CADEX 50 Ultra on test

Promised performance should be equal to delivered performance – at least, in an ideal world. And CADEX make some big promises with their 50 Ultra wheels: carbon everywhere, modern rim geometry, and a loud freehub. A perfect candidate for our big wheel group test then?

**Cadex** 50 Ultra | € 2,799.80 | 1315 g | Manufacturer’s website

We tested these wheels for our big 2024 aero wheel group test – click here for an overview of the test field or to check out the individual reviews.

CADEX’s self-proclaimed aero weapon, the 50 Ultra wheel set, offers everything that makes a roadie’s heart beat faster. With carbon spokes, hookless rims, and specially developed hubs, everything is sourced in-housed. Like many of the other wheels on test, the CADEX wheels are used by a well-known professional team. In this case, it’s team BikeExchange, running CADEX wheels on their GIANT bikes. Depending on the route and race, they also use the 50 Ultra. The Taiwanese manufacturer’s excellent reputation and their cooperation with GIANT results in a huge wealth of expertise. On paper, therefore, they’ve got everything it takes to beat the competition.

Aero everything – The hard facts of the CADEX 50 Ultra

At 1,315 g, the CADEX 50 Ultra belongs to the elite category of lightweight wheel sets, beaten only by the 20 to 40 g lighter full carbon wheels from Lightweight and Syncros. However, CADEX offer the wheels for € 2,799.80, which is less than half the price of the Lightweight Obermayer EVO – an impressive combination for wheels of this calibre. The hookless rims are bang on trend with an internal width of 22 mm, ensuring that our 28 mm wide Continental GP 5000 S test tires sit perfectly on the rim and offer a clean, aero-optimised transition.

**Fräskunst pur**
Der große Nabenflansch ist nicht nur echt schick anzusehen, sondern sorgt auch für kürzere Speichen und damit eine bessere Kraftübertragung.

**Carbon wohin das Auge reicht**
Die CADEX-Carbonspeichen sorgen nicht nur für ein extrem steifes Laufrad, auch die extra Fläche sorgt für einen höheren Segeleffekt.

**Clean gelöst**
Das schwarze CADEX-Logo ergibt auf den 50 Ultra-Carbonfelgen einen edlen Look.

CADEX’s in-house hubs are eye catchers too with their remarkably tall hub flanges. Compared to the competition from HUNT, this is intended to achieve even more stiffness by effectively shortening the spoke length. The hubs are also aerodynamically optimised to avoid wasting unnecessary wattage on the wheels. Despite the subtle black on black branding, the carbon wheels are visually striking, and immediately recognisable on every bike. The special hubs and the extremely wide carbon bladed spokes make them stand out from the crowd. CADEX offer a two year warranty, plus five years of crash replacement on the wheels, which is a good deal, though other manufacturers offer more.

**Hakenlos**
CADEX setzt auf moderne Hookless-Felgen, das soll nicht nur eine bessere Aerodynamik bringen, sondern auch für eine stabilere Felge sorgen.

**Vorsicht!**
Trotz hookless gibt CADEX einen maximalen Reifendruck von 8,6 bar an, aber Achtung: Die meisten Hookless-Reifen sind nur bis 5 bar zugelassen!

The thoroughbred racing wheelset – CADEX 50 Ultra

Racing is what it’s all about, and the CADEX 50 Ultra handles accordingly: with carbon spokes and a tall hub flange, the wheel set is extremely direct and quick to accelerate. This means they perform brilliantly on the sprints and are highly responsive, but lack a little compliance. In return, their low weight and high stiffness allow the wheels to excel on the climbs, leaving the competition behind on high mountain passes. Furthermore, the wide rims and tubeless 28 mm tires help to compensate for their lack of compliance. For a little more comfort, we recommend fitting a 30 mm tire at the rear if your frame allows.
The combination of wide tires and stiff wheels makes them really stick to the ground and offer precise handling through the corners. That’s perfect for racing as well as fast, winding descents, though they’re a bit too harsh for longer tours.

CADEX 50 Ultra – Loud and fast, 50 for the win?

The CADEX 50 Ultra wheels certainly feel like they’re capable of delivering with their 50 mm deep rims and carbon spokes. They even perform surprisingly well compared to the deeper rims on the test, especially when it comes to the sail effect, which offers a clearly noticeable performance gain. The wide carbon spokes do offer benefits, but they also come with certain disadvantages: the 50 Ultra wheels are particularly susceptible to crosswinds, requiring a trained and steady hand.
At 94.35 watts needed to keep the bike going at 45 km/h, the CADEX wheels slightly outperform the HUNT SUB50 and DT Swiss ERC in the wind tunnel, though there aren’t any significant differences – in fact, the three wheelsets are separated by just 0.14 watts. You’d be hard-pressed to feel the difference between them. The similar performance of the HUNT SUB50 isn’t surprising, considering the near identical specs. The only noticable difference is the brand’s aerodynamic priorities. However, the CADEX perform much better at medium yaw angles of up to 10°, while the HUNT wheels perform a little better at higher yaw angles. It’s also clear that 10 mm deeper rims offer a significant performance gain. Both the HUNT and the CADEX 50 Ultra are easily outdone by the deeper models on test.

Our conclusion on the CADEX 50 Ultra

Fast and solid: the CADEX 50 Ultra don’t just look fast, they’ve also got the performance to match their impressive looks. They’re capable of delivering both in the wind tunnel and on the road. Their extremely light weight results in a wheelset that excels in almost every situation. It’s only the below-average performance in crosswinds and the lack of compliance that limits them somewhat, but that’s no problem for experienced racers.

Tops

fast look and clean design
racy feeling

Flops

somewhat lacking in compliance
very loud freehub

For more information, visit cadex-cycling.com

The test field