WhyFi

28mm - 40+mm tires are going to be fine on all three of the wheelsets that you're considering.

Snotrub

If you're serious about a new wheel set and like the 3V's, I'd recommend going back to that store right now and buy them. I looked at ordering a set of Paradigm Elite last week and they're 6 months out for delivery.

I think you're on the right path. New wheel set for the Checkpoint and save for a Madone or Emonde or other road bike.

bigevil

yea the Pro 3Vs are backordered until June, but I could take home a pair of Pro 37s today.
I'm on fence about which of them is best for the checkpoint atm. Theoretically the Pro 3V would make for better gravel wheels down the line but as this purchase is really solely for my tarmac riding I'm leaning towards the pro 37.

any thoughts on the DT Swiss 350 vs Rapid Drive 108

guachi

I've ordered a Domane SLR 7 with the stock Pro 3V and it's likely arriving in June. It's either the wheels or something else that's causing the delay. I was talking with the owner today as I wanted to get a second wheel set and use one for road and one for gravel and he said that he's had good success running 40mm tires on the Domane (even if the max is 38) as well as Panaracer Gravel Kings.

My thought is go with a 25mm rim width for gravel and 21mm for road. So the Comp 25s you have now are fine for gravel and get the Pro 37s now for road. I think the owner said the Pro 37s (could be the RSL37s, though) were backordered until October. The Aeolus XXX 4 set I wanted was "no ETA". So... a set you can buy NOW (and a good set, at that) is probably a good idea.

To me, the big selling point of the Checkpoint or Domane is the ability to switch between a road and gravel bike with a simple wheel switch.

bigevil

that's the exact plan! hopefully the Pro 37s rule for road for the time being. Down the road I'll snag some Pro 3Vs for gravel, and eventually a ripping climbing bike with maybe even lighter/more aero wheels for that!! will report back friday if I get them. I'm test riding them @ Trek!

bigevil

well I ended up throwing the Aeolus Pro 37s on. They had em in stock and I loved the quick ride I took on them so I bought on the spot. The hub alone was worth the upgrade as it doesn't make a freaking PEEP and my old one was so damn loud. The engagement feels great too. Obviously quieter hub isn't worth $1300 but I'm already excited to grow into this wheelset (a bonus is that my girlfriends Trek FX 4 got my old wheels/tires so she's stoked since her stock wheels were truly trashheap).

One major strange turn was that the Trek manager pushed me very hard towards much thicker tires that I what I was originally looking at in 30 or 32s. We went back and forth him with a bunch of reasons why it works better for my Checkpoint, and sharing a ton of stories of himself, his friends, and customers trying everything from 28s-45s and I ended up trying his recommendation so I'll report back. I know it seems bananas but I ended up grabbing a pair of Rene Herse 44 Snoqualmie Pass TC Tires in extralight casing and setup for tubeless. The cornering feels incredible, but right this second the right feels a bit plush/squish for my taste so I'm going to experiment with a bunch of pressures.

If I absolutely hate it, I'll go back and grab some 32s. Anyone had experience with these tires or running such a large size for road riding?

Doomrider74

Until I got my Tarmac a few weeks ago, I'd been using my gravel bike for everything that wasnt mountain biking, including road rides, and that's fitted with 45mm Maxxis Roamers: It worked fine for a couple of years but my Tarmac, with it's 26mm tires, feels like a sports car in comparison. Its not just the acceleration, its like the 45mm tires deadened the road feel to a point where it didn't feel particularly responsive or engaging to ride on the road.

One major caveat to this story is the Roamers are dual ply, so not only do they weigh a ton (760g each), they aren't particularly compliant.

Before I got my Tarmac, like you I was considering getting a second set of road wheels and tires for my gravel bike but the bike as a whole needs quite a bit of money spending on it and I felt it was better spent on a new roadie. Your Trek looks like a great bike, so well worthy of the new wheels, where my gravel bike wasn't/isn't..

SoSmellyAir

I sincerely hope that what looks like a dent a bit more than halfway down the front of the right fork is actually only a weird light reflection issue.

bigevil

Good to know! and yes I'm likely destined for an Aethos or Tarmac I imagine in the next year or so.
Until then I wanna ride lots and lots of road on these wheels and see which tires/PSIs work best for me. I have 30 days with these so if I hate them I can return for 28s or 32s etc.

bigevil

haha yes reflection! there's a frame plug in there and it has a clear protective cover Trek uses so it reflects light weirdly.

rm -rf

Years ago, I went from cracked stock wheels (that developed cracked spoke holes after 15000 miles) at a bit over 2000 grams, to a 1550 gram wheelset. Over a pound less. The difference was fairly subtle. I noticed a quicker steering response, very nice. But climbing? Not easy to tell.

