I'm about to have a 3T Exploro (Team Force Carbon) gravel bike built and looking for 650B carbon wheel recommendations. I realize I could spend thousands, but I'm limited on a $1000 budget. Thanks
Mercury G3s. Now discounted substantially from the original $800. Buy yourself an Easton crankset, a carbon railed saddle and a pair of 650 schwalbes with the savings.
EdDriscoll wrote:I'm about to have a 3T Exploro (Team Force Carbon) gravel bike built and looking for 650B carbon wheel recommendations. I realize I could spend thousands, but I'm limited on a $1000 budget. Thanks
I'd go the china rims route. e.g. CarbonFan, with the rim inner-width/height/weight you want. For hubs you could go Novatech carbon to save a bit of weight and money over the high-end lightweight ones. Sapim D-light spokes if you're a lightweight, and brass nipples.
+1 on brass nipples. Replaced a spoke yesterday that had the nipple broken, and as I was truing the wheel, 2 more nipples broke on the top from the screwdriver. This is after having 2 other wheels with aluminum nipples break and several friends with the same problem.
As far as recommendations, Newmen rims consistently get great reviews and test results for impact strength, so if you can live without aero rims, their alloy wheels are as light as many carbon ones, and then you don’t worry about catastrophicly breaking a carbon rim miles out in the woods. (I say this after smacking my front wheel into a hole so hard my brake levers rotated and the rim alloy rim has a bit of a flat spot, but I can still use it, while a carbon rim cracked on me after burning air and smacking a rock). They do also make carbon rims that use the same design, and should be very impact resistant too.
