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The wheels are usually the biggest upgrades we make to our bikes, and the following are the best we have reviewed on road.cc in the past year.
We did not rank wheels as we did in the various bicycle categories of the year, but we presented three awards:
When we reviewed them, all the rounds here have an overall score of at least 8 (out of 10), most of them have a score of 9, and one round even has a score of 10, so you are looking at our highly recommended list of excellent rounds .
The quoted price is the same as the price of the various rounds at the time of our review, regardless of whether there has been an increase thereafter. If you are interested in purchasing any specific wheel set, please click on the relevant heading.
By the way, the wheels...
Strade is Parcours' first wheel set entirely designed in-house, which is impressive. The wheels can be handled well under all conditions, they only use disc brakes, tubeless are ready and optimized for 28mm tires, leading the trend. For their price tag of less than £1,000, we really can't ask them for more during the testing period.
Although many of the carbon fiber wheels you will find under grand pianos use rim profiles (called open molds) that can be widely used by any company, Strade is the result of a year of research and a development project in collaboration with Nottingham Trent University , Involving CFD analysis and extensive wind tunnel testing.
On the road, stability was immediately apparent, and their performance in the crosswind left a deep impression on us. Last year we had a particularly windy spring and summer, but regardless of the weather, we were confident in running the Strade wheels and never felt that the handling was affected.
They are also very sturdy, with almost no obvious bends on our rugged regular training routes, even in the saddle. A 28mm tire blasting about 30mm on a wide rim would certainly help a lot, but the wheels also provide enough comfort to keep the edges away from dangerous roads.
The Scribe Race-D wheelset proves that aluminum still has a place in bicycle components. It weighs only 1,479 grams and can easily be mistaken for a more expensive wheel set. The wheels have a "modern" 19mm internal width, are tubeless out of the box, and include tubeless valves, spare spokes, and all adapters you might need. Overall, this is a very impressive Scribe kit and a great set of wheels for upgrading heavy wheels or training throughout the year.
Scribe managed to create a very competitive kit that provides all the durability, sturdiness, lightness and speed most riders would expect. This shouldn’t be too surprising-the 365 Disc wheelset we tested in January was also very impressive, now with an improved ratchet hub and lighter guard plate, Race-D wheels. The group is even better!
Edco Maloja (now renamed All Road, the price has dropped to £649.99 since our review) is an excellent deep "daily, all-weather" wheel set. For such a high-quality carbon fiber option, its price is also very competitive, and the braking performance has reached the best level we have used.
At 50 mm deep, they provide some aerodynamic advantages, and they will definitely feel lively at high speeds, where the gain is more pronounced. They provide a comfortable riding experience, so if you go out for a long time, you won't be hit by too harsh carbon fiber laminates.
The 24-spoke rear and 20-spoke front construction provide sufficient lateral rigidity and are paired with 21 mm internal width rims. The front part is radially tied, and the rear part is radially tied with two crosses on the driving side and the non-driving side. The spokes come from Sapim and use pneumatic blades with J-shaped bends at the hub.
Edco's carbon fiber blend is just right. These are the best brake wheels we have ever ridden on wet and dry ground. In a humid environment, you still need to spin the wheel like any rim to remove the water, but once it's done, the mat can grip well and let you stop quickly without feeling mad at all.
Just Riding Within Mahi Mahi 40 carbon fiber disc wheels are designed to be a universal choice. They are very light and hard, with a rim depth of 40 mm, which also helps to increase their speed. You would expect this to come at a price. Although the £850 price will certainly not make them cheap, they are more affordable than most competitors and also offer additional customization.
All Mahi Mahi wheels are handmade to order. Options include three different rim depths-30 mm, 40 mm and 50 mm-as well as hubs that can meet all axle widths, flywheel types and disc mounting imaginable. Sapim CX-Ray spokes are used as standard, but there are brass or aluminum spokes to choose from, there are 11 colors to choose from, there are many different decal options, and there is no additional delivery time (currently all stock components are five days , Which is impressive for a fully customized manual wheel set).
