Test: For more than 30 years, the manufacturer Citec has been developing and producing innovative and high-quality wheels in Germany. Not just professionals and amateurs, but also recreational athletes from all areas are familiar with the Citec products Made in Germany. With the Citec 3000 S Aero wheelset for the road, a classic is relaunched for the 2020 season and provides even more performance in a classic style. We tested the wheels for you!
Due to its design, the Citec 3000 S Aero was an extremely resilient and versatile wheelset right from the start. With various improvements and further developments, Citec is said to have found a way to make a classic wheel even faster and bring it more into the performance field.
The 3000 S Aero retain the proven concave system structure of the aerodynamic aluminum rim. A special arch construction inside the rim ensures that the highly stressed rim base is relieved despite the low number of spokes by dissipating the resulting forces as pressure forces. But you couldn't resist small improvements, because the rim profile was aerodynamically optimized and a slightly bulbous shape with a height of 30mm was achieved. In order to remain up-to-date, Citec has also introduced tubeless suitability and at the same time increased the inner width of the rim to 18 mm in order to harmonize even better with modern, wide road bike tires. Incidentally, the weight was reduced by approx. 50 g compared to its predecessor and the stiffness increased by approx. 20%, which should offer a noticeable performance advantage on all levels.
Thus, the Citec 3000 S Aero have impressive lateral stiffness values, which are significantly influenced by the ETS spoke system and the high flange distance of the high-end hubs. The rear wheel has twice as many spokes on the cassette side as on the opposite side, which results in a symmetrical spoke tension. The so-called power block system is also used here. Here, the direct screwing of the archless spokes into special adapter sleeves of the hub ensures that any movement between the hub and the spoke is eliminated. Spoke breakage no longer occurs under constant stress, and there is no need for permanent re-tensioning or re-centering. Furthermore, the concentricity stability is increased.
Citec 3000 S Aero Details:
• Area of application: road bike, triathlon (for competition and training)
• 30 mm deep, domed aluminum aero profile rim
• For use with classic rim brakes
• Tubeless ready
• Black special bladed spokes with CITEC Power Block spoke attachment
• Special aluminum nipples embedded in the rim
• Special smooth-running hubs with high-precision DT 240s aluminum rotor (Ratchet System)
• Very high lateral rigidity thanks to the ETS spoke system and maximum flange spacing
• 5 year guarantee against broken spokes
Testing the Citec 3000 S Aero
In our case, the Citec 3000 S Aero impeller comes in a plain black package for rim brakes and is tubeless-ready. At first glance one suspects an equally inconspicuous performance of the aluminum impeller. But after just a few meters we have to realize that the 3000 S Aero stands out from many comparable aluminum wheels and should not be seen as a classic system wheelset.
This is particularly evident in the first-class rigidity of the wheel, which not only makes it appear very stable and robust, but also really pushes it forward when accelerating. You can quickly get up to speed, especially when accelerating. Nevertheless, the wheel doesn't look too stiff and offers a lot of comfort, especially with wide tubeless tires. The special bladed spokes with the so-called Power Block attachment offer little wind attack surface and, together with the sunken aluminum nipples, contribute to the successful aerodynamics of this wheelset. Nevertheless, due to its 30 millimeter rim height, the wheel rides without problems even in strong crosswinds and can be controlled precisely. 
At just 1330 grams, the Citec 3000 S Aero is also a welcome companion on the ascent and is comfortable with the altitude difference. If you then go downhill again after the climbing unit, the aluminum brake flanks ensure solid braking behavior. Especially when it rains, these can stand out strongly from carbon flanks. In order to stay up to date, the wheelset is also available for common disc brakes.
