Short & sweet
For around 500 euros, you can get solid wheels that are not particularly light, but are stable and durable, and can easily cope with off-road riding. If you are travelling with a lot of weight - luggage, for example - you should opt for the heavier wheels, which proved to be the stiffest in the test.
Road bike wheels: affordable models put to the test
Cobblestones, broken tarmac, gravel roads, forest tracks: for many racing cyclists, it has recently become a pleasure to rumble over seemingly unsuitable surfaces. In the marketing language of the bike industry, this is called "all-road", but in practice it is probably simply an escape from annoying road traffic. Away from well-paved main roads, cars are few and far between and the experience of nature is close at hand, giving many recreational cyclists a better quality of life than stoic training on the smoothest possible tarmac.
The fact that more and more road cyclists are also venturing off-road is not only due to the mass proliferation of gravel bikes, which are also - or above all - comfortable off-road. Comfortable frames, ever wider and tubeless tyres make it possible for road bikes to leave solid ground more often without risking a puncture or a slipped disc. If you take at least half of the asphalt under your wheels, you may find the often heavily profiled gravel tyres too wide and too slow. For occasional excursions into botany, 30 or 32 millimetre tyres are sufficient, which is already common on many endurance bikes and still feels like a racing bike on the road.
Wide rims as all-rounders
If you follow the tyre manufacturer's recommendations for the right rim width, you will end up with an inner dimension of a good 20 millimetres. This is also the ideal compromise for those who want to switch between road and off-road tyres on their gravel bike depending on use or season. This is because fast 28-millimetre road tyres fit on it without restrictions, and it is not too narrow for a 50-millimetre studded tyre either.
The problem: While many new carbon rims have long had this internal dimension or are even wider, inexpensive aluminium wheels for road bikes often still come with an outdated 17 millimetre width - optimised for 25 mm road tyres. Dedicated off-road wheels, on the other hand, are usually too wide for road tyres at 24 millimetres or more. TOUR has searched the market for suitable and affordable wheels for around 500 euros.
Seven candidates accepted our invitation despite the ongoing tight supply situation, including major manufacturers such as DT Swiss, Mavic and Shimano, but also smaller suppliers such as Aerycs and Leeze. The short test focuses on weight, stiffness and acceleration; the concentricity after an overload test is also an indication of whether the wheels remain robust or have to be constantly re-centred during hard use.
Tubeless-compatible road bike wheels
The wheels in the test field are all tubeless-compatible and also designed for off-road use - at least that's what the manufacturers promise. Mavic and Fulcrum have a closed rim base, which is an advantage when it comes to tubeless tyres: the rim tape used by the other manufacturers to seal their rims is an additional source of defects.
With one exception, the inner width of the rims is 22 millimetres; only Fulcrum offers a road wheel with an inner width of 19 millimetres, as the gravel counterpart is borderline wide for our requirements at 24 millimetres. Conceptually, the budget clearly leaves the manufacturers little room for manoeuvre.
Flat aluminium rims and usually 24 classic knife steel spokes dominate the picture; only Fulcrum and Leeze manage with three fewer spokes each. The concepts are as similar as the weights - with a few exceptions. The Leeze is surprisingly light, saving around 200 grams per set compared to the average and even 400 grams compared to the heaviest model from Ritchey.
If you look at the other mechanical values, however, it becomes clear that this is also a compromise; the wheels are not very laterally stiff and are therefore not recommended for heavy riders. Conversely, the heaviest wheels can score points here: The relatively heavy wheels from Mavic and Ritchey prove to be the most stable. The best compromise between the two disciplines is achieved by DT Swiss.
The concentricity measurement after the overload test also shows that the Swiss specialists know their trade. This makes it the narrow but deserved test winner ahead of the well-balanced Aerycs and the robust Ritchey. The DT Swiss wheel is also the one with the highest permissible system weight, so it is also an option for bike travellers with luggage - even if you have to go over hill and dale from time to time.
