Spinergy GXX Wheels: At The Finish

Spinergy GXX Wheels: At The Finish – by Guitar Ted

The GXX Wheels from Spinergy have been getting used- when I could ride- with a new set of tires since I last shared anything about them with you. (The previous “Checkpoint” post can be seen here) Winter interrupted things for a bit there, but now that the weather has turned, I have had a few ‘last rides’ on this set of wheels and I am now ready for my final verdict.

The previous posts on the GXX wheels have told the story of a wheel set that isn’t about the light weight aspects of carbon as much as it is about the stiffness and stability that carbon fiber can have over an aluminum rim. So, I will tell you right up front that the GXX wheels are not going to shave a tremendous amount of weight off your current bike. That said, I would recommend these wheels based on other aspects of performance that- for a gravel rider- are just as important, if not more so, than weight.

I’ve already shared how a laterally stiff wheel is better at handling rough, loose, chunky gravel and that a stiff carbon rim is better on rougher surfaces than a less stiff aluminum rimmed wheel set. I was reminded of this when I swapped out the GXX wheels for the WTB Proterra wheel set, also on test here. Immediately after switching out the wheels the bike seemed less stable and more of those rattling vibrations could be felt again at the handle bar.

A stable wheel which takes less rider energy to handle going down a road and is more comfortable is always a winning combination over a wheel that is just light weight. Of course, in an ideal situation you’d want all three things. Okay, open up that wallet wide, because it will take a lot more one hundred dollar bills to get there than it does to get a set of Spinergy GXX wheels. And that’s fine, if you want to spend that kind of money, but if you are not looking to do that, I think the GXX wheels make the better choice in terms of compromising the lightest weight for better lateral stiffness and better comfort.

Special Note: As I was wrapping this review up, Spinergy released news of a new hub for their wheels. See the following image for details.

At The Finish: I think it is very important to remember that we are speaking about a carbon fiber rimmed wheel set that retails for $999.00USD. There are aluminum rimmed wheel sets that go for more than this. So, given the stiffness and superior handling traits that the GXX wheels have, and the additional vibration reducing characteristics of Spinergy’s PBO spokes, it becomes a pretty amazing value in a wheel for gravel riding.

Furthermore; you now can get these with Spinergy’s newest hub, the “44”, and with it a better hub design than what I have tested here, although I will say that I have not experienced an issue at all with the hubs on the GXX wheel set.

So, if you can get past the fact that the GXX is not going to win any lightweight wheel contests, the GXX wheels will give your bike a smoother, more controlled ride with less energy wasted trying to herd the bike down a rougher road. That’s worth a lot right there, in my opinion.

For more about the Spinergy GXX wheels see their site here: https://www.spinergy.com/products/gxx

Note: Spinergy sent over the GXX wheel set for test and review to Riding Gravel at no charge. We are not being paid, nor bribed, for this review and we strive to give our honest thoughts and opinions throughout.