Life In The Saddle

A set of wide-profile carbon wheels is the biggest single upgrade you will likely make to your gravel bike; saving weight, adding comfort, and improving handling. The Reynolds ATR 700C Wheels are a market-leading and pioneering product in the carbon gravel wheelset market—highlighting the notable advantages of wide carbon rims, high-quality hubs, and a wheelset composition designed specifically for gravel and off-road use. I fitted a set of Reynolds ATR 700C Wheels to my Kona Private Jake for testing—they replaced a set of reliable alloy hoops from Stan's NoTubes ( Stan's ZTR Crest Wheelset ). I was eager to see what the reduced weight, improved vibration absorption, and wider rim profile could add to my gravel riding set-up. The answer, was a lot… Reynolds pioneered the 'super-wide' carbon rim with the original ATR wheelset. They were well ahead of their time introducing a carbon rim with a 23 mm internal width and a 32 mm external profile; add in the 40 mm aero teard...

Gravel has become Monster Gravel. Cyclocross has morphed into CXtreme. XC courses are no longer distinguishable from Enduro. With the lines between disciplines becoming even more blurred, Token Products designed the RoubX wheelset – a 700c do-it-all carbon wheelset that supports anything from 700 x 30c to 29 x 2.1" tyres. Built on a super wide tubeless rim, with CX-RAY spokes – the ROUBX is light, stiff, and fast. Here is my test report and review… When I consider the key attributes of a gravel bike wheelset, I think of strength, weight, rolling resistance, and aerodynamics—in that order. To fulfil the sought-after balance you need the right materials for rim, hub, and spokes; you need the right spoke lacing pattern; you need the right rim profile and depth; and you need a smooth running and durable hub at the heart of the wheel. The Token Products ROUBX wheels seem to tick a lot of these boxes, even just glancing down the spec's sheet… A hooked 33 mm deep tubeless carbo...

The Stan's NoTubes Grail S1 Wheelset is designed to be a go-anywhere, ride-anything set of disc brake wheels. Combining robust mid-depth aluminium rims, laced with a high spoke count onto Stan's NEO hubs; this is a strong and reliable set of wheels for mountain bike, road, and gravel riding. I have previously tested and extensively used the Stan's NoTubes Crest S1 Wheels — both on MTB and gravel bike. The Crest has a lower profile rim, and a slightly lighter overall weight than the Grail; branded primarily as an MTB and Gravel wheelset. The Grail S1 is branded as a do-everything wheelset. It uses the brand's slightly narrower (24.1 mm width) deeper section rim (24.5 mm depth), which are more aerodynamic and rated to a higher pressure than the Crest wheels. Consequently, the Grail wheels are deemed more suitable for road cycling as well as off-road adventures. I set up the Stan's Grail S1 wheels with tubeless 40c tyres. This is always easy on Stan's whee...

The idea and attraction behind a gravel bike is that it can go anywhere, and ride anything. That robustness and versatility does not have to mean performance sacrifice though; fitting a carbon wheelset like the Parcours Alta wheels to your gravel bike will provide a lightweight but incredibly versatile upgrade. My Kona Private Jake has over 27,000 kilometres on its frameset to date and has eaten through multiple wheelsets and drivetrains in its lifetime. Yet, fitting the Parcours Alta wheels to its go-anywhere chassis has been one of the most dramatic upgrades I have experience. The Alta wheelset is named after the most northern town in Norway — alluding to the claim that if you need a wheelset to take you far out into the back of beyond, then these should be your chosen hoops. My riding certainly pushes the boundaries of 'Gravel' — I often ride off-road trails on my gravel bike that are firmly in the mountain biking category, as well as riding my gravel bike fully loaded w...

Nobody can deny that 'Gravel' adventure cycling is no longer a 'fad' – it has evolved into a mainstream cycling discipline. The fortunate reality is that many component parts of both road cycling and XC MTBs can be repurposed for 'Gravel Grinding' – the Stan's NoTubes ZTR Crest S1 Wheel Set is one of those superb evergreen creations. I have been using a set of original Stan's NoTubes Crest rims laced onto Hope Tech Pro3 hubs on my mountain bike for over half a decade – they are impressively durable, and the easiest set of wheels to mount up with tubeless tyres. Stan's NoTubes have evolved from just being a producer of rims, rim tape and tubeless kits though; they now produce several own brand wheelsets, which offer great value performance. The Stan's NoTubes ZTR Crest S1 Wheel Set is listed as an entry-level cross-country mountain biking wheel Set, most likely because of its high spoke count (32 front and rear) and wide rim profile (23 mm i...

It is common to hear " the best upgrade you can make to your bike is a new wheel set ". That is not strictly true, but undoubtedly good wheels ensure you get the most from your frame and components, and it is often the item skimped on when a manufacturer builds up a bike. I fitted the Dreckschleuder wheel set from German manufacturer Tune to my Kona Rove for the #RoadsFromRome . This, no question, was an incredible upgrade... Understanding wheel upgrades… Before jumping into the review proper, I think it helps to consider why a new wheel set could be an upgrade to a bike: Rolling Resistance - The first is rolling resistance, or rather the ability to reduce rolling resistance. Consider that every time your wheels rotate you are relying on the numerous bearings inside the hubs to make it as smooth and as friction-free as possible. Therefore good quality bearings, with good quality seals to keep out the friction-inducing muck, will make a huge difference to the effort-...