Australian niche wheel brand Partington.cc has introduced its latest disc brake wheelset, the MKII R-Series. According to the brand, the wheels are the result of two years of development, and the wheelset weighs only 1,160g as a pair, making it the lightest road bike wheels available for purchase and a contender for the best lightweight wheels available. The front weighs 530g and the rear 630g.

The light weight does not mean that stiffness has been sacrificed, and the wheels are said to deliver a class-leading 55Nm.

The wheels are manufactured with carbon spokes in a rim-to-rim design, with 20 asymmetrical braid spokes crossing the hub shell from one side of the rim to the other. This is the same construction technique found on other ultralight carbon spoke wheels, such as the Syncros Capital SL, which weighs 1,170 g, and the Mavic Cosmic Ultimate 45 disc, which weighs 1,255 g.

The Partington MKII R Series wheels have a deep profile of 39 mm front and 44 mm rear, with rim widths of 21 mm inside and 26.5 mm outside hook type. The carbon rims use a low-density, aerospace-grade foam core, which Partington claims increases the rim's rigidity. [John Partington, founder of Partington, says, "Our wheels are designed as an integrated system, with all components working together to optimize the performance of the wheel...When you ride the MKII R Series wheels from partington.cc, it is you will see how genuinely transformative they are. Other wheels have to accept trade-offs, such as stiffness for comfort and weight for cornering performance; with the MKII R Series, we have succeeded in integrating all of these aspects for a ride like no other."

According to the brand, the hub shell was designed in partnership with CeramicSpeed and features a carbon shell and what they call Dynamic Bearing Architecture Tech, which also comes standard with CeramicSpeed ceramic bearings. It has a ratcheting freehub, but Partington has not said which standard it is compatible with.

According to Partington, the new wheel took two years to develop and will initially be available in this 39/44 mm depth and satin clear paint finish. This suggests that other options may be available in the future. At this time, this is the only wheelset available from the Geelong-based wheel manufacturer.

The new wheelset is available for pre-order on Partington's website and at select dealers for A$8,999/$5989/£4640