How to choose your Gravel bike wheels?

A bike that straddles several disciplines, the Gravel is at home on tarmac as well as on trails. This means having versatile wheels, whose characteristics will however depend greatly on the way you approach this discipline. Feeling a bit lost? Here are a few pointers to help you choose your Gravel wheels wisely.

Features

The size of gravel wheels: 650B or 700C;
Tyre fitting types: tubetype or tubeless;
Rim profiles;
Brake type: rim or disc.

Wheel sizes

When riding gravel you have the choice between two standards: the 650b wheels, equivalent to 27.5 inches in MTB and the 700c wheels.
The the former offer greater comfort on rough terrain thanks to a greater tyre width and volume. The shorter spokes and tighter lacing provide greater robustness. These rims generally allow tyres up to 50 or even 55 mm in section to be fitted (equivalent to 27.5''x2.10'').

Conversely, 700c rims are more rolling and responsive and therefore preferable for less rough routes. They can generally accommodate tyres up to 35/40 mm in width.

In all cases, you will need to check the maximum clearance at your frame (for the rear wheel) and fork (for the front wheel).

Tubetype or tubeless rims?

Whether you ride 650b or 700c, it will be essential to opt for a Tubeless / Tubeless Ready wheel/tyre system, i.e. without an inner tube. More comfortable at low pressure, this system offers better traction, better cornering grip and, above all, eliminates the risk of pinch flats, which are very common in this discipline.

Rim height

In Gravel riding, a low-profile rim is preferred for versatile use. This allows you to venture without worry onto rough and demanding terrain, where their responsiveness and lightness will be appreciated. Medium-profile rims will, on the contrary, benefit from useful inertia and aerodynamics on less hilly sections.
However, most models available on the market feature a rim height of around 25 mm.

Rim brakes or disc brakes?

As for braking, disc brakes are inseparable from the Gravel bike. Reliable, powerful and effective on all terrain types and in all conditions, they are unanimously favoured by riders and are therefore the only type of braking used in this discipline. All Gravel frames and bikes are designed exclusively for disc brakes, so you need not ask yourself any questions.

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