Product Review

Williams Wheel System 19s
 By Frank Sarate
When you think of purchasing a new pair of wheels, you look at price, weight and durability. I have been using the Williams Wheels for the past several months and I would have to say the first thing I noticed were the hybrid ceramic bearings. I can’t think of any other wheel that has ceramic bearings at this price point. The ceramic bearings make a difference on how the wheels roll.  You can feel how much smoother they really are over some standard sealed cartridge bearings. I can really feel the difference when climbing and when coasting down hills they feel really fast and smooth. The latest models of the 19s come in silver and black anodized which compliment any bike and they look really clean.  The weight is a scant 1430 grams for the set. You will notice how they jump out of corners and accelerate on the climbs. The Williams Wheel System 19s are definitely a good all around wheel set.

The 19s use a steel J bend bladed spokes for durability and aerodynamics.  The nice thing about using a standard J bend spoke is that you can head to your local bike shop and get a replacement spoke should a mishap take place.  Williams uses alloy nipples on the rear non-drive for weight and brass nipples on the drive side for stiffness, as they can be tensioned more for stiffness and strength as needed for a stiff wheel. The front wheels use 20 radial laced spokes and the back wheel use 24 2x non drive / 2x drive side.

My teammate and I had the opportunity to really test these wheels out at Super Week in Wisconsin, on the rough, bumpy and sometimes technical courses. They performed as solid as any other wheels costing twice as much.  I have been riding the Williams 19s and the 30s for most of the season.  The Williams Wheel System 19s are very reliable and very light weight. They will get you to the finish line in style and won’t cost you a fortune getting there.

You can check out the whole line of wheels from Williams Wheels at williamscycling.com