The Radavist

There is no shortage of wheel manufacturers in the United States, which is a good thing, but there are very few carbon wheel manufacturers here so when a new one pops up, we have to share it. Gulo Composites is from Western North Carolina and make their wheels – road, MTB, gravel – in-house. Their GRX-SL is an Allpavé wheel meant for road, gravel, trail, and everything in between. These superlight, 22mm internal width rims were designed with a 2mm spoke hole offset which helps create a very balanced wheel and the spoke hole angles were optimized at each point to work in perfect conjunction with Gulo’s ETI hubs and their unique GIS – Gulo Integrated System – spoke system. Let’s look at this system in detail below.

HED’s line of gravel wheels, formerly known as “Eroica”, will now be titled “Emporia”, named after Emporia, Kansas. This change is being made out of respect to the international ride series “L’Eroica”. With this change comes a brand new wheel, dubbed the Emporia GC3 Pro. This wheel is a 30mm deep, full-carbon gravel wheel, featuring a 26mm internal width and weighing in at 1,395g per wheelset.

The Emporia GC3 Pro set is made in the USA and will retail at $2,200. Head to HED for more information!

Roval’s newest wheels are an ultra-light 1365 gram wheelset, which is even lighter on your wallet. The Alpinist CL pairs the lightweight climber’s Alpinist rim with the bombproof DT Swiss 350-series hubs and gossamer DT Swiss Aerolite spokes.

Alpinist CL Highlights:
-Carbon, Clincher (tube-type) / Rim Depth: 33mm  / Rim Width: 21mm internal
-Hubs: DT Swiss 350, CenterLock, Sealed Cartridge bearings, DT Swiss Star Ratchet internals, 12mm thru-axle compatible, convertible to Quick Release. Shimano HG freehub.
-Spoke Count: 24 front, 24 rear
-Spokes: DT Swiss Aerolite T-head
-Nipples: DT Swiss Alloy Pro Lock Hexagonal
-Front Spoke Pattern: Two-cross/Radial (2:1) Rear Spoke Pattern: One-cross/Two-cross (2:1)
-Hand-built
-Weight:  601g (f) 764 (r) 1365g (set)
-MSRP: $1600
-Extras: Roval padded wheelbag. No-Fault crash replacement policy. Lifetime warranty.

Available at Rovalcomponents.com and Roval/Specialized Retailers

Partnering with We Are One Carbon Composites, Industry Nine is pleased to announce their new carbon MTB wheels, which are made in North America. From XC racing, backcountry riding, Enduro and Downhill, Industry Nine has some wheels for every branch of MTB riding.

… yet we all know that you don’t have to be a weight weenie or a racer to appreciate a good set of XC wheels. Lighter, more durable wheels mean you can get out to your favorite loop with less rotational mass. Roval’s new Control SL Team Wheels come in at 1240 grams for the set, have a rim wall that is 4mm wide, offering up protection against pinch flats, and offer a 29mm internal rim width.

Specs:
-54t DT Swiss Star Ratchets for Precise Engagement
-Included Double Wheel Bag
-Team-Spec Metallic Blue Graphics
-MSRP $2650

See more at Roval.

It’s no secret that we love earth tone themes over here at the Radavist. Which is why we’ve taken a liking to Cerakote, the durable and thin coating – .5 mil thick! – that is baked on like a powder but at lower temperatures. John’s Sklar’s finish is Cerakote and we’re seeing more and more integration with frames but very few component applications. That’s why this Rodeo Labs project caught our eye. They went extra dirty with this one with the Elite Earth color on everything, including their Rodeo 2.0 rims. Check out more photos below!

ENVE will always have their high-end wheelsets but to make the brand more accessible, they developed the all-new Foundation Wheels. These are their second-tier pricepoint products, made to the same standards as all their wheels, but with a few key differences. Think of them like the Force, or the Ultegra, when compared to Red or Dura-Ace on the road side and the XO1, or XT, to the XX1 and XTR on the mountain side.

These are still made in the USA, but feature external nipples, plus a pinch-flat resistant lip, and are backed by the same lifetime warranty as their standard wheels. On the mountain bike side, there are the new AM30 wheels (all-mountain), and on the road/gravel side, the 45 & 65 wheels.

These wheels have molded spoke holes, where the carbon weave is not penetrated, offering continuity in the structure, versus drilling, which ultimately weakens the material. During our discussions, we worked out launching these wheels on three framebuilder bikes, starting with a Falconer. Over the next few days, we’ll look at two more US-made bikes showcasing the new AM30, 45 and 65 wheels… For now, check out more information at ENVE and see the road launch video below!

It doesn’t matter if you want Enduro or XC wheels, Industry Nine’s newly designed MTB wheel catalog has the right wheelset for your staple bike. Each of these newly-engineered and re-designed carbon rims come paired with the new 6-pawl Hydra hub, direct thread straight-pull spokes, and a lifetime warranty. Customize your own design, like Spencer did for his Orbea Loki, or go with jet black at Industry Nine’s ano lab or through your local dealer.

