The Miche Pistard WR track wheelset is possibly the best value-for-money off-the-shelf track wheelset for training, and club and junior racing.

I purchased a Miche Pistard WR wheelset from Wiggle, delivered to Australia for around $300. They have been a bullet-proof set of track wheels for training and club racing.

Miche WR Pistard track wheelset

General description

The Miche Pistard WR track wheelset has 24 spokes radial laced on the front wheel, and 32 spokes three-cross laced on the rear wheel.

The clincher wheelset has an advertised weight of 2,016 grams. I weighed my wheels on my wife’s kitchen scales at (TBC) grams for the front wheel and (TBC) grams for the rear wheel — a total of only (TBC) grams. The wheels were weighed with nuts and rim tape, but no lock ring or sprocket on the rear wheel.

The Pistard WR wheelset is built around the Miche Primato Pista large flange hubs. These hubs are popular for custom wheel builds for a reason — they are light, strong and smooth.

The wheelset that I purchased had a single sided fixed gear rear hub. I have seen flip-flop Primato Pista hubs, but they are very rare on the Miche Pistard WR wheelsets.

The lock ring for the Miche Pistard WR rear hub is Italian thread 1.32″ x 24 TPI — the same thread as Campagnolo use. The sprocket thread is the standard ISO 1.375″ x 24 tpi.

The 28 mm deep rim has no braking surface, so these wheels are track use only. I guess if you ride fixed gear brakeless on the road, these wheels would also be useable.

The Miche Pistard WR track wheelset are available with either a clincher rim or a tubular rim. My wheelset are clinchers, but the tubulars would be a good way to get started using tubular tyres for not a lot of money.

Tyres, tubes and rim tape

The Miche Pistard WR wheelset that I purchased did not come with rim tape. I initially fitted Zefal 17 mm rim tape, but after a couple of punctures, I identified that the 17 mm rim tape was not wide enough and had moved on the rim, exposing the edge of a spoke eyelet.

Vittoria Special Rim Tape

I have found that the 18 mm Vittoria Special Rim Tape (18-622) fits the rim perfectly. The Vittoria rim tape is not adhesive backed and fits the inside of the rim. The rim tape is rated up to 145 psi, which is perfect because the Schwalbe One tyres I am using are rated up to 140 psi. I am not sure what the Miche Pistard WR clincher rims are rated to — if anyone knows, please post in the comments below.

The Continental High Pressure Rim Tape appears to be a very similar product, but is rated to 220 psi. Unfortunately, at the time of purchase, I could not source the Continental High Pressure Rim Tape in 18 mm width (be careful, there is also a Continental Rim Tape that is only rated to 120 psi, but some retailers advertise it as being ‘high pressure’).

As I use these wheels for training and club racing on an outdoor velodrome, I have fitted Schwalbe One tyres and tubes — Schwalbe One tyres are road tyres. Based on feel, I would rate the Schwalbe One tyres faster than Continental Grand Prix GP4000SII tyres fitted with Continental Supersonic tubes. However, if you really want to go fast, I would consider fitting Continental Supersonic tyres and tubes, which are the fastest clinchers I have ridden, but also have no additional puncture protection.

Review

The Miche Pistard WR wheelset is under rated as a wheelset for velodrome training and racing at club and junior level. They are strong, have a low profile semi-aerodynamic rim and smooth rolling hubs. The wheelset is also available with a clincher or tubular rim. Overall, the wheels are an excellent value-for-money track wheelset.

On paper, the Mavic Ellipse wheels are a faster and lighter wheelset. However, while the people riding Mavic Ellipse wheels have them in the shop for repairs, I will be riding my Miche Pistard WR wheelset getting faster and stronger, to beat them in the next club track championship!