Since riding gravel so much I find I’m a bit scared riding my 2008 Roubaix on busier roads with no disc brakes (yeah yeah, I know this is slowtwitch and discs are unnecessary, I’m not even saying I’m right, just that I feel like that.)
Can anyone recommend what wheels I can add to my 2020 Trek Checkpoint SL5 to make two nice road (-ish) wheels that I can swap on and ride it on the road?
Bonus points if you can name a place that actually has any stock, because as far as I can see nobody does…
Double bonus points if they’re in Canada…
The wheels that came stock on the Checkpoint are pretty solid road wheels. Unless Trek used a difference OEM build in Canada they are 17mm wide tubeless ready rim which are great for the road but less great for off road. On the higher end Checkpoints’s Trek moved to a 25mm wide rim which are much more ‘gravel’ rims. For context Trek via Bontrager makes good stuff and so you will have to spend more than you may think to buy road wheels that are actually better on the road.
It all depends on the type of road riding you want to do, but if I were you I would be looking to buy a wheelset with a wider rim for off-road use and then using the current hoops for road use. Sticking with Trek as an example the Bontrager Paradigm Comp 25 TLR are in my opinion an excellent option for gravel if you don’t want to break the bank. They aren’t fancy carbon nor are they the lightest available but you get a lot of performance for the cash. On the road side I put the Aeolus Comp 5 TLR Disc in a similar boat. Not a fancy race wheel and it doesn’t stand out from the crowd on the spec sheet but solid value for money.
I’d agree with Scott. No need to spend a fortune on fancy carbon wheels unless you really feel the need for bling, or need deep sections for racing. Also agree if the current wheels are on the narrow side for gravel, it likely makes sense to use them for road and put the gravel tyres on something new.
I replaced my road bike wheels last year. I got a set built on Kinlin XR31T alloy rims (31mm deep and 19mm internal width) and I’ve been very happy with them. They’re robust, provide excellent braking (rim brake), and should be pretty decent aerodynamically as shallow rims go. Quite honestly I don’t see much point in carbon, or fancy, unless I needed something especially aerodynamic for some reason… I’ve got the SwissSide Hadrons on my Tri bike should I need them for that, so I think I’m covered.
My view is that for most general purpose use, good wheels are as good and often better than “premium” wheels and they can cost quite a bit less. Carbon is not better just because its’ carbon.
I think Scott is pretty much spot on. The only thing to add would be to suggest that you choose wheels by internal rim width. My general rule is 19-21mm for road wheels and at least 23-25 on gravel wheels. Tires have gotten a lot wider in the last few years, but rim width has been slow to catch up.
I’m using a set of Velocity Ailerons with Hutchinson Sector (32c) for road use. With the potholes and frequent chip and seal in our area (central PA), that works well for me.
On my tri bike I use Velocity Quills and Conti 5000 tubeless. I’ve found Velocity wheels to be a good performance price point (compared to say HED Ardennes).
Yeah reasonably similar approach to me. I considered both of those Velocity rims along with the more expensive Boyd Altamont and Easton R90SL options myself. I liked the little bit of extra width (20mm vs 19mm) with Velocity but the little bit of extra depth and availability of the Kinlin XR31T clinched it. Decided the more expensive options didn’t offer much more for the money and weight and cost were similar between the Kinlin and Velocity options IIRC.
Got them assembled with Miche Primato hubs and Sapim aero spokes. Great performance, reliability, servicability and cost combo!
Don’t have much to add to the conversation except that in terms of ‘in stock’ I just bought a set of roval clx from competitive cyclist. They also had the lower end Enve wheels, which I think are tubeless only and not gp5000 approved, so crap in my opinion, but still available and much cheaper.
Don’t have much to add to the conversation except that in terms of ‘in stock’ I just bought a set of roval clx from competitive cyclist. They also had the lower end Enve wheels, which I think are tubeless only and not gp5000 approved, so crap in my opinion, but still available and much cheaper.
Does much cheaper still equate to ridiculously expensive compared to almost any other brand except Lightweight?
Don’t have much to add to the conversation except that in terms of ‘in stock’ I just bought a set of roval clx from competitive cyclist. They also had the lower end Enve wheels, which I think are tubeless only and not gp5000 approved, so crap in my opinion, but still available and much cheaper.
Does much cheaper still equate to ridiculously expensive compared to almost any other brand except Lightweight?
By saying Lightweight are you taking about Light Bicycle?
My new Ventum GS1 came stock and I’d like to upgrade the FSA wheels to something lighter and wider.
Don’t have much to add to the conversation except that in terms of ‘in stock’ I just bought a set of roval clx from competitive cyclist. They also had the lower end Enve wheels, which I think are tubeless only and not gp5000 approved, so crap in my opinion, but still available and much cheaper.
Does much cheaper still equate to ridiculously expensive compared to almost any other brand except Lightweight?
By saying Lightweight are you taking about Light Bicycle?
My new Ventum GS1 came stock and I’d like to upgrade the FSA wheels to something lighter and wider.
Per jimatbeyond’s link, Lightweight are brand. They make a number of components, most notably wheels. Some, perhaps all are very expensive.
I think the Meilenstein Obermayers are well on their way to €10k
Just contact Light Bicycle with exactly what you want and say you need it from what is in stock in the Canadian warehouse.
They’ll give you options and pricing and you’ll get it fast.
I did custom build with Light Bicycle and the wheels are amazing. However, build and ship from China was terribly slow.