The Mahi Mahi wheel set achieves a low total weight without sacrificing performance: 24 Sapim CX-Ray bladed spokes cross front and back, and Shimano splines with "anti-bite" steel splines prevent the flywheel from wearing. It may be a problem with the alloy box. Multiple freehub options can be used when building, including Shimano, SRAM XD, XD-R, and Campagnolo.
In general, these are impressive lightweight carbon fiber wheels, responsive, with on-road and off-road capabilities. It is easy to install tubeless tires, and the price is competitive.
Roval's Alpinist CLX wheels are light and strong, making them ideal for climbers. The low rim height can still provide good rolling speed on flat roads, and the contour of the rim matches the 26 mm tire very well. For some people, the lack of tubeless compatibility will be a big problem.
When it works, tubeless tires are great, but testing so many wheels and tubeless tires does show how many combinations do not work well at all. Setting these with inner tubes and Maxxis High Road SL clinchers is easy, and we are of course simple fans.
If you have not given up on the pliers, then we can learn more about how these wheels drive. As you might suspect, this 33 mm deep carbon fiber wheel set is very light and weighs only 1,250 grams with the rim tape installed. We used Alpinist CLX on S-Works Venge and Merida Reacto for testing. Both times, the bike accelerated significantly faster, especially Merida, who became an excellent climber.
Rock climbing is where wheels are really good, and we like to use them in local climbing. When you really want to play on steeper slopes, the wheels are hard enough to transmit power, and we find that they are very suitable for these high-power efforts without noticeable bending.
Their performance on flat ground is not too bad, although when the speed exceeds 40 km/h, they cannot match the deeper wheels. But riding on those flat roads before going up the mountain is not a slow experience. When the speed increased slightly, we were happy to sit at the 30kph mark and follow the wheels of our teammates. Low depth also means easy handling, we never feel the wind pushing us.
Overall, Roval Alpinist CLX wheels are an excellent choice for climbers and those looking for low-key design. They are not compatible with tubeless tyres, which will undoubtedly annoy some people, but the rim contours are great and the wheels perform well.
Prime has created a strong and lightweight kit for its Kanza 650B Carbon Gravel wheels. Wide rims make it easy to install larger tires, and they can withstand a lot of abuse on the track. At less than 1,600 grams, they are also responsive, and you certainly can’t complain about the price.
Nowadays, many gravel bicycles are equipped with smaller diameter 650B wheels, which surpass the more standard 700C, or at least have a frame set designed to work with them. If you are looking for an upgrade, then these Kanza wheels are A good choice to start.
The wider tires can easily be used with the wheel's 32 mm wide rim (24.5 mm internal), and have a beautiful round profile after installation.
When driving at high speed on our local gravel track, we had some "moments" and hit a few potholes, which were sometimes almost impossible to see due to the color of the stone and the angle of descent. The noise is not good, but Kanzas calmly dealt with it, and it did not affect their authenticity.
In general, when it comes to performance and manufacturing quality, it is hard to blame Kanzas for the money.
The Campagnolo Bora WTO 60 Disc wheels are super fast, have great rideability, and are very expensive! Despite the depth of the edges, they have very good handling and perform well in windy conditions. This is a very good racing wheel.
If you have two big bucks to spend on fancy deep-section wheels, then these are well worth considering. They are as fast as they look and use Campagnolo's excellent 2-way bonding technology, which reduces weight and is predictable under test conditions.
The acceleration of the WTO in the 1960s was excellent, and I was very happy to drive at high speeds. The car is currently closed, so the hardest thing we have ever ridden with them is that they performed well in some socially distant groups riding and chasing KOM. We believe that when the race starts again, they will be very suitable for certain flat circuits.
Not all of our riding is done on flat places. When we brought the WTO to Mendip Hills in the 1960s, we were impressed with the climbing ability of such deep wheels, especially in steeper places. If you feel the need to step on the pedals, they will spin quickly and perform well when dragged for long periods of time.
If you are going to spend so much money, then you will need an excellent set of wheels, thank goodness, this is what you get. Bora WTO 60 Disc wheels are very hard, fast on flat ground, and their climbing ability is also very good. The crosswind stability is good, and the weight is not too bad.
