Long-term review: RAR Exalt 40 Disc wheels

As we write this article, the market has now embraced disc brakes. No more sterile debate between disc and rim brakes, but for the former type of braking, the weight gain is inevitable since you have to add at least rotors to the weight of the wheels. Rims are not, or very little, lighter than their rim-brake counterparts, and you can count on one hand the wheels approaching 1.2 kg. 1210 g, however, is the weight of the RAR Exalt 40 Disc wheelset that we tested for you over 5000 km in the last two months. A fabulous weight for disc brake wheels, but also for tubed/tubeless tires, which are incredibly versatile.

By David Polveroni – Photos: ©3bikes.fr

No need to go far to find these wheels: made in France, more precisely in Maubeuge, a little over 100 km north of Reims, a few kilometers from the Belgian border. It is here that Adrien Gontier, a passionate individual belonging to that rare category of wheel magicians, embarked on this adventure in 2007. Thanks to 15 years of experience, RAR has “cooked up” a gem in this field. Imagine: just over 1200 g, with a 40 mm rim depth, with tubeless rim tape and valve! And yes… These are not tubular wheels (which also exist at 1100 g), but wheels compatible with normal tubed and tubeless tires.

Riding a Factor O2 VAM frame, more mountain-oriented than aero, I usually alternate between low-profile wheels, 25 mm Black Inc Twenty, or higher profile, 50 mm Venn. With a depth of 40 mm, we are here on a versatile profile allowing one to be satisfied with a single pair of wheels to go anywhere. High mountains, mid-mountains, or even hilly terrain with small climbs: these wheels promise undeniable versatility.

Superb finish

The unboxing is clear: quality and finish are there. A full UD carbon rim with a glossy varnish that suits many frames, mounted on aluminum finish hubs that do not fail to catch the eye of my training partners.

While pleasing is one thing, the quality of a hub is judged on something else. The hubs are designed by RAR and are 100% machined in France. These are ESO hubs on our test model, the first prototypes dating back to 2017. We tell you: the RAR 40 Exalt are an exceptional product. Wheels hand-built by Adrien Gontier and guaranteed for 5 years.

Exception and customization: if the glossy varnish is not ideal for your matte-colored bike, then just talk to Adrien and almost any customization is possible when the wheels are built. You get RARe products… and above all, in perfect harmony with your machine.

A lighter bike

Tire mounting: first, Continental GP5000 S TR. While seating the tire beads can sometimes be complicated, a simple pump stroke and they snap into place easily. Surprising! So far, the picture is idyllic. The first pedal strokes are just as good. You feel the bike is lighter. While in fact, an additional 300 g on my 50 mm pair is not prohibitive, nor even penalizing in the mountains, switching to these RAR Exalt 40 rekindles the taste for lightness that one can experience on a rim-brake bike with light tubular wheels. Because, well, a weight of 1200 g for tubed wheels is not common.

The first real test takes place on the Ardéchoise. On a profile without excessive slopes, but which is never flat and on a rather granular surface, the Exalt 40 are in their element here. While, at good speed, above 35 km/h, you don’t have that exhilarating effect of a higher profile wheelset, you appreciate the low inertia of these EXALT: accelerations and relances are sharper. Not a specialist in this area, I appreciate riding out of the saddle, with a bike that is easier to “throw around”.

Throwing the bike around or riding at a steady pace, their preferred domain is climbing. While for high mountains the Exalt are available in a 24 mm version, these will be more specific compared to the 40 mm, and therefore less versatile. You can’t have it all.

It is in the mountains, precisely, that one can also best appreciate the stability provided at high speed (from 50/60 km/h) thanks to the 21 mm internal width (28 mm external) combined with a reasonable 40 mm depth. They are not very sensitive to crosswinds, which can sometimes be violent in the mountains as I experienced at the summit of Ventoux… The spoke tension and lightness also make these wheels very precise and maneuverable on technical descents. You can corner easily.

So whether it’s to win an Ardéchoise, spend long hours in the cols, or to take your PR on Strava (or the KOM for the strongest), these wheels will work wonders. Only long flat sections would require a higher profile. For that, the Magnum 60 or even 90 remain available in the catalog.

To ride these unique wheels, you will have to pay a high price. At €3000, this is a significant budget, but a budget in line with the performance offered and the competition. If your wallet is less well-stocked, at €1299 you can already benefit from a good part of the French company’s know-how with the EVEN 40 model and enter a RAR world. For all technical descriptions, you can find all the information on the RAR website: HERE. And for those who like to communicate, Adrien will also be able to help you by phone or email. I chose to keep them for a final gallop across the mountains, on the Haute Route Alpes: 800 km and 21,000 m of elevation gain. With these gems, it promises a week of pure aerial pleasure!