Road bike wheels - How TOUR tests
>> Mechanical properties
Weights and stiffnesses are calculated in the TOUR-Lab recorded. The wheels are weighed without accessories (e.g. tubeless valves), but with rim tape if required. The stiffness test is carried out with a lateral load of 100 Newtons on the outer diameter. Stiff wheels steer more precisely and generally cause less trouble; they can withstand higher loads.
>> concentricity
Is measured after an overload test with a lateral load of 300 newtons. Vertical and lateral runout of the front and rear wheels are taken into account in equal measure.
>> Acceleration
The mass distribution of the wheels is determined with an inertial measurement device and calculated with the weight to produce the energy required to accelerate both wheels from 0 to 30 km/h.
Seven road bike wheels with wide rims around 500 euros tested
Aerycs Alutrek
- Price per set: 579 Euro
- Variants: Shimano, Campagnolo, Campagnolo N3W, SRAM XDR
- Scope of delivery: Rim tape, tubeless valves, sealing milk
- Warranty, other: 3 years, crash replacement
- Driver weight limit: 120 kilogrammes
- Number of spokes f. / h.: 24 / 24
- Rim W x H / inside width: 26 x 24 / 22 millimetres
- Weight v. / h.: 761 / 893 grammes
- Lateral stiffness f. / h.: 51 / 46 N/mm
Road bike wheels - TOUR review
- Weight f. + h. (30%) Grade 3.7
- Front lateral stiffness (20%) Grade 2.3
- Rear lateral stiffness (20%) Grade 2.3
- Acceleration (20%) Grade 3.3
- Concentricity (10%) Grade 2.2
Overall grade: 2.9
Conclusion: Cleanly constructed set with hubs and DT Swiss blade spokes. Wide rim for tyres from 30 millimetres. Many options, including a 27.5-inch version.
DT Swiss CR 1600 Spline
- Price per set: 559 Euro
- Variants: Shimano, SRAM XDR
- Scope of delivery: Rim tape, tubeless valves
- Warranty, other: 2 years
- Driver weight limit: 130 kilogram system weight
- Number of spokes f. / h.: 24 / 24
- Rim W x H / inside width: 25 x 23 / 22 millimetres
- Weight v. / h.: 795 / 945 grammes
- Lateral stiffness f. / h.: 53 / 47 N/mm
Road bike wheels - TOUR review
- Weight f. + h. (30%) Grade 3.7
- Front lateral stiffness (20%) Grade 2.0
- Rear lateral stiffness (20%) Grade 2.0
- Acceleration (20%) Grade 3.7
- Concentricity (10%) Grade 1.6
Overall score: 2.8, making it the TOUR test winner
Conclusion: Stable wheels with high permissible rider weight. High-quality hubs, wide rim for gravel and cross tyres, but also for road tyres from 30 millimetres.
Fulcrum Racing 3
- Price per set: 642 Euro
- Variants: Shimano, SRAM XDR, Campagnolo
- Scope of delivery: Tubeless valves
- Warranty, other: 2 years
- Driver weight limit: 109 kilogrammes
- Number of spokes f. / h.: 21 / 21
- Rim W x H / inside width: 24 x 28 / 19 millimetres
- Weight v. / h.: 776 / 883 grammes
- Lateral stiffness f. / h.: 49 / 44 N/mm
Road bike wheels - TOUR review
- Weight f. + h. (30%) Grade 3.7
- Front lateral stiffness (20%) Grade 2.7
- Rear lateral stiffness (20%) Grade 2.7
- Acceleration (20%) Grade 3.3
- Concentricity (10%) Grade 2.8
Overall grade: 3.1
Conclusion: Road wheel with a relatively narrow rim that is still suitable for gravel tyres around 40 millimetres. Stiffness is okay despite few spokes, but if you are travelling with luggage, you should consider the weight limit.