Hunt 4050 Carbon Aero Disc is an excellent all-round performance wheel set. The wheels provide a little aerodynamic improvement, they are lightweight and durable, and they are very affordable. Their width also makes them compatible with various tires.
The 4050 wheelset is based on 40 mm deep front wheels and 50 mm rear wheels. If your main goal is speed, then in-depth can provide you with better aerodynamic performance, but the downside may be increased weight and handling of shaking in high winds. This wheel set provides more discipline load balancing. After installing the tires, even a 40mm front wheel is enough to deceive the air, but when riding through the farm gate, you won't see the handlebars taken away from you on a windy day.
The weight of just 1,472 grams (including tubeless tape out of the box) means they are also very light when climbing and accelerating.
Scrubbing too many grams can cause problems, especially if you are a bigger or stronger rider. We have used a large number of wheels under 1,500 grams, they will bend significantly when riding from the saddle, but Hunts is not among them. Hammering to climb or stay away from the light, none of these will give anything. They also provide a comfortable and smooth ride.
There is no sacrifice in durability to make such a lightweight wheel set. We spent about six weeks on various test bikes, drove hundreds of miles along the canal path, and rode and blasted light gravel. They survived everything and everything is fine.
In general, the wheelset provided by Hunt is suitable for almost all road projects, but it is especially suitable for those who want to balance speed and mountain weight. The build quality is top-notch, and considering all these factors, we highly recommend them.
The Vision SC 40 wheelset is for those who want carbon fiber but don't want to pay a huge price. They have fully achieved this goal and only need to make some compromises to help them reach a price of less than £1,000. They are strong, stable, and—in this form of rim brake—provide reliable, if unobtrusive, braking in the rain.
The SC 40s is also available in a disc version, or with a depth of 55 mm for more aerodynamic focus, if you like. But 40 mm is an excellent choice for both aerodynamics and climbing performance.
They are the latest, with an inner rim width of 19 mm-an outer rim of 25 mm-allowing 25 mm tires to be extended to the maximum width, while 28 mm tires can also be installed smoothly.
SC 40s is an all-round product with high quality and low price. The 40 mm rims have good wind resistance, and the rounded edge profile makes them very stable in crosswinds. This is an easy-to-operate carbon fiber wheel set and one of the most stable wheels we have ever encountered.
They accelerate quickly, easily maintain a good rhythm, and also help to carry out short-term work in stable headwinds.
The new Scribe Aero Wide 50-D carbon fiber disc wheel set provides almost everything needed for a fast road wheel set: impressive aerodynamics, low weight, high rigidity and sufficient durability, while the price is less than 1,000 GBP.
The weight is 1,463 grams (803 grams at the rear and 660 grams at the front), including the tubeless rim tape installed at the factory. They are very light, which makes us wonder what sacrifices have been made to achieve this goal. This is certainly not durability: we have installed a set of 42mm gravel tires for them, and there are about 100 miles of tough gravel under Scribes, and they are still as real and squeak-free as when we received them.
If you have any questions, Scribe provides a three-year warranty for defects in materials or workmanship for the wheels. In addition, if you unfortunately damage them while riding, all carbon fiber models of the original purchaser have a lifetime collision replacement plan.
It may seem strange to see the rims sticking out from each side of the tire while riding, but the results are impressive. Both Hunt and Specialized wheels have similar functions in their range, and we have seen significant differences. It takes much less effort to keep your bike running at a faster speed.
The Pacenti Picco 46mm Disc Clamp Wheelset is not only concerned with weight or aerodynamics-it provides these, but without sacrificing stiffness, the most important thing is durability. These are all suitable all-rounders. They act quickly on flat ground and do not slack on the slopes. If you find yourself strayed off the beaten track, they will receive a lot of insults.
The 46 mm deep round profile rim is optimized for use with 28 mm road tires, thanks to its 24 mm inner width and the fact that its widest outer point is 29.6 mm-approximately three points below the rim. One part to get better performance aerodynamics.
There are some obvious aerodynamic advantages on the road-for wheels that are not very deep, they can still fly at higher speeds. As a shallower contact than some, Piccos will not be affected by crosswinds or turbulent air when you are overtaken by an HGV or slipstream.
