Wheelset recommendations (or wheels for sale!) for touring/some gravel riding?

[Naor Deleanu]

Hello, I am looking for an affordable, solid set of wheels that I can put on my gravel/touring bike. I haven't really ever been touring but hope to do so within the next year (perhaps this year!). Would love a recommendation, or if anyone has any on offer, let me know. Looking for 700cc disc brake wheels. 

[Francis Tanjuatco]

Hunt wheels are a good value and they are currently on sale. I upgraded my Fuji gravel bike with a set of these at the recommendation of another rando....

https://us.huntbikewheels.com/products/hunt-30-carbon-disc-wheelset?srsltid=AfmBOorNXYDcOjwHWXHgGX0EclJqr-kHXCjRQDC0pXGkOQNJQcSbaa1r

Cheers!

Francis

On Wed, Mar 19, 2025 at 1:27 PM Naor Deleanu <42ap...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello, I am looking for an affordable, solid set of wheels that I can put on my gravel/touring bike. I haven't really ever been touring but hope to do so within the next year (perhaps this year!). Would love a recommendation, or if anyone has any on offer, let me know. Looking for 700cc disc brake wheels. 

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[Jack Holmgren]

I got a set of Hunt wheels that are almost aero and consistently get me to the bottom of hills faster than the people I ride with. Lately I’ve noticed a disturbing trend of having the lowest RUSA number of those riding a given brevet. Suspiciously, this only happened after I bought the Hunt wheels.

Jack Holmgren, 1625

Excuse typos, sent from my mobile. 

On Mar 19, 2025, at 4:39 PM, Francis Tanjuatco <franci...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Naor Deleanu]

Yeah that is one of the deals I was looking at. Have you done any significant gravel and/or loaded touring on them?

On Wed, Mar 19, 2025 at 5:51 PM Bob Gleixner <rjg...@yahoo.com> wrote:

And if you want even MORE affordable...  I bought a pair of Hunt's 4-season all road Alloy wheels 2 years ago and they've been great. Now $390 / pair with the current sale. 

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[Drew Carlson]

Hi,

I'm now more of a bike tourer than a randonneur at this point, and, while those Hunt carbon wheels look like fun, I would never use a wheel with only 24 spokes for loaded touring.  Not sure I'd use carbon rims, either, but's that's debatable in some circles.    

I've had very good luck with Velocity wheels.  I've used their Cliffhangers with 36 spoke rims for the Great Divide MBR, and that was probably overkill.  I think the Dyad with 32 spoke rims would be my choice for a durable wheel for most touring conditions.  If you're going to do an around the world adventure on a fully loaded bike then the Atlas would be the best choice.  They're American made, and the customer service is excellent.  I wanted some 26 in Cliffhangers in silver for a vintage 26" MTB (so I could safely run tubeless tires), and I called and spoke to them.  They assured me they'd have them made soon, and took payment over the phone.  They were delivered in 3 weeks in very perfect condition - nice, protective packaging.  They've been great.  I also have several bikes with A23s, which would be fine for gravel and credit card touring.  Please use 32 spoke rims if you plan to tour loaded.  

https://www.velocityusa.com/product/wheels/touring/touring-wheelset

Good luck!

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Drew Carlson

[Matthew Bickford]

Hunt also makes aluminum wheelsets with high spoke counts at "4-season" hubs. You can also order a set with a dynamo front hub if that's your jam! I've used two pairs of Hunts, both excellent for the price. I'm over 200lb and generally do dumb things on my bikes. They're easy to service at home and have good seals. My only gripe was that they're loud, but you can calm them. Especially with disc brakes, and wider tires, you can undoubtedly tour on a carbon rim with higher spoke counts, but that might not be where you want to spend your money. 

If I were making something from scratch, I'd get a 32-spoke aluminum rim with an internal width appropriate for the size of tire you're planning on using. I used HED Belgium G rims on my PBP bike. As Drew mentioned, Velocity makes a lot of bomb-proof rims. The DT Swiss 350 hub is the GOAT for the price. You can service them at home without any tools; every mechanic will love you because they're easy to work on and find parts for. If you have the money to spend, getting some hand-built wheels locally is a rad way to support your favorite shop or a local wheel builder. I'm sure some folks here have great recs

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[French Clements]

hi all, 

what a great opportunity to issue this non-paid and entirely unsolicited recommendation for Local Good Guy and Randonneur Doug Williams, aka Mr Runcible Wheel Works! 

Runcible Wheel Works | Dynamo Hubs and Custom Wheel Builds in Northern California

Dude

Obviously 

Understands 

Good 

Wheelbuilding and

In Addition

Lives 

Life

In 

A

Marvelous 

State 

--French Clements 

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[Drew Levitt]

Agreed, Doug built me a bombproof wheelset that is still dead-on true after one (1) Adventure Series and several (6) thousand miles. He's also a good friend and a great guy.

 - Drew Levitt

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Drew Levitt

drew....@gmail.com

+1 775 553 8488

Pronouns: he/him/his

[Naor Deleanu]

Sounds nice but I'm not looking to spend $1000+ on a wheelset at this point. Especially as I want my bike to be a kind of do-everything bike that I wouldn't cry too hard over getting it stolen.

[Bruce Fritz]

As an East Bay partisan, I need to put in a plug for Robinson Wheel Works in San Leandro.  To my mind he is the local master of wheels.  He also provides very reasonably priced products and services appropriate to whatever needs you may have.

On Thu, Mar 20, 2025 at 10:09 AM Drew Levitt <drew....@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Bob Gleixner]

And if you want even MORE affordable...  I bought a pair of Hunt's 4-season all road Alloy wheels 2 years ago and they've been great. Now $390 / pair with the current sale. 

On Wednesday, March 19, 2025 at 04:39:49 PM PDT, Francis Tanjuatco <franci...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Sourav Das]

Any wheelset with Alex DM18 rims would fit the bill. Sun Ringle CR18 rims are also comparable. The CR18 is eyeleted. The DM18 has a thicker wall and overall profile so I'd imagine it is stronger but possibly comes with a significant weight penalty. Both are pretty cheap and durable. The DM21 is stock on Rivendell Clems, if that stamp of approval matters.

The wheels will most likely have Shimano or Formula hubs. 36 or 32 holes would be solid for touring and off-road riding.

Sourav

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[Sourav Das]

A quick search shows a front wheel for a grand sum of $58. I'd go for it, but would recommend doing a few rides and getting them re-trued, if needed, before heading out on an epic adventure.

https://carsoncitybikeshop.com/wheel-shop-alex-dm18-silver-shimano-hb-m475-wheel-front-700c-622-holes-36-qr-100mm-rim-and-disc-is-6-bolt/

Sourav

[Jim Gladstone]

I bought the Hunt 4-Season All Road aluminum wheels two years ago and have been very satisfied.  I've ridden a couple of Rock Cobblers and other gravel events with them and they still run true.