I think the clearance is fine for road and very light gravel riding, but when riding off-road the tyres pick up mud/stones etc. This can quickly clog up and could cause damage to the paint/fork/frame.
@@gulfcitynd hey there. Trueness is almost entirely dependent on spoke tensions. Since this wheel is a solid one piece structure going of of true isn't an issue. Or rather, if the wheel does go out of true, it would mean that it was smashed hard enough to cause structural damage.
@@1sigmanever seen these in person but I've sold Madfiber and Lightweight wheels and none of them were true out of the box. Closest was 0.5mm out but most were 1-3mm out of true. Crazy to spend $10k on Lightweights that were 3mm out😂 We sent them back and they sent us a wheel that was 2mm out😅
Those monster tyres look good but if you go mud plugging like you did in your test VT then you'll probably get clogged up and scrape all the nice paint off the inside of your fork. If it's dry and you are doing gravel/hardback only then it should be great!
Nicely explained Luke - most people don't understand a lot of these engineering terms - especially when they keep getting bastardised my Marketing people (who also don't understand them). There is no reason why these won't be excellent on gravel, most compliance comes from your tyres - and people should be running fat tubeless tyres on gravel. A bit like..... car wheels...
I love watching all your videos I'm actually more of a MTB rider but I do have an older pinarello road bike plus a flat bar road bike which Is set up for gravel. But I have trouble seeing the point of a gravel bike when an xc bike is so much better for the job. The continental tyres you're going to put on are MTB tyres. I set up the flat bar bike for gravel to see what it was like but the xc bike is way better and more fun. Great videos I really enjoy your content 😊
I've got Alu and Carbon Gravel wheelsets that get swapped around on the same frames, they have even had the tyres swapped between them a few times and what you are describing is pretty much my observations, and my carbon wheels are just standard spoke type, carbon wheels "feel" stiffer and and less compliant but the trade off is they also "feel" more responsive/faster. And I emphasise "feel" because how that feeling translates to measurable numbers I have no idea.
Hi Luke, If you wanted to make a quantitative assessment of the ride qualities of the different wheels, dry mounting your phone on the bike whilst running an app like Sensors that will give you acceleration data. Anyway, apart from that small tip, another great informative and entertaining video. Thanks.
@@bennewton Ok, the suggestion is maybe not very scientific and probably needs some data processing too to maximise the value of the information. However, I suspect it is better than a 'butt' can sense.
those solid spokes don't need tensioning, true.... but what happens ( on a gravel ride, these are for gravel ) if you break a spoke or crack something ? a spoke or hoop can be replaced (even if its costly to do so ) if anything happens with these, well its straight into the bin, eh ? They do look posh , but I am not spending bank on a wheelset that might get ruined - you know on a gravel ride !!
Always good when there's a new Trace Velo video on the feed. And Luke! For your inevitable Ltwoo electronic groupset video, could you do us a solid and see if that rear derailleur works with 11-34 Shimano 105 cassette? Thanks!
The pre-stressed spoked bicycle wheel was a major technological leap over the rigid wooden cartwheel, bringing strength and lightness to applications, like the bicycle, that required supreme strength for very little weight. Bicycle wheels represent the pinnacle of wheel technology, even today. Sports cars of old also had spoked wheels for the same reason until tough aircraft grade aluminium made them redundant because they are cheaper to manufacture and maintain. So now carbon-fibre has enabled the re-introduction of cartwheel technology to the bicycle because of its incredible strength-to-weight ratio. I guess the advantages are; easier maintenance and probably easier to clean. However, a conventional spoked wheel can be repaired whereas the rigid wheel, to all intents and purposes, cannot. For me personally, there is nothing more elegant than a spoked wheel; there is an aesthetic beauty in a pre-stressed structure, with its strength arising out of the way its flexible components are assembled. I also think a conventional wheel can ultimately be made stronger, lighter, stiffer and safer than any rigid wheel at the extremes of technological attainment. Conventionally spoked wheels look cooler because their elegance minimizes the amount of material required. Those rigid wheels look nice but they are not elegant so do not suit the aesthetic that I am looking for in a bicycle.
I've tried and checked many tires, and if the frame can handle it by far the best for offroad fast riding is the Schwalbe Thunder Burt 2.1". Awsome speed, suppleness in the middle thread and decend side knobs for off camber and cornering.