Each set is completely handmade, and the spokes are very tight. The level of rigidity is very high, even on rough roads, it will not produce harsh feelings.
From the absolute quality and solid feel of Pacentis, you can see that this is indeed a top-notch wheelset, with no corners. They will not disappoint you-they are definitely a long-term investment for all types of riders and riding styles.
Zipp is an early pioneer of carbon fiber bicycle wheels. The launch of the new 303S wheel set shocked the road and all-road wheel markets with new technology, high performance, lifetime warranty and unexpected prices. This is Zipp's first carbon fiber wheel set to retail at a retail price of £1,000.
Under vigorous acceleration and sprinting, there is no obvious lateral bending-this is easy to verify, because the frame gap on the test bike we used is almost not a millimeter! In general, the feeling is a very sensitive wheelset.
Another noteworthy feature is how stable they feel in the changing winds of the real world. Throughout the test, under various weather conditions, even if there are sudden gusts and unexpected crosswinds from the gateway, the 303S is still easy to control and will not move suddenly. We are happy to use these wheels throughout the year, regardless of wind conditions, this is their stability and confidence in riding.
Although we were initially skeptical about running low tire pressures-the recommended maximum was only 72psi-when we lowered to 51/57psi, it felt positive. If you jump directly from a 25mm tire under a pressure of 100 psi, it will undoubtedly feel completely different, but for us, the tire will not soften or twist even when making sharp turns.
Comfort and grip will depend on the exact tire used, but compared to 25mm innertube tires, any rubber under this pressure will feel comfortable. Therefore, riding on bumpy roads and lanes is significantly more comfortable and feels faster. The combination of lower recommended pressure and straight-edged design may make some people worry that it is not safe, but after using the wheel for more than 2,000 kilometers, we never had any "hiccups" or feeling the tires move from the rim during riding. open.
The 303S is an impressive and versatile wheel set with reasonable weight and off-road capability. The straight-edged tubeless design is convenient for tire installation, and has good overall performance and speed under various typical British roads and conditions. For riders who have accepted the benefits of tubeless or are ready to start, these wheels are impressive.
Prime's Baroudeur Road Disc wheels provide excellent value, outstanding performance and robust manufacturing quality, making them an excellent everyday choice. They are easy to set up tubeless, equipped with everything to help you move forward, and can be used for on-road, off-road and gravel riding. They are a great upgrade to cheap stock wheels.
Baroudeur Discs may seem nothing special, but they are absolutely great. Brands are subtle, and at such a low price, you might ignore them and think they are of poor quality. But the price of this aluminum disc wheel pair is much higher than its price point.
The rim is dedicated to disc brakes, with an inner width of 19 mm, an outer width of 22 mm, and a depth of 30 mm. Its circular profile provides a good balance between low-weight climbing, stability in windy conditions, and a bit of aerodynamics, helping you maintain speed on flat ground.
We used them for general cycling and found that they are very capable, able to easily maintain speed on flat and undulating roads, and are also very fast when going uphill.
We also asked them to install a pair of 33mm off-road bike tires, and they again showed no problem, abusing off-road riding while spinning fast from corners.
For gravel riders, the internal rim width of 19 mm means that you will push it with tires over 40 mm. On top of this, we will study gravel-specific wheels with wider rims, but for hybrid road, gravel and off-road vehicles, these are excellent.
Prime Baroudeur Disc wheels have very good performance in a wide range of riding, and have a very competitive weight and great value price, excellent value for money, especially if you are looking for a cheap upgrade from the original wheel Condition.
Why are they our best budget choices? At this price, you really can't fault them. They are an excellent upgrade to cheap stock wheels, and spare parts are easy to get, if needed, they will be easily refreshed after you have gone through a long and difficult mileage.
Roval Rapide CLX aims to become the fastest wheel set in the real world, and is committed to weight and aerodynamic optimization, giving up tubeless tire compatibility. This will certainly cause disagreements, but there is no doubt that the result is a silly fast wheel set that balances the aerodynamic advantages of deep rims with the weight reduction and improved handling of shallower wheels.
