Are you looking for a gravel wheel set for your next bikepacking adventures? I am! Over some time I have been building out my Surly Long Haul Trucker building it into a custom bikepacking bike. I love the steel frames and all ready have this bike so I made it a project over time to upgrade all the parts to make it my dream bikepacking rig.
At this time of writing this article I am looking for a gravel wheelset that is best for adventure cycling and that off-road bikepacking style of riding. As I am researching the internet and asking a large group of off-road bikepacking riders what gravel wheels they use and can recommend. I have come up with a detail list of some of the best gravel wheelsets you can look at if you are planning to get some new wheels for your rig.
Type of Riding
The type of riding will effect the type of wheelset you get. Gravel is such a broad area, it essentially includes, gravel racing, off-road bikepacking adventures, and even cyclocross potentially. Some wheels are better suited for gravel racing and not designed to cater for the added weight that can be expected for bikepacking adventures. So a bikepacking specific gravel wheelset is best for that and is often mentioned in the wheelset description on the sales page.
Wheelset Material
Material is something to consider when looking for a wheelset for bikepacking adventure in particular. If you are looking at carrying some gear on your bike a carbon wheelset may not be the best option as you will experience some wheel flex. Some have said they get quite a bit of lateral flex when climbing steep hills. Also Carbon is lighter this is proven to result in some faster riding speeds and better overall efficiency. Overall weight differences does not effect me that much personally and I don’t mind running Alloy for that little extra strength when the bike is loaded.
Configure Your Own Wheels
You could build your own wheels if you wanted. Get your local builder lace them, if you have no idea about getting the spokes on. In this article I have included some rim option to use as a base to build up. There is so many differ hubs and spokes that you can build from and those details will not be covered in this post, just want to make it only about wheelsets as much as possible for now.
The point of building your own wheelset is that you get to chose instead of going with pre packaged. The hubs are usually pretty generic on stock wheelsets when you buy them complete. But they may be decent. There is no limitations on hub rim combos but more they will generally be more expensive. It also just makes it more personal, you have a sense of pride knowing that your bike as a unique wheelset. And lets be real building stuff is fun! For example you could get some WTB KOM Tough i25 TCS Rims and build them with some DT Swiss 350s Hubs for a nice wheelset combination.
Triple butted spokes such as the sapim force and DT alipne 3 offer the best durability. 36 spoke rear with 32 front for carrying cargo, or just a heavy rider. 32 rear with 28 front for a lighter, and cheaper wheel build that’s still quite strong. Combine this with a good set of hubs and rims, and don’t forget that the skill of the builder is paramount. But if you are looking for just a wheelset like me then I have you covered.
*Below I have included some wheelsets and rims to choose from, if any of them are something that you would consider buying. Doing so through the affiliate link will give Cycle Travel Overload a commission, at no extra cost to you. Which goes into creating more great resources for the bike travel community.
These wheels are best for gravel and off road riding that require wider tires for exploring off the beaten path.
Enve G Series
The G23 700c from Enve is a true disc gravel wheelset, that is ENVE’s lightest 700c tubeless rim at 330 grams. Allowing you to accelerate quickly and ascend with ease. It has a technology, patent pending, called Wide Hookless Bead that is designed to arm against pinch flats. Designed to be tough and relentless on road, path or trail. Comes with a 23 mm internal width, and is up to use for serious mixed surface cyclists. The price is very steep starting at $2,550.00
Boyd Cycling
Boyd Cycling makes awesome affordable wheelsets, based in South Carolina. Offer Carbon Fibre and Alloy options. With the ALTAMONT ALLOY and ALTAMONT ALLOY LITE series. Described as a “bombproof aerodynamic alloy wheel.” That offers responsiveness, which is perfect for fast rides on the road, gravel, and cyclocross. You get a wide 20mm internal width. The Altamont is perfectly suited to road rides with 25mm+ tires and even gravel rides with up to 40mm tires.
On the carbon side you also get two options, with the JOCASSEE GRAVEL 650B and the PINNACLE HOOKLESS. For the Hookless wheelset they offer A competition ready, 700c Carbon Wheel designed ideally for gravel and cyclocross tires between 32-40mm in width. The Jocassee is a great wheel for someone who wants to have a really fun and comfortable ride on rocks or road! A great wheel to run a 47-48mm semi slick or a knobby 40-42mm.
