Wheel poll: who builds the best wheelset? Small, little-known companies as well as well-known traditional manufacturers are bustling about in the wheel market, which has been on the move since the triumph of disc brakes. Velomotion outlines what has happened in the last few years and decades - and in the subsequent lightning survey there is a noble Gravel wheelset made of carbon to win.
Wheels are among the most fascinating components on road bikes and gravel bikes. No other component exerts such a complex influence on driving behavior and performance, and the advent of the disc brake has once again created scope for development, which manufacturers know how to use to overcome their "conflicting goals".
Impeller – Opposing properties
A wheelset should combine properties that are basically contradictory. It starts with the two basic aspects of stability and weight. The former should be high, the latter as low as possible – it goes without saying that compromises are necessary. In the age of rim brakes, a light aluminum rim was definitely to be understood as a wearing part; rim flanks that were braked through and irreparable radial run-outs were not uncommon. The latter was also due to a special feature of the material at the time: In order to save weight, aluminum rims in particular were very narrow - historical Mavic wire tire rims sometimes measure less than 20 mm on the outside. Such rims could only be used with narrow tires (19-23mm) that were run at high pressure to prevent failure; Impact loads were simply passed on to the rim.
A topic that has been around for a long time: aerodynamics
The importance of the wheels for air resistance was already an issue at the end of the 1970s, for example with the French pioneer Roval, but it was still many years before aero wheelsets became widely accepted. Apart from the high prices of the material, which was still exotic in the 90s, the problem was again a conflict of goals - deep aluminum rims like the legendary ones Campagnolo Although shamal were streamlined, they were so heavy that they had a noticeable effect on handling. Things got better when they succeeded in making rims from carbon fibers, which were significantly lighter but had other snags. The wet braking behavior in particular took some getting used to, and here and there there was a risk that the rims would get too hot during continuous braking, which could lead to tire bursts. Last but not least, many deep rims were very susceptible to side winds due to their unfavorable shape, which could reverse the aerodynamic advantages in some driving situations.
Nevertheless, deep carbon rims gradually prevailed, with wheel sets with aluminum rims still dominating the market. They too have evolved significantly, become lighter and aerodynamically more favorable without sacrificing stability. An aluminum wheelset with a reduced number of spokes can keep up aerodynamically with deep carbon wheels at medium speeds and is still a good choice - and not nearly as expensive as a carbon fiber wheelset.
The rim: not really made for braking
Both variants have benefited from the advantages offered by the disc brake. Because from now on, the rim is no longer involved as a "friction partner" - a job for which it was never really suitable anyway and to which it had to subordinate many things. Rims that are not taken in the (brake) caliper can be significantly lighter and wider without a major weight disadvantage. The latter is a good thing, especially since the trend for racing bikes is towards wider tires and gravel bikes are ridden with 40 mm and more anyway - tires that would not fit through any racing brake caliper. Disc wheels are much less affected by the conflicting goals mentioned at the beginning than their rim brake ancestors: They can be light and aerodynamic, while being stable and durable and with a large internal width tailored to modern tire formats. In addition, the manufacturers are much freer in the design, as Fulcrum proves with the "S Shape" profile: This improves the stiffness of the super-light Gravel wheelset.
Wheel poll: who builds the best wheelset?
As you can see, wheel manufacturers have put a lot of energy into optimizing their products in recent years, with different suppliers setting different priorities. Of course, this does not only apply to the rims; A lot has also happened with spokes and hubs - think, for example, of the silky-smooth cone bearings from Fulcrum and Campagnolo and the toothed pulley freewheels from DT Swiss. Certainly, some hype about cool new brands has meant that the traditional manufacturers in particular are not always considered the most innovative, which does them an injustice. Which leads to the question of how the different providers are perceived on the market - and we would like to address this to you. Our impeller mini-survey covers various aspects of six well-known suppliers; if you answer all the questions (which should only take two minutes), you will be entered into a prize draw for a Fulcrum Rapid Red Carbon wheelset for gravel bikes.
Legal Impeller Survey:
By taking part in the survey and entering your e-mail address, you will automatically be entered into the Fulcrum carbon wheelset competition. Email addresses or other data will not be passed on to third parties.
The winner will be notified by us via email and must reply within ten days whether the prize will be accepted. Otherwise, an alternate winner will be drawn. Anyone aged 18 and over may participate. Members of the editorial team and their relatives are excluded from participation. For technical reasons, delivery can only be made to an address within Germany or Austria. In the case of a necessary export from the EU, the winner has to declare the product himself.
If you have any questions, just send us an email ppgad@pucrs.br