Unpacking the boxes of these wheels, it is not the depth but the width that attracts attention. At the rear, you will find an external width of 30.7 mm, which is very wide and helps prevent the modern trend of 25 mm and 28 mm road tires from "bulging" on the rims. In comparison, the size of Campagnolo Bora WTO 60 Disc wheels is 26.1 mm, which is by no means narrow!
Then there are the front rims with an outer width of up to 35 mm! Yes, the entire 3.5 cm rim-enough to dwarf most road tires, and very aggressive. Even gravel rims are rarely so wide.
Why is it width? Roval said that it increases the stability of the wheels, not having to fight the wind will save important energy for the rider and make the wheels faster. In any case, this is their theory.
The lack of quality means Rapides can accelerate quickly and climb surprisingly easily-we set up a large number of climbing PR during the test, although the previous efforts were carried out on tubular wheels designed specifically for climbing.
We tested them for about 2,000 kilometers under all conditions, and everything was fine; the sealed ceramic cartridge bearings were still smooth and fast, and despite hitting some invisible potholes during normal heavy blows, the two wheels were still Real and without scars.
The only heavy part of these wheels is the elephant in the room-they lack tubeless tyre compatibility. Roval is almost a prime turn in this regard, and Rapides (together with the new Alpinist wheels) are only available for tubes.
Now, we have never found that the older CLX50 is the easiest to install tubeless tires, but letting the manufacturer hype it faster does encourage us to make the leap. Like many people, we still have a wait-and-see attitude towards them, and Roval's move will only add to confusion. This is not to say that we ran into problems with the running pipe, but it would be great if there was a choice.
So why is this wheelset our benchmark? In terms of performance, it's hard to ignore these wheels. They are very fast in depth and very light. The question we are asking about racing wheels is "Are they faster than Rapide CLX?"
Hunt said that due to its patented Limitless technology, its 48 Limitless Aero Disc wheels are the fastest disc brake-compatible road wheels with a depth of up to 50 mm (including 50 mm). Obviously, expanding the scope is the key. According to their performance in the real world, Hunter can indeed make a difference. These wheels are fast!
Hunter and many others say that when the tire and wheel are considered together, the rim is wider than the tire to produce the most effective airfoil shape.
After numerous wind tunnel tests and interpretation of the results, Hunt determined that the outer width of the 28mm tubeless tire (Schwalbe Pro One) is 34.5mm and the depth is 48mm. However, keeping the inner rim width at 22.5 mm means that you will not lose compatibility with narrower 25 mm or even 23 mm tires.
Compared to the many 40mm to 50mm deep wheels we have used, Hunts makes the bike feel that it does not require much power to maintain a given speed, especially when we talk about higher speeds.
The round profile of the rim will not be affected by crosswinds or when large vehicles pass at high speed. The only time we twitched a bit was when we passed an exposed gateway on a windy day.
The level of stiffness is also impressive. Hard acceleration and climbing will not give people any feeling of bending.
Taking into account their size and the amount of materials used, even if the tires are tightly hit, Hunts will not cause a bad riding experience.
Including the rim tape installed at the factory, the weight of the pair is 1,690 grams. This is not as light as the Scribe Aero Wide 50-D, weighing 1,463 grams, but considering the aerodynamic advantages, you won't notice any difference except for the steepest slopes.
The 48 Limitless wheels are priced at £1,289. Although more expensive than many wheels in the Hunt series, they are still excellent value for money.
They are more expensive than Scribe Wide, which is a very good set of wheels, priced at £870. However, for us, hunting is faster.
Our Editors’ Choice Award is a close match between this wheelset and Pacenti Picco (above). Why did we give it to Hunt wheels? Overall, the Hunt 48 Limitless Aero Disc wheels provide a significant performance improvement over many other deep-section wheels, and they are well-made. We also found that Hunt’s aerodynamics statement, supported by test data, was very convincing. These are indeed excellent wheels.
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The son of a marathon runner and the nephew of the national 24-hour champion, racing genes have completely surpassed him. After joining road.cc as a reviewer in 2016, Liam quickly started writing feature articles and news reports. After living in Canada for a while, he spends most of his time eating broth in the UK and abroad, although he prefers the muddy fields of cross-country bikes. So far, his biggest game victory is to be at the front of the café queue.
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