spiroX

Hi,
I need some advice on what wheelset/tires to get.

I currently have a gravel bike as an all-rounder with WTB i23 650b wheels and WTB Horizon 47 tires. When I first got this bike I thought I would be doing more gravel so I wanted fatter tires. I also have a lot of potholes and speed-bumps on my commute and I jump onto sidewalks as well. These tires are very comfortable and you can hit a pothole at full speed without any problems. However this combo is somewhat heavy and I realized I ride 80% road and 20% gravel, so I want to get myself a Christmas present and get another set for road riding (and some light gravel). I would leave 650b wheels for rougher gravel riding.
I am looking for something affordable, not too heavy with tubeless compatibility. Also some tires with which I can still jump onto sidewalks and are relatively comfortable on day long rides. I was thinking 700x32c with some puncture resistance as I would also take these on some light gravel and I still can't lift my back wheel when I jump onto sidewalks. I do lift my front wheel and put my weight to the front when I jump, and I don't do it at full speed so the rear doesn't hit as hard, but still some puncture resistance would be good.

This is what I was looking at:

Wheelsets (around 350€ or 400$) :
Hunt 4 season disc 1600g 20mm internal 370€
Hunt Mason X 1600g 19mm internal 380€
Alexrims Boondocks 3 1700g 21mm internal 350€
Hope 20FIVE - Pro 4 1750g 20mm internal 400€

Tires (32-622):
Continental Grand Prix 5000 TL 45€ Very good but expensive, not great puncture resistance
Continental Grand Prix 4-Season 35€ Not Tubeless ready?
Panaracer GravelKing Plus 35€ Good price, not enough info for puncture resistance or performance
Donnelly Strada LGG 120tpi 30€ Cheapest, mixed reviews, not great puncture resistance
Pirelli Cinturato Velo TLR 45€ Very good puncture resistance, expensive
Schwalbe G-One Speed 40€ 30c, heaviest
Vittoria Corsa Control 45€ 30c, expensive, not any better than 5000TL
Specialized Roubaix Pro 30€ Heavy, not great puncture resistance

These are all "facts" I got from forums, articles and some websites, so I can not comment on accuracy of these
Do you think size 32 is OK? I'm worried 28 would be too thin for comfort, and prone to punctures when hitting speed-bumps or potholes or gravel.
I am looking at spending some 400-500€ for wheels and tires. So far the best options looks to be Hunt 4 season disc with 4seasons or GravelKings (or Pirelli Cinturato Velo if I want to spend a bit more).
What would you recommend, any experience with these? Maybe some other wheelset/tire combo?

blakcloud

I don't think you really need advice from this forum, more than what you already have. You seem to know your wants and needs and have researched it well. Tire size is personal, but I am a big fan of 32's for kicking around and not having to worry as much about crappy roads. Hunt make great value wheels and Gravel Kings are good tires, so the combo should do the trick. You already said it but reiterated, you need to work on your bunny hopping skills, it can save your wheels.

Gconan

Just got 32mm continental 5000 tubeless and they are very comfortable. I also have 25+28mm sizes of the same tire. I like all three but I would use 32mm always if they fit. Did I say comfortable?

katsup

In regards to Hunt wheels, I'd suggest waiting to see why this poster got hit with an additional $125 tariff:

https://www.bikeforums.net/cyclocros...ices-fall.html

I have a pair of the Hopes with RS4 hubs, and did not have any extra tariffs, but i don't know if I got lucky.

Edit: I'd rather buy from within the US instead of paying additional tariffs, something like these DT Swiss 350 / R500 for under $500.
https://www.coloradocyclist.com/dt-s...r500-rims-700c

ThermionicScott 

Since I'm a 650B convert, I would just invest in some lighter and faster 650B tires for the road. You could shave 150g off each wheel simply by installing some 650x42B Babyshoe Pass tires in extralight casing.

Cheaper than investing in a complete separate wheelset, and still having to buy another set of tires.

str8jakett

I just bought a set of these to run road tires on the gravel bike:

https://planetcyclery.com/dt-swiss-r...r-wheelset-oem




Waiting on my tires to arrive to put everything together. My gravel wheelset is stock Fulcrum CX77 (Racing 700) running 700x38 tires.

BengalCat

I'm a strong advocate in most cases for the 32mm tire size and for all tires puncture protection, such as Bontrager hard-case lite. (Not hard case.)

spiroX

@blakcloud
Yes, I will definitely work on my skills. Thanks for the confirmation on the wheels/tires.
@katsup
I live in Europe so that doesn't affect me, I 'll be buying something within the EU as I have to pay a lot in import taxes and VAT (Over 30%)
@ThermionicScott
I'm afraid that if I go lower than 47 the bike (BB) will be too low, for gravel especially. And I'd like something narrower for less rolling resistance and weight. But I see that you are a randonnee (is that how it's spelled?), do you ride on 650b x42, how is it compared to 700c, other than being more comfortable?
@str8jakett
I've been looking at DT Swiss ER1600 SPLINE 32 as well, but those look even more expensive. They're a bit heavier as well, but I'd be oK with that if I could get them at low enough price.

ThermionicScott 

Yeah, pedal height is a valid concern. When it comes to rolling resistance, a lot of it is about how the tire is constructed... narrower isn't always faster.

I'm on 650x38B tires these days that are just under 300g each. Comfy and pretty zippy, I won't be going back to 700x28C.

noodle soup

Are they tubeless compatible?

str8jakett

They are. Come taped but no valves.

noodle soup

I like the silver hubs. I might pick up a set just for the hubs.

Is the freehub a star ratchet, or the 3 pawl style. They look like silver anodized DT350 straight-pull hubs.

str8jakett

3 pawl body. Hubs are nice, and I'm guessing 350s.




Same wheels as in this review but an OEM version

https://www.google.com/amp/s/road.cc...pline-db%3famp

Apologies to the OP for the hijack.

jlaw

[QUOTE
I'm afraid that if I go lower than 47 the bike (BB) will be too low, for gravel especially.
[/QUOTE]

Will 5mm really make a difference? 47mm to 42mm tires...

You'd have to be really truckin' and aggressively pedaling to lean the bike so far over that you'd even need to think about pedal strike - much less the 5mm diff.

?

noodle soup

3 pawl freehub body means it’s not a DT350. Still a good deal for a wheelset though.

str8jakett

Ahh that I didn't know. So it's a 370 hub? I did a lot of searching trying to get an answer on the exact hub before buying but the OEM part killed the available info.

spiroX

@ThermionicScott
Thanks for the info. I think I'll still go 700c route only because I want 650b for rougher stuff, I'll probably mount even wider tires when these wore out. My bike can fit up to 2.1'' on 650b wheels.
@jlaw
I don't know if 5mm will make a huge difference, I am not that experienced. I actually have 165mm cranks on my bike that I got due to some knee issues and I love that I can lean quite a lot (on the road not gravel) and still pedal without pedal strikes. I have noticed when riding over bumps and rocks on gravel that I will "touch" the ground when I pedal straight. But that is on rougher gravel and I would use 32c tires only for lighter gravel.