will tell you that wheels shouldn’t be that stiff. Cadex obviously doesn’t feel the same. The stiffness of the carbon spokes isn’t a side effect so much as something Cadex uses to tune the wheels.
In the 50 Ultra the spokes are wide and aero but still relatively close to a standard spoke. This time the spokes remain independently tensionable but now they are part of a solid structure that includes the hub flange.
As with the 50 Ultra, the Cadex Max 40 is using what the brand calls “Dynamic Balanced Lacing.” It’s a design that “sets the spokes at a wider bracing angle, which stabilizes spoke tension levels under pedaling force.”
Cadex reports that the result, when combined with the integrated design of this wheel, is that in “tests against other top wheels in its category, the Max 40 showed 28.4 percent greater front wheel stiffness than the Lightweight Obermayer EVO and was 10.3 percent stiffer than the Syncros Capital SL.”
Again according to Cadex, independent results are even bigger looking at rear wheel stiffness where “the Max 40 beat the Obermayer by 44.9 percent and the Capital SL by 20.8 percent.”
Obviously that all means the outer hub shell is different from what came before, but the internals saw an update as well. Although both the Ultra50 and Max40 use an aero hub, they aren’t the same.
The design is similar, expect the trademark loud sound, with both using a ratchet design with a wave spring and ceramic bearings. The difference though is that the updated CADEX R3-C48 hub adds an additional eight points of engagement for a total of 48.
If you are keeping track, that means Cadex is claiming a lighter, more aero, and stiffer wheel. So how do they ride?
Ride experience
As soon as you get on the Cadex Max 40, there’s a liveliness to them that almost feels like it can’t be real. In the past I would have attributed that to the low weight, and maybe that’s still a part of it, but weight isn’t the story of these wheels.
The real story is that Cadex wheels, the Max 40 included, are stiff. In this case, the brand attributes much of it to the lacing pattern and the carbon spokes but I can’t say for sure. The Scope Artech 4 uses similar spokes but doesn’t mold them to the hub so there’s no direct comparison.
That’s okay though, the why of it isn’t necessary. Just know that if what you are looking for is a direct feel in your wheels, look no further. The Cadex wheels are direct and that means lively and fun. They do well with unnecessary sprints and putting down power when there’s no point.
I also can’t finish this review without saying the Cadex Max 40 is a good climbing wheel. If your favorite band doesn’t play the hit at the concert, no one is happy. Here’s your favorite song: these are 1,249 gram wheels (1,313 as measured with valves and tape) specifically made to climb and they do a good job at it.
That’s a distraction from the main event though. The main event is that when you stand to climb and start moving the bike under you, the Cadex Max 40 feels precise.
It’s always right where you want it to be and there’s very little deflection as you lean the bike. I’ll say it again, this is a fun wheelset.
There is another aspect of all this, the tires. Cadex uses a hookless design and has always been cautious about tire recommendations. The list has grown a bit but it’s still short.
What the brand really wants is for you to use Cadex tires and along with the Max 40, there’s an updated tire. As I talk about how precise this wheelset is, it’s important to mention the tires.
If you are thinking that the Cadex Max 40 might be uncomfortable because it’s so stiff, I have to disagree. The caveat is that your tires are going to matter here. The Cadex Race GC Tubeless Tire uses a squared off design that’s lower weight with a shallower sidewall.
The design keeps the center of the tire in direct contact with the road more often and it helps create a precise feel. It also works together with the wider internal width, and subsequent lower pressure, to help move the burden of suspension from the wheel to the tire. In other words, the wheel is stiffer, the sidewall is precise, and you should run lower pressures to keep your ride comfortable.
The last detail worth discussing here is the hub. Cadex hubs are famous for being extraordinarily loud and the Cadex Max 40 might be even louder. There’s nothing that compares and if you are riding on a bike path, you don’t need to bother with a bell.
The Cadex hub is far louder and that’s part of the experience. Engagement is exceptional, again adding to that fun and precise feel, but the sound of the hub is a part of the ride experience. If you really want to, you can pack it with heavier grease and it’ll take the edge off the sound. Mostly though, be prepared.
If you like the way Campy bangs through the gears, you’ll probably like Cadex hubs also.
Conclusion
I’ve tested every Cadex wheel to come to market and every single one of them has turned into a wheel that I love. They are wheels that tend to find themselves on every test bike and if I’m not testing anything, they rotate back on.
There’s one problem though.
Typically Cadex wheels win on specs alone. I don’t have to dive deep into why I like them because it’s not much of a lift to say the lightest, most aero, wheels are great. Then I reviewed the Scrope Artech 4.
As I’m writing this review, that wheel looms large in my memory. It’s lighter and more aero than the Cadex Max 40 and these wheels lose in the specs.
Despite that, I’ve shared why I continue to love Cadex wheels but I’d say that the existence of a wheel like the Artech line from Scope should cause Cadex to worry. Those wheels use hooks, avoiding controversy, and still come to market with a wider internal spec, less weight, and a slightly lower price. My only hope is that it spurs Cadex to innovate even more.
Things could look different in the future but, for now, the Cadex Max 40 is an incredibly engaging wheel that is a joy to ride. It almost jumps before you ask it to.
It feels telepathic in its ability to be where you expect it to be as you move the bike around and this wheelset generally makes you feel like a hero no matter how fast you actually are.
I prefer deeper, more aero wheels but even at only 40mm this is a wheel worth grabbing for most rides if only for the feel. It doesn’t matter if it’s not quite as aero, it’s more fun. It’s also loud as hell.