Yeah this is definitely something i'll keep an eye on. If the weather is super soggy and i have to cross a farmers field, then they can get pretty caked in mud...
Man I love seeing new uploads from you Luke, I've been rewatching your past review/build videos always awesome to watch. Just bought all the parts needed to build a full road bike off aliexpress thanks to all your videos.
Would love to have these on my mountainbike but budget say's no 😅Continental tires, you won't regret that choice. Best brand out there in my opinion/experience. Your wheels might run free but if it's sticky mud you might have trouble with the limited space you have left. Great video! P.s.: sadly they don't have an aero road version of these yet.
@@philipsimmonds1103 Heb altijd conti gereden van jongs af aan op de weg, later ook met mountainbike, wel eens wat anders geprobeerd, nooit bevallen. Op mijn nieuwe mountainbike zaten Maxxis banden, durfde na 5 rondjes fietsen de deur niet meer uit want ik had 7x lek gereden. Conti's er op, nooit meer lek.
Sorry Luke, but you need to look at the science around tyres. A wider tyre will ride harsher than a narrower tyre if they are at the same pressures, and so your testing simply proved that rather than prove which is the most comfortable of the two wheels.
I had tuff wheels in my bmx as a lad and due to the relatives smoothness of the track and road commuting to and from you didn't worry about 'compliance'. This could be more if an issue with skinnier tyres and rough bridleways
While vertical compliance may be pretty much similar I wonder how vibrations transfer in each. I feel like a one piece structure is going to transmit a lot more vibration and road chatter than a spoked wheel.
Any difference in comfort you felt was probably down to the tire pressures, then the seatposts, then maybe the frames. Half a millimetre added to the total vertical deflection can't be felt.
love the breakdown if the hubs and the educational elements with stiffness. honestly had no idea and such a good amount of homework done to support the brilliant work. stiff upper lip , bad to the bone , measurements :D:D:D made my week!
I bought a set of Drive 50D wheels based at least partially on your opinion of them, and with your discount code. They sure are purty. I'm not sure I can really tell any difference, but when I get off the bike I stare at it more. The Drive Six wheels are cool. I wish I had a use for them. :)
Luke, I love ya. You are the Mike Rober of my cycling content, but... I am concerned this is becoming a gravel channel. I get it, there is only so much road content to do. Personally, I wish road bikes would drop the front mech, but it hasn't happened yet. But riding gravel is a stat killer. It's all about those numbers baby! Who am I kidding, I'm always going to watch.
_Riding gravel is a stat killer_ 😂😂😂 I love it! I think about this all the time tbh. I mean my average speed and distance have plummeted since going gravel. But yeah dont worry, road cycling is still my favourite!!!
That tire might collect some muddy material and cause damage. Possibly trying some 48mm or 45mm front tire, might be a good option instead of risking of damaging your carbon forks. I have the same gravel bike and I'm on 43mm Gravelkings and no issues, however I'm on an alloy wheelset.
Great Video as always. Have the Kings , loved them and highly recommended especially on that specific 50mm width , if the beauty can wear them , but , your clearance is very very tight . You will find as you ride those loving muddy paths , that terrible scratches will appear , part from the dirt and part from the tire bouncing all over . I actually am there, with a mullet of 50mm on the back and scratching and 55 on the front cause the mtb fork can take it , so why not ! The Solution as you might have already thinking about is the N+1 monster gravel which i am also drooling about lately . And oh Gosh the suppleness and better tires that exist on that sweet 2.2... , sorry , i meant 55mm width/category , recommending of course the insanely fast Race King Protection with tan sidewalls. Looking fwd for your next Fat gravel project now with much suspense .
I run those same raceking tyres in 2" on my winspace gravel bike for bike packing. Did 2 weeks of rough single track and they were bulletproof, but my god they are heavy and pretty stiff. Good for a 25kg touring load but feel like blocks of wood compared to gravel kings or similar on the same bike
Ok good to know Jack! I did look at some gravelking tyres, but they were nearly twice the price, and the grip pattern wasn't as agressive. I'll def consider them once these wear out!
Following on from my comment below, I have been thinking about this further. A steel spoke in tension will be stronger than a hollow thin-walled carbon-fibre tube in compression. Therefore, a conventionally spoked wheel will have superior radial strength. In addition, if a spoke fails, the wheel itself should retain a reasonable amount of structural integrity - enough to enable you to come to a safe stop. A tubular spoke in compression will fail catastrophically, along with the entire wheel. I am sticking with conventionally spoked wheels and, for that reason Luke, I am out.
