Campagnolo (Italy) – “The amazing new Shamal Ultra DB guarantees the same race-winning speed that has made it famous in all of the previous versions up to this point”, revealed Campagnolo.

With disc brakes representing a continuously larger share of the road racing bikes on the road, many find themselves lacking serious solutions for performance wheelsets and the unveiling of a version of the SHAMAL ULTRA specifically redesigned for these bikes seeks to fill this void. The introduction of the Shamal wheelset over 20 years ago marked the beginning of a new era in cycling componentry and wheelworks.

The very first “complete wheelset” with every component specifically designed around the other components in order to offer the most efficient and performance oriented solution possible made for a solution that was not only a game changer in terms of performance but also an example so strong that it was able to effect a change in the way the entire market produced wheels. The wheel has maintained this prestigious stature amongst racing wheels throughout its long and glorious history as it has continued to evolve and incorporate increasingly sophisticated technologies.



The introduction of the disc brake upon the road cycling world gives the Shamal a second chance to establish itself as the quality and performance standard for aluminum racing wheels. This opportunity was met with great enthusiasm from the engineering staff at Campagnolo and the product of their ensuing labor comes in the form of the new standard in aluminum racing wheels for the disc brake equipped road bike: SHAMAL ULTRA DB 2WF. Upon first inspection the new disc brake version of the Shamal Ultra seems quite familiar as engineers went to great lengths to maintain the characteristic aesthetic of this highly respected and sought after wheel in addition to developing a DB specific wheel that remains true to the performance standard set by its traditional counterpart.

Many of the same concepts that make the recently released Shamal Ultra for rim brake such a fantastic and reliable racing wheel have been incorporated into this new design, albeit with great care taken to modify every aspect to tailor make each and every one to the unique forces, needs and performances associated with disc brake technology. Just like its rim brake counterpart, the Shamal Ultra DB 2WF uses a 22mm wide rim built to C17 standard and offers a perfect tire/rim interface for both 25 tires. Those tires can be of either the clincher or tubeless variety thanks to the use of 2 Way Fit technology, allowing the rider to change between the two standards without the need of any additional equipment outside of the tubeless valve, included with the wheelset.



This versatility is achieved by MoMag, yet another technology that carries over from the rim-brake version, which eliminates any and all holes in the outer portion of the rim where it interfaces with the tire. Differentiated rim height makes for a front rim profile of 27mm and a rear rim of 30mm, both with rotational mass kept to a minimum thanks to the toroidal milling which leaves additional material only where it is absolutely necessary (around the nipples for reinforcement). This process keeps weight down, increases reactivity and improves handling in situations of crosswinds.

Perhaps the most characteristic part of the Shamal Ultra thorugh the years has been the unique Mega G3 spoke system. This universally lauded system has not only been maintained in the rear wheel of the disc brake version but also incorporated into the front wheel. What was once a symmetrical wheel that needed to handle symmetrical braking forces is now necessarily an asymmetric structure with asymmetric braking forces as the disc is located only on the non-drive side. 21 aluminum spokes anchored by all new black anodized self-locking nipples, for both front and rear wheels with 14 spokes on one side and 7 on the opposite have the effect of converting asymmetric force and structure into a linear and symmetric performance.



The MEGA G3 spoke pattern, now on both front and rear, is laced into an equally elegant and functional hub which includes a series of performance design attributes of its own. Alloy hub flanges are made with a new design that renders the entire unit efficient while keeping weight to a minimum. The front hub goes even further in the direction of weight reduction with the inclusion of a carbon fiber hub shell between the two flanges. Such a solution isn’t possible as the rear hub must compensate for torque applied in two different directions and therefore uses a complete alloy structure.

High levels of torque derive from pedaling forces applied to the freehub body on the drive side while braking forces applied to the AFS disc on the non-drive side create torque moving in the opposite direction, thus necessitating a solid structure. Super smooth USB ceramic ball bearings keep this wheel rolling without any extra effort and keeping it dialed to perfection is as easy as ever thanks to the adjustment lockring with the microsetting feature. "The amazing new Shamal Ultra DB guarantees the same race-winning speed that has made it famous in all of the previous versions up to this point", concluded Campagnolo.

As fast as the wind from which it takes its name, this new version is also adept at providing some serious stopping power thanks to its disc brake redesign.

Weight: 1540 gr (f+r).