Hi all,
I would love to get some feedback regarding my gravel wheelset options. I have a Canyon Grail 2019, carbon frame, Ultegra setup, stock wheels. I would like to upgrade to carbon, wide wheels, not too deep 30-45mm. No budget restriction (within reason), but I would prefer something with a good value proposition and a recognizable brand name.
Here are the options:
Some notes:
The Hunt’s seem like an incredible value proposition. Exactly what I want, at the right price. What is the catch?
Roval Terra also very strong candidate, very light wheelset …and at least on paper, better brand than Hunt.
Enve, Zipp very good specs and name, but the price is reflecting those things.
DT a bit heavy.
Questions:
Am I overlooking any relevant wheelsets?
Am I considering the right factors in my decision?
Are the weight differences between these wheelsets even noticeable?
Should I buy the bullet for the expensive brand names or is Hunt a real value gem?
I would add the ENVE Foundation G25 / G28 wheels into the equation. $1K less and 95+% of the performance. Same for the Zipp 303 S wheels.
*Disclaimer - I am riding for the ENVE Racing team this year, but would have made the same recommendation either way. The Foundation wheels (and the comparable Zipp wheels) are great values, IMO.
Thanks!. I should have mentioned that I already have the 303s as my road wheels, for the same bike. Also, YES those ENVE wheels look very good, I just wish they were at least 30mm deep.
LightBicycle has a copy of the 3.4ARs that I built on 240s for my gravel rig. I have been riding them hard for 18 months and they are flawless. A little over $1k if I remember correctly.
I really want to try them. I know 3t has a rim that is like this and Josh from silica raves about them. They would be the most aero gravel wheel and give you the most air in the tires.
I have the Bontrager Pro 3V which are a little on the heavy side, but when I bought them were the only wheels I could find. Bontrager also has the RSL variant which are lighter. I’ve thought of going weight weenie and right now I can get the Terra CLX which are even lighter, but in the Enve price range. I like Enve but not ready to commit to hookless.
Add hookless to your decision tree, in case tire selection matters.
The Pro3v have the loudest HUB ratchet EVER. I have the 3v and RSL and cant tell much of a difference. My RSL have pathfinder pros which might cause me not to notice the weight savings though.
that would be the other reason for upgrading from Pro 3V… but on the bright side I don’t have to announce myself to people on the bike trail as I leave the neighborhood, and its great motivation to always be pedaling
And gravel out here is mostly dirt roads with scattered rocks, I’ve been using 32c 5000 TL and Pirelli Cinturato Velo TLR.
Great point. It’s worth considering the price differential in the equation. Say the 35 Hunt at $979, vs the $2300 Zipp. The Hunt will have to break more than 3 times with no replacement to be cheaper than Zipp. But I also don’t want to deal with the hassle of broken wheels. I will ponder.
Twice I had wheel road rash after flatting at speed. Enve replaced wheel no questions asked. Also had a small crack near valve stem, again replaced no questions asked. Five years ago they had the best warranty. Others have updated their warranties. You should read the warranties, they aren’t the same (including Enve vs 5 years ago). Lifetime often means a discount after the 2nd year.
You also need to pay attention to the hubs with the wheels. The Roval Terra wheels uses DT, which are know to be extremely reliable. I have a set of the terra wheels and love them, super light, 25 mm internal and corner great. They also have crash warranty….it think it no questions asked for first 2 year, then a discounted replacement after, but not 100% sure of details
I have the Zipp 303 FC’s. I can’t say enough good things about them! Don’t dismiss the fact that they are the deepest and lightest of your 3 choices. They do better with crosswind than my previous set of wheels that were only 20mm deep.
I also have a set of the Zipp 303 firecrests and they are damn impressive. They roll fast and handle crosswinds great. I ran them last year in a 155 mile event and a couple of 100 milers. They performed perfectly and I’ve never flatted with them.
I’ve also ran them on my road bike w/ 28s. Very fast on the road too.
Chris King is another one to consider. I have Enve and Roval wheels and they have both been really solid. Hard to go wrong… availability might be an important factor
I have 1 season on the Roval and love them. I upgraded from my zipp 303. They are nice and wide and stable. You get the great DT internals. You can’t go wrong.