Tires. Tires are, by far, the most effective upgrade.
I like GP5000 tires in 28mm if the bike is reasonably new. (older frames were often designed for 23-25mm only, and wider tires have tiny gaps between the rubber and the frame.)
Tires like these are flexible and will deform over rough road bumps instead of bouncing or vibrating the bike. It's more efficient and a lot more comfortable.
Lots of reassuring grip on fast corners.
Use reasonably low air pressure and lightweight tubes (if you aren't tubeless.) At about 190-195 lbs bike+rider, and actual measured width of 29mm, I use 65-70 psi front and 78-82 psi rear. Fast and smooth.

Fit.
I have the handlebars high enough that I can actually use the drops.
My saddle position keeps me from sliding forward if I lift my hands off the bars. And I found a saddle that is comfortable (for me) for long rides.

On my old bike, the drops were just for strong headwinds, very choppy roads, and fast downhills. They weren't comfortable enough to use regularly.
Now, it's just another hand position that I use a lot. It's a bit more aero than the hoods and spreads the pressure out over my whole palm.

jaxgtr

I recently ordered my wife a FX 4 Carbon Sport and plan to do the same. I love the engagement of the Pro 3V's , but the hub noise can be really annoying, so I figure she will get better wheels and reduce a little weight off her bike. I am looking at the Aeolus RSL 37V's.

bigevil

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Yea the fiancé took a 5 min spin and said “yes, yes.... much much faster. Much” but she’s just trolling all of us.

am I a total idiot listening to the trek guy on 44s for road ?

TurboTalon

I wouldn't want 44s for the road.

WhyFi

I wouldn't do it. IMO, if you're going to have different wheelsets, then make 'em different and best suited to their respective roles. You set out on this path because you wanted the bike to feel light and lively - strapping 44s on it isn't the way to do that, 'specially when you're a light guy and can still get away with low pressures on 28s or even 25s.

bigevil

yea, I'm thinking Conti 5000 look about right, I'll throw 32s on since the streets in LA are absolutely horrific and I'm not confident enough on this setup to run anything smaller yet! Will report back. First ride on zwift was FLYING. ;-)

Kabuto

Because body proportions. For people with long legs / short torso, bikes with "endurance" geometry ARE race bikes. I have the same saddle to bar drop on my Domane that a more normally proportioned person would have on a Madone or Emonda.

To the OP, I changed the stock wheels (Bontrager Affinity TLR), tires and tubes on my 2021 Domane SL5 to Reynolds AR41 carbon wheels, GP5000 28mm tires and latex tubes. The weight saving from these changes alone was 831 grams, and it utterly transformed the bike. Now I can keep up with the guys I ride with on their dedicated race bikes. Mostly. They still get me on the hills, but that's probably the engine more than anything. think you'd experience a similar transformation with your Checkpoint.

Edit: doh should have read further through the thread. Congrats on the Aeolus Pro 37s!

bigevil

Thx! Can’t wait to try them with 32s ! The bontrager strips do add weight BUT made going tubeless a freaking breeze

SoSmellyAir

Sorry, yes, especially on Aeolus Pro 37s.

TurboTalon

I am also trying to figure out a wheel upgrade for my domane sl5... If I'm running 32c tires, (max 35c) should I go with pro 3v's or pro 37's?, I think the only difference is inner diameter and hubs?

bigevil

yup. pro3v are slightly heavier (like slightly) but I LOVE this damn hub on the Pro 37s. It's so quiet and insanely smooth. fwiw even when enquiring for gravel Trek said go with Pro 37s over the Pro 3V. I think if you were gonna run 45-50mm you'd maybe benefit from the Pro 3Vs. I also think the actual depth of the carbon might be higher on the pro 37 [37mm] whereas on the Pro 3v its 35mm I believe. Don't quote me though.

bigevil

regarding the tire width, check this from Rene Herse interesting thoughts

WhyFi

Rene Herse has a horse in the race and has been discussed ad nauseam.... which probably means that folks will get out their dead horse beatin' sticks, anyway.

You've got examples of both types of tires on-hand - try both and decide which you prefer.

bigevil

funny update.

after all of this, I ended up returning the Pro37s, getting Pro 3vs with GR2 team issue setup tubeless. Checkpoint becomes a dedicated Gravel bike
went with Aethos for tarmac

SoSmellyAir

Does more teeth translate into faster engagement at the expense of more friction when coasting / freewheeling?