Zwift’s latest release includes a new wheelset from CADEX: the Max 50. Like other road wheelsets added to Zwift in recent months, these new hoops attempt to do it all, combining strong aero performance and light weight:
It’s been almost 5 years since the last CADEX road wheelset dropped in Zwift, so it’s good to see something fresh from the company in the Drop Shop. Here’s how the CADEX Max 50 wheelset is described there:
Max 50 represents the ultimate expression of CADEX performance engineering, combining exceptional aerodynamic efficiency, high stiffness, and ultralight weight. The integrated Max hub and spoke system is paired with Super Aero carbon spokes to transfer power efficiently and cut through the air with minimal drag as Dynamic Balanced Lacing delivers precise handling and a responsive ride feel.
The wheels are now available in the Drop Shop, accessible at level 29 and above, for 680,000 Drops. They are rated 4 stars for aero and 4 for weight, a very high rating only shared by two other wheelsets in Zwift. But since Zwift’s 4-star rating system isn’t precise enough for our tastes, we ran these wheels through our standard battery of tests to determine exactly how they perform in Zwift and stack up against other wheelsets.
Let’s dive in and learn all about the in-game performance of CADEX’s Max 50 in Zwift!
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
The Max 50 essentially matches the CADEX 65 in terms of flat performance, although it’s a bit off the pace of the latest crop of super all-arounders like the Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 650, Princeton Carbonworks Wake 6560, ENVE SES 4.5 PRO, and the new Miche Deva RD 62.
The CADEX Max 50 puts 31.8 seconds into our stock 32mm carbon wheelset across an hour of flat riding. By comparison, the top non-disc wheelset, the Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 650, beats the stock wheelset by 46.8 seconds, while the DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 85/Disc beats it by 50 seconds.
Climb Performance
CADEX is known for their amazingly light wheels, and the Max 50 are no exception. Their climb performance is impressive, beating all other wheels in the game except the category-leading Princeton Carbonworks Wake 6560 and the Princeton Carbonworks Alta 3532, which are the overall top climbing wheels in Zwift.
The Max 50 trims 11.1 seconds off our stock wheel’s climb time across an hour, while the Princeton Carbonworks Wake 6560 trims off 12.7 seconds, and the Princeton Carbonworks Alta 3532 trims off 14.5 seconds.
Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using the Zwift Carbon frame.
Conclusions
As an update to the CADEX offerings in Zwift, the new Max 50 wheels make the other CADEX wheels feel quite dated, since they outperform all those older wheelsets on both flats and climbs. This is what we would expect, though.
The wheels also perform nicely as climb-focused all-arounders, “trading seconds” with the Princeton Alta wheels, which are ~3 seconds slower on flats but ~3 seconds faster on climbs.
These wheels have been, or will soon be, added to the following posts:
- Master Zwift Wheels List (added)
- The Top 10 Wheelsets in Zwift
- Zwift Speed Tests: Wheel Ranking Charts
- Zwift Shopping Guide: What To Buy from the Drop Shop at Each Level
- Zwift Speed Tests Public Data (Google Sheet) (added)
Questions or comments?
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Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike's performance relative to others may also change. We don't always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top Performers for current performance data.