With a weight coming in at 1575grams and setting you back $1300 for the wheelset, the Bontrager Aeolus Pro 3V is a bomb-proof, yet most importantly, more affordable carbon wheels option, perfect for road, all-road, or straight up gravel riding and racing. To be honest, with a price point like that, it’s hard to deny the appeal of these wheels but let’s dive into the details of Bontrager’s assembled in the US carbon disc wheels. I’ve been using these wheels for over eight months now and have some thoughts on what to expect…

From NC to BC, cutting edge carbon technology meets the groundbreaking Industry Nine Hydra hub and aluminum spoke chassis. Introducing the largest i9 carbon mountain wheel offering to date, available now.  The collection includes the Ultralite 280, Trail 280, Enduro 315, Grade 315 and Enduro 355. The new carbon rims are built on a partnership with Canadian carbon manufacturer, We Are One Composites and are hand laid in Kamloops, BC. 

With a complete lineup of ten new carbon mountain bike wheelsets, the new collection provides high-performance options across all disciplines of riding, from XC to Downhill. We Are One represents an ideal partner thanks to their unrivaled quality and reputation in carbon manufacturing as well as logistical advantages from manufacturing in North America. The collaboration allows for quicker and more efficient delivery, a shorter prototyping phase, increased ordering flexibility, and avoids tariff uncertainty surrounding manufacturing abroad. 

Riders have the full assortment of 11 anodized color options as well as fitment options for all modern mountain bike specs. The wheels will be offered in either 24 or 32 spoke counts depending on the application of the wheel. Every wheelset is backed by a Lifetime Warranty.  The new era of Industry Nine carbon mountain wheels starts at $2,250 and is available now. For more information visit www.industrynine.com.

CSS Composites has been working on new recyclable carbon technology dubbed Fusion-Fiber for some time now and have partnered with Revel Bikes to produce their new US-made wheels! What differentiates these wheels from other offerings is that the material is 100% recyclable. Not 1%, not 10%, 100%! This is huge when you consider how much carbon material is thrown away!

This technology inspired Revel to produce their first-ever rim, the RW30.

Revel has rims and wheels available now in 27.5 and 29”. The RW30 is an enduro/trail-rated rim. The 27.5 rim weighs 440 grams and the 29er weighs 470 grams. Of course, Revel worked with their good friends at Industry Nine, and all complete Revel wheels will be built with their hubs. Wheels are available with 1/1 or Hydra hubs and Sapim D-light spokes.

Rims retail for $700 each, 1/1 complete wheels are $1975 and Hydra complete wheels are $2200.

The newest product from HED Cycling is their Eroica gravel wheels. Weighing only 1340 grams for the pair, these wheels feature HED’s signature Dual-Axis Nipple Alignment, allowing for equal load distribution in any terrain.

Eroica Carbon Gravel Bike Wheels Specs:
Wheel Weight: front 625 grams rear 729 grams
Wheel Size: 700C
Hub: front CL Flanged, 12x100mm, rear CL Flanged, 12x142mm
Spokes: Sapim Laser
Spoke Length: front 284mm, rear 280/284mm
Spoke Cross: 2x
MSRP: starting at $1,100

Bontrager announced a major change to its warranty program for carbon wheels recently, upgrading the program to include a lifetime warranty against defect while keeping the Carbon Care Wheel Loyalty Program, which offers free replacement or repair of any Bontrager carbon wheels that sustain damage from riding within the first two years of ownership. This new lifetime warranty covers all Bontrager carbon wheels for road and mountain bikes and comes at no additional cost to the purchaser. It includes all Bontrager carbon wheels purchased aftermarket as well as those that come stock on Trek bikes. This program applies to the original owner only.

Today Boyd Cycling announced the latest wheel to enter their alloy gravel wheelset division, the CCC. These wheels are lightweight and durable, complementing Boyd’s current carbon Pinnacle 700c and Jocassee 650b offering. Best of all, they come in at a $700 price point.

The CCC got its name from the Civilian Conservation Corps, a voluntary public unemployment program designed to provide jobs during the Great Depression. Still to this day “Old CCC” roads can be found deep in the wood. CCC wheels feature:

-6069 series alloy rim weighs in at 415 grams in a 700c size and 395 grams in the 650b.
-Built with Boyd’s own Quest Disc Brake hubs
-Complete wheelset 1515 grams for 700c set and 1475 grams for the 650b.
-Spoke options 24f/28r and 28f/32r
-Built with Pillar Wing 20 spokes and external brass nipples.
-Hubs:Shimano Hyperglide, Sram XDR, and Shimano Microspline drivers and feature tool-free swapping of axle end caps and drivers.

MTB wheels, especially the ones with aluminum rims, are easily the most abused product in my bike closet. They’re also the hardest to review, honestly. Reviewing wheels accurately and in a comprehensive way can be as elusive as a fast friend’s wheel in the woods. When Industry Nine gave me a set of their Backcountry 360 wheels, featuring their new Hydra hubs last year, I was amazed at not only the build quality of the wheels but the vast improvement of their newly-engineered Hydra hubs. Read on below.

Industry Nine’s ENDURO S 101 28H – for trail to all-mountain – and TRAIL S 101 28H – for XC to aggressive trail – run the gamut of mountain wheelsets with i9’s 101 Classic hubs, j-bend spokes, and a 2-year warranty. Best of all is the price, starting at $750 for the wheelset. Head to Industry Nine for all the details and your local dealer to order!