Leeze AC 25 Allroad
- Price per set599 Euro
- Variants: Shimano, SRAM XDR, Campagnolo, Campagnolo N3W
- Scope of delivery: Rim tape
- Warranty, other: 2 years, crash replacement
- Driver weight limit: 110 kilogrammes
- Number of spokes f. / h.: 21 / 21
- Rim W x H / inside width: 26 x 25 / 22 millimetres
- Weight v. / h.: 667 / 775 grammes
- Lateral stiffness f. / h.: 38 / 32 N/mm
Road bike wheels - TOUR review
- Weight f. + h. (30%) Grade 2.7
- Front lateral stiffness (20%) Grade 4.0
- Rear lateral stiffness (20%) Grade 4.0
- Acceleration (20%) Grade 2.7
- Concentricity (10%) Grade 3.0
>> Overall grade: 3.2
Conclusion: Very light wheelset with high-quality Sapim CX-Ray spokes and a wide, light rim. The stiffness is below average, therefore more suitable for light riders. Optionally available with ceramic bearings.
Mavic Allroad S
- Price per set: 490 Euro
- Variants: Shimano, SRAM XDR, Campagnolo, Campagnolo N3W
- Scope of delivery: Tubeless valves
- Warranty, other: 2 years
- Driver weight limit: 120 kilogrammes
- Number of spokes f. / h.: 24 / 24
- Rim W x H / inside width: 25 x 21 / 22 millimetres
- Weight v. / h.: 836 / 981 grammes
- Lateral stiffness f. / h.: 56 / 42 N/mm
Road bike wheels - TOUR review
- Weight f. + h. (30%) Grade 4.0
- Front lateral stiffness (20%) Grade 1.7
- Rear lateral stiffness (20%) Grade 2.7
- Acceleration (20%) Grade 4.0
- Concentricity (10%) Grade 2.6
>> Overall grade: 3.1
Conclusion: Heavy but stable wheelset with high weight clearance. Closed tubeless rim without rim tape. Adapter for quick release and 15 mm axles available as an accessory.
Ritchey Comp Zeta Disc
- Price per set: 426 Euro
- Variants: Shimano, SRAM XDR
- Scope of delivery: Rim tape
- Warranty, other: 2 years
- Driver weight limit: 110 kilogrammes
- Number of spokes f. / h.: 24 / 24
- Rim W x H / inside width: 25 x 23 / 22 millimetres
- Weight v. / h.: 847 / 1000 gram
- Lateral stiffness f. / h.: 55 / 48 N/mm
Road bike wheels - TOUR review
- Weight f. + h. (30%) Grade 4.0
- Front lateral stiffness (20%) Grade 1.7
- Rear lateral stiffness (20%) Grade 2.0
- Acceleration (20%) Grade 4.0
- Concentricity (10%) Grade 2.1
>> Overall grade: 2.9
Conclusion: Inexpensive, but not lightweight. High hub flanges and stable spokes provide stiffness. Easy to repair with classic DT Swiss spokes. Only for 6-hole brake discs!
Shimano GRX WH-RX570
- Price per set: 610 Euro
- Variants: Shimano
- Scope of delivery: Rim tape, tubeless valves
- Warranty, other: 2 years
- Driver weight limit: k. A.
- Number of spokes f. / h.: 24 / 24
- Rim W x H / inside width: 26 x 22 / 22 millimetres
- Weight v. / h.: 786 / 956 grammes
- Lateral stiffness f. / h.: 48 / 41 N/mm
Road bike wheels - TOUR review
- Weight f. + h. (30%) Grade 3.7
- Front lateral stiffness (20%) Grade 2.7
- Rear lateral stiffness (20%) Grade 3.0
- Acceleration (20%) Grade 3.7
- Concentricity (10%) Grade 1.0
>> Overall grade: 3.1
Conclusion: Simple wheel from Shimano's gravel groupset with average values. Also available as a 650B version; only compatible with Shimano's eleven-speed drivetrains.
Jens Klötzer
Editor
