Scope's new 'revolutionary' Artech wheels claim to be among the worlds lightest

Scope has launched a new range of carbon fibre wheels named Artech. Artech wheels will be available for Road, All road, gravel and triathlon applications. Dutch wheel manufacturer Scope says the lightweight and aerodynamic wheels are inspired by nature. 

Scope claims the Artech wheel series will be 'a revolution for the cycling industry' and the collection appears to have some unique design features according to the brand's press release. Eye-catching details include very low overall weights, 3D-printed hub shells, algorithm-enhanced aerodynamics and aero inspiration from fish scales (yes, fish scales).

Scope has garnered attention in the past for its Atmoz self-inflating tyre system which was tested by teams like DSM ahead of Paris-Roubaix in 2023. The system hasn't been used in action yet but we will be on the lookout again in the run-up to this year's edition of Paris-Roubaix next month. 

It appears the Artech range will cater for road, all road, gravel and triathlon disciplines. The brand's website only has details on the Road and All Road series currently. 

Artech 2, 4 and 6 models make up the road collection. The Artech 2 is a 28mm hooked clincher with a 23mm internal rim and weighs a claimed 965 grams. Making it one of the very lightest production disc brake wheelsets in the world, by our reckoning. The Artech 4 tips the scales at 1120 grams for its 45mm depth and 23mm internal width. A competitor weight-wise for the Partington R Series wheels we reviewed last year. The Artech 6 has a 65mm depth rim and tips the scales at 1244 grams.  

The All Road collection, the 2.A, 4.A, and 6.A models all have very similar specs, but use wider internal rim widths to accommodate higher-volume tyres and are slightly heavier as a result. 

All major freehub body standards are catered for and a CeramicSpeed bearing upgrade option is available.

Aeroscale rim technology 

Scope says they used algorithm-enhanced aerodynamics tech (AEA) to help define the shape of the Artech rims. The brand claims this let them develop the most aerodynamic and stable wheels, as well as using a patent-pending Aeroscale rim surface design. The AEA was first developed in 2017 with the University of Technology Delft and was 2D based, Scope says they evolved the algorithm to make it 3D based including the whole bike into the optimisation.

Once the optimum rim profiles were defined, Scope claims they looked into the world of surface structures and learnt of fish scales reducing drag as fish move through the water. The brand says they saw how scales could help reduce aerodynamic drag. Which is something Scope says has been successfully tested in the aerospace industry.

The Tollmein-Schlichting wave effect means that on a smooth surface, laminar airflow becomes unstable over time. Scope claims the Aeroscales generate velocity streaks travelling at different speeds over the rim, producing a stabilising effect on airflow and reducing drag. When tested at the Silverstone Sports Engineering wind tunnel the brand says the wheels with Aeroscales significantly reduced drag above and below a 10-degree yaw angle. 

Scope claims the wheels have been tested at three different wind tunnels. GST in Germany, the SSE hub in the UK and A2 in the USA. They claim the Artech 6 wheels are the fastest, most side wind stable wheels on the market. The graphic below is from Tour Magazine testing which has been included in the PR material.

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Artech series hub shells are 3D printed in Germany from Scalmalloy, an alloy material that Scope says is used in aerospace and Formula One industries.

Topology optimisation is another algorithm that the brand says has been used to determine the shape of the hub shell based on a set of load cases and the given design space. Scope says the Topology optimisation results in a strong and lightweight hub design, whilst finding the lightest design and ensuring the required strength is met. 

The wheel's spokes are manufactured from UD carbon material and use internal nipples and a 2:1 spoke pattern which promotes equal spoke tension. The spokes are held mechanically (non-bonded) which Scope says makes for easy maintenance. 

The Diamond SL hub ratchet is also now made from titanium and features a 'diamond-like carbon coating'.