Velocity USA
Velocity have some popular rim options, not complete sets but they do offer a couple rimes that are worth looking into, if you are looking to build a wheel they would make a great starting point. Velocity Dyad 700c, are one of the most versatile rims in Velocity’s lineup. They say these rims are best for touring, commuting, a tandem, cruiser or even a rim brake mountain bike. The Dyad is a bit wider than most, optimial for 25mm – 38mm tire widths and weighing in at 525 grams. MSRP: $80
Then there is the 29″ Velocity Blunt 35 rims. Which is useful for cross-country and all-mountain riders who are looking for lateral stiffness without so much weight, at 590 grams. The name 35 comes from the 35 mm width, which gives any wheel built with it a larger footprint, equalling more traction.
Hunt Superdura Dynamo Disc Wheelset
Hunt make some great all round bikepakcing wheelsets. But more specifically there Superdura Dynamo Wheelset is great value for the money. Originally designed for Ultra Distance Cycling, they also offer convenience when commuting, training and road/off-road bike-packing. As you get a Dynamo hub all ready with these wheels it seems like a no brainer to really consider these wheels. Perfect for bikepacking when you need to charge lights and other devices while out on the road.
The Superdura Dynamo Wheelset comes with wide tubeless asymmetric SuperDura rims, extra sealed and shielded 4 Season Disc rear hub, and a seriously durable high 28-spoke build (of Pillar’s light and extremely strong triple-butted PSR spokes). Even with the extra 240g of the dynamo hub, this wheelset (at 1821g) is still lighter than many disc-brake wheels fitted to bikes as original equipment. The Wheelset pair only come sin at $689 USD
The people I have talked to who have Hunt Wheels even people who have more then one set of wheels from Hunt. Say “they are in my opinion the best value in wheels right now.”
Also the MASON X HUNT 650B ADVENTURE SPORT DISC WHEELSET is another popular gravel option some have states that they are quiet loud though. And also the MASON X HUNT 4 SEASON DISC WHEELSET is great value.
DT Swiss
DT Swiss make a few gravel rims that are also some great option for off-road bikepacking and adventure cycling adventures. Their top of the line option is the GRC 1400 SPLINE 42 which is also know as the ‘Gravel Racing King.’ They call it the most sophisticated gravel wheelset out there on the market. They are priced at a $2,175.00 per wheelset. offering aerodynamic efficiency, ideal support of wide gravel tires leading to unprecedented comfort and traction off- road as well as remarkable durability.
The next set is their mid range option and to be honest is probably best for bikepacking adventures. The GR 1600 SPLINE 25 are a great option for the next bikepacking trip. With a price at $621 for a set, they are a good choice for those gravel adventures and all those unique experiences to be found far from the tarmac.
Then if you are just getting into gravel riding and off-road bikepacking they also have a wheelset suited to you, with the G 1800 SPLINE 25. Coming in at a budget friendly price of $431 for the set. The combined all the key advantages of their gravel segment wheels at a very attractive price point, these wheels may be your entry into the world of gravel riding.
H Plus Son Hydra Wheelset
If you are in Australia H Plus Son have a affordable wheelset option that is purpose built for road, gravel and cyclocross bikes. The H Plus Son Hydra Wheelset is a tubeless ready, disc brake specific wheelset. With a interchangeable axle system, compatible with all disc brake bikes. The 25mm wide rim platform is perfect for running 25mm, 28mm up to 35mm tyres. With a overall weight of 1902 grams this wheelset normally costs $859.00 but they have a 35% off sale for $558.35 AUD at the moment, not sure how long this will last for.
I was talking to someone who has been using this exact wheelset and they said that he is a big dude who destroys cheap wheels and these have withstood everything he has thrown at them for well over a year.
Kinesis Crosslight CX Disc HD
Kinesis UK make some affordable gravel and cyclocross wheelsets like their Crosslight CX Disc HD. They are the maximum strength aluminium wheelset in their lineup and are perfect for serious Gravel adventures or the most demanding Cyclo-cross racer. They feature a all new custom lightweight tubeless ready rim made from high strength 6061 aluminium with a 26mm external width, a 23mm internal width and a 22mm disc specific deep profile. They cost £375.00
Mavic Allroad
Mavic have some nice All Road / Gravel wheelset options but I am only going to quickly cover their budget option at £279 for a pair. Their most expensive ALLROAD PRO CARBON SL is £2,000 for a pair. But the MAVIC ALLROAD WHEELSET for £279 is good value, they also work well tubelessly. After cross racing and audaxing they still are rolling straight. They are purpose built for for riding rough roads, gravel or dirt. They are a 22mm wide rim that can take tires up to 62mm wide. They have high-quality QRM cartridge bearings.Disc-brake-specific, sleeved-style rim technology. Straight-pull round spokes, which are stronger than J-bend spokes. Weighing in at 1890 grams.
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