Luke thought provoking and interesting content 🥖🥖🥖. Really appreciate your willingness to try out and share your discoveries. For sure tyres and pressure set up are the greatest element in ride experience as you state. Immediate thought was rigid carbon wheels on gravel ……not going to be a winner without some form of compromise to get those aesthetics. AL wheels for CX and gravel are a more obvious and mainstream choice. AL modest cost and simple fix, not so those carbon wheels. Have some concerns about anyone riding those wheels on the road at high pressures (hookless) thinking they’ve got a dual purpose wheel. As gravel bike usage is commonly for road / gravel mix it leaves me wondering is it a compromise too far ? A matter for each rider to decide. Great topic and production quality. Thanks for all your time and passion 👋👋👋
Have you evaluated the juin gt 4 piston calipers yet? Patiently waiting. I believe the company introduced a 6 piston variant at the '23 Taiwan bike expo. My interest is a Cannondale road tandem with 203mm rotors. Current calipers are cable operated Avid brand
Erudite eloquence, honest and knowledgeable review, likeable guy,almost perfect, but, torsion is spelled with an s. Seriously though, I follow all sorts of cycling stuff and you are easily the most relevant , intelligible and relatable presenter. Always eagerly await your posts. Keep it coming Luke.👌
I was just about to start a new thread that a clean shaven Luke is more believable :-) OR! Is he maybe secretly testing some cheap chinese razor blades?
@TraceVelo I tried these very tyres 50-622 on my Free Ranger and it lasted 20min... I thought the clearance was too small and with the cotswold mud, I thought the frame would be ground down. So, I run raceking 50-584 on fulcrum wheelset or barzo 52-584 on specialized/wtb wheels and I retired the 700c wheels
Yeah one piece carbon wheels, existed before with MadFiber wheels set .the company being bought by SRAM. Those were awesome wheels, this one looks so cool too.
Like the vid, very nicely explained. The MTB tyres are in “filthy inches” because they’re made to get filthy! 😊. They do look good on the bike, I think you will rub the paint off the forks in the mud though! But…. Why not change the fork? Get a carbon 29er MTB fork???
RaceKing’s really good choice!! But be carefull, new tires have these kind of hairs. If these hairs touch your fork or frame they can really screw up your paint and even the carbon underneath. I know it is a sh*t job but you need to cut those hairs off.
Concerning the tyres please cut the hairs on the tyre on the front because of the little abrasion that gradually increases real quick until it eats away into the fork you can even see it touching in the video
Ultimately that’s a pretty bad test since the low of the tires are different. Same volume same pressure would have worked. If your running different volumes in order to match inside tire forces pressing outside. You have to have different tire pressures. Something like 25 psi on a 40 is equivalent to 35 psi on a 35 tire.
One simple question: according to weight and stiffness they look like a very good option for a road bike, over a gravel bike. I don't think they aren't aerodinamic, so why aren't they sold as a Road bike wheelset?
Would you be able to use these wheels as a substitute for normal road riding? Potentially testing with 25/28s and seeing how they feel? Thanks 🙏, they look fantastic
Appreciate your feedback on the wheels! Great review as always. I'm still curious what's the clearance at the chainstays with those 50 mm tyres? Looked through the segment twice, but it seems like you've only included seatstays fragment for the rear triangle clearance check :)
Nice point of view, beautiful wheels, and really well made, but they certainly are NOT for the gravel use, as they are indeed EXTREMELY stiff and disipate ZERO vibrations coming from the terrain. They are basically a torture to ride. Proof of that discomfort is you having to pair them with 50c tires, which really dont fit in your frame really well, just to try to make them usable. I find your review fair but somehow soft on the thruth about the feeling those wheels give when ridden in a gravel bike, but you must have your reasons to like them that much.
With the 50s on they look the absolute canine nucum! How do they behave in crosswinds? I had a Mavic trispoke years back. Lovely wheel until the wind picked up, then a bit frightening for me!
The one piece wheels, look a bit like an old BMX wheel, its a matter of perspective as always. The best thing Ive tried on my gravel bike is some WTB 42mm resolute tires. They have real knobs, the bigger tire really rides nice. The 38mm tires I had just didnt get it.
