Meilenstein ART, Lightweight’s New Wheelset

The Lightweight Meilenstein ART marks a new era in carbon wheelset engineering, developed over nearly four years. It’s Lightweight’s most advanced wheelset to date, with significant progress made, including the creation of ART (Alpha Rib Technology).

ART is unlike any traditional rim construction. Rather than using a standard hollow profile, the ART rim is built in sections, featuring multiple integrated ribs.

These ribs significantly boost lateral stiffness by strengthening the cross-section against side forces. This enhances front wheel handling and improves power transfer at the rear.

The spokes are mounted on the tyre bed and bonded directly to the ribs, which, by avoiding changes in the direction of the spoke fibres, maximises tensile strength and reduces fatigue in the material. The result is a more durable and longer-lasting wheelset.

All Lightweight wheels, including the Meilenstein ART, are handcrafted in Germany, with key processes performed by hand to ensure consistency and attention to detail.

Key Details

Alpha Rib Technology (ART): A patented internal rib structure that enables a wider, more aerodynamic profile while significantly increasing stiffness and reducing weight. This technology also allows carbon fibre spokes to be directly bonded into the internal ribs, preserving their full strength and creating a more direct connection to the road.

Drag Reduction Shape (DRS): An aerodynamic design philosophy that balances low drag with crosswind stability, featuring a 23mm inner width optimised for wider tyres.

“Wider is Better” philosophy: Engineered specifically for tyres 28mm and wider, with a 22.9mm internal and 28.6mm external rim width, enhancing grip, comfort, and control.

Rim to Rim Spoke Design: The wheelset uses 20 Full-Carbon spokes per wheel. These spokes are part of Lightweight’s proprietary R2R (Rim to Rim) design, where each carbon spoke runs in a continuous line from one side of the rim, through the hub, to the other side without bends, breaks, or mechanical connectors, maximising stiffness and durability. The spokes are permanently bonded to both the rim and hub using high-performance structural adhesives, which prevents material fatigue and loss of spoke tension. This design boosts both the lateral and torsional stiffness of the wheel, meaning this 1,109g wheelset has a generous weight limit of 120kg.

Hub System: It incorporates the Penta-Fly hub system, which uses a DT SWISS EXP 180 hub. This system involves spokes bonded directly to a precision-machined aluminium hub, oversized flanges for stiffness, and a minimised central hub diameter for reduced aerodynamic drag.

The wheelset weighs 1,190g and achieves over 20% greater aerodynamic efficiency than its predecessor, measured by Lightweight’s new Aero-Mass index, (watt × kg = drag at 45 km/h × weight). During development, the Meilenstein ART underwent rigorous testing beyond industry standards, including real world scenarios, corrosion, and climate testing, ensuring exceptional safety, reliability, and longevity.

Available in two versions:

Standard: Features “Lightweight Silver” Decals and Steel Bearings
Schwarz ED: Features “Lightweight Black” Decals and CeramicSpeed Bearings