On my boundary I use FFWD Drift with 240 hubs for gravel with 43mm

For road I use FFWD Raw with 28mm 5Ks on them.

Also have a set of RYOT 77 too for it.

Very happy with wheels. Very nice quality and hubs and inexpensive date I say that.

TT bike I have Aerocoach Ultra rear and Zephyr front. (Just to add I’m not just a FFWD wheel
Guy)

The just announced Argon18 Grey Matter looks awesome for a VERY low entry price.

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Kiwami Racing Team

been a while but i finally put road wheels and tires on my GVR. 303 Firecrest with Conti GP5000 TR. i went with 30mm as i thought the frame with that 31mm seatpost may be a bit rigid....but i think i would have been ok with 28mm. The 38mm SS were ok on the road; maybe a bit grippy on hills, but the Zipps and contis transform the bike. It is so much faster and still really comfortable. Highly recommend the gravel bike (or road bike that can take big tires) + 2 wheelsets approach.

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And the question remains. where were you.

I’m not surprised. Been riding mine exactly this way for a couple years. Is it an aero road bike? Nope. Is it comfortable to ride long endurance rides? For sure.

How do the hed emporias compare to their Belgium’s or Ardennes?

The Canyon Grizl 6 comese in at under 1800.00. I haven't seen anyone mention the Grizl or Grail, any specific reason other than not in stock? lol.

I “replaced” my 1996 Trek 1220 road bike with a Trek Checkpoint. Quickly got myself a set of HED emporia’s and threw some Conti GP 5000 in 30 on it. Perfect combo I agree. I can roll out on fun gravel rides with the Bontrager/Gravel Kings and the next day throw the HED/Conti set on and cruise with friends on the roads and I am not feeling like the bike is what makes it hard to keep up (that would be the donuts).

I mentioned it in the first reply :)

The Grizl seemed like a good option to me, just wasn't in stock. The Grizl is probably better if you're planning to be mostly on trail and towards the easy singletrack end of the gravel spectrum (it can take larger tires I believe). Grail is probably better if you're planning a lot of road riding with some dirt/gravel.

I totally missed that. I read at a 3rd grade level, lol. Thanks for clarifying.

i haven't ridden the Belgiums or Ardennes and only used my Emporias on one bike with one set of tires (38mm panaracer GK SS). The Emporias have a 25mm internal rim width as opposed to 21mm. Should help with fitting wider tires. i have only used them with 38mm, so they still lightbulb a fair bit; but may be different with 30s. Others may have used them on the road with different tires, but the cheapest alu version i have seemed to be built for gravel. Sturdy, without a lot of compliance. Feels like they need the larger tires in order to be comfortable.

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And the question remains. where were you.

After almost a year riding the GVR with 2 sets of wheels i am seriously considering getting a modern dedicated road bike. This is largely a compliment to the road set up on my GVR rather than a criticism. I was sort of OK with my 2013 rim brake tarmac (with a 2009 10-speed former red groupset, now used as a 1x), with a 26mm max tire size, for road rides (at least in the dry) before i got the GVR, but now it feels a harsh ride when on rough roads, and i miss the disc brakes. The hoods are uncomfortable and neither me nor the bike shop can get rid of the creaks and rattles. Consequently i ride the GVR with the road wheels and tires much more than the tarmac. It is way more comfortable. Shifting is flawless (even front). Braking is so good it makes the rim brakes seem bad when i never noticed before. However, it is set up for gravel....maybe 3cm higher at the front than i would want for road, flared bars, 48 front large ring, a little short front end for the road, geometry and frame construction that saps a bit of the snap that my tarmac has. All perfectly fine as my back up bike, but now it has become the bike i ride on the road the most i am thinking about getting a relatively inexpensive (something like the TCR advanced for $2700) road bike or frame with my road fit, and moving across my zipp wheels and 30mm tires. Hopefully will have all i like about the GVR on the road and the tarmac in a single bike. The GVR will then be back to gravel duty or at least only rides with the gravel wheels and tires.

A few other random things from swapping the wheels regularly. My 2 sets aren't perfectly aligned with respect to the rotors. First couple of times swapping the wheels it was an ordeal to set them up without something rubbing on one of the rotors, it would take ages, and I'd use one of those little dino tools and several tries. Now it is second nature and takes no time at all. Most of the time i just do it by eye with the bike in the stand.

Also, with a nice gravel bike and fast wheels and tires i have days when i am almost as fast as on my road bike and days when i may be as much as 1 mph slower for what feels like the same effort. i think it is predominantly my position and aerodynamics, but there could be contributions from the extra 2lb and geometry related differences (longer chainstays). Also, i only have a powermeter on my road bike so in addition to not being able to do a direct comparison the road bike has the advantage of continually reminding me to keep the power up so i could just be putting in more effort.

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And the question remains. where were you.