RetroCharles

Hello Bikeforum community I am having some trouble understanding sizes for carbon wheels. When looking at options I see Rim depth sizes of different ranges.
and I just want to make sure I am buying the appropriate size for my bike.

Road Bike: 2018 Domane AL 2
Current Tyres: Bontrager T2, 700x28c
Rims: Bontrager Tubeless Ready

Any suggestions or clarifications is highly appreciated!

Thanks in advance for your time community!

WhyFi

Rim depth is a personal preference. In general, deeper rims will have a bit more of an aerodynamic advantage but are more prone to being pushed around in gusty conditions. ~40-50mm is generally considered mid-depth and a good balance.

RetroCharles

Thanks for the reply! So all I have to do is make sure the carbon wheels match my current Wheelset? 700C, and the rim depth doesn't have an effect on tires I put on it correct?

WhyFi

Correct. That does, however, bring up rim width. Rim width will affect tire width and, to a certain extent, height. This can be an issue if your frame clearances are tight. Widths in the neighborhood of 20mm are becoming more common and I'd probably stay within a few mm of that unless you have specific reason for going wider or narrower.

illdrag0n

18-20mm internal rim width is a good size for 28c tyres

biker128pedal

What’s your budget? Take a look at Bontrager Aeolus R3 or R5 rim brake wheels. 19.5mm wide inside. There are others but Trek has a good warranty.

oh. Trek dealers if like a year ago should be running a discount on stuff around may. May be 10%.

smashndash

Sorry, does your bike have rim brakes or disc? This is going to significantly affect how wide the rim you choose can be.

Wittyname

The Domane AL2 is rim-brake only, and has 8 speed Claris, which limits your selection because the 8 speed hubs have a different width than modern 11 speed

Save the money and look at upgrading the whole bike down the line

bpcyclist

If you do go ahead with this purchase, be careful in the rain...

biker128pedal

Did not see the 8-speed on the AL2. If it is like my old mountain bike You may be able to shim the 8-speed cassette. I did this when replacing and upgrading from a trashed rear wheel. The splines have to match. I used spacers from and old cassette I disassembled. But best is just ride it and save for something with 10 speed or more cassette.

noodle soup

Nearly all 11 speed wheelsets sold come with a 1.8mm spacer to allow the use of an 8/9/10 speed cassette.

illdrag0n

100% can fit an 8spd claris on a 11spd freehub with a freehub spacer. All 8/9/10 spd casettes will fit with this spacer.