[Closed] Gravel Bike Wheel Size

Big difference in geometry & weight between a Exploro & a Rag + lots of others like the Exploro though so why the Rag?

I wouldn't overly worry about rim width. Everyone's been running 40c tyres and more on road rims for years. Surely you'll be limited by the frame/forks more than you will by the rims.

700 X 42c is the sweet spot for me for the riding I do. Most rides on the gravel bike are 60-70%+ off road, and these handle most things except rocky & rubbly stuff (where a MTB would be better).

I've the Hunt 4 seasons disc, great wheelset.

@rOcKeTdOg Realistically, I can't afford anything carbon, and thus remotely aero. The RAG+ was on my list before I bought the fatbike, so it's always hung around in my mind as a bike I could get on with.

@AlexSimon I've gone from 18mm on 650c, to 23mm on 700c, to 2.1" on 26", to 4.8" on 26". I'm not really sure what difference road plus on either 700c or 650b will be like…

@hardtailonly it looks fantastic for the money, shame I'd have to wait the best part of three months for them…

I'd go for 700c but one thing to consider is the clearance on the back if you want to run mudguards. I have 37 on the back of my RAG and I think much fatter tyres + guards could be a squeeze

I had a RAG+ in 700c wheel size. It was great on roads and for jumping over speed bumps. I found it a bit crap off road though, even on canal towpath to be honest. Might fair better with the smaller wheels and bigger tyres. Good looking bike and well put together.

OP - the Hunt 4 season wheels are in next week in 700c size

https://www.huntbikewheels.com/collections/gravel-wheels/products/4season-gravel-disc-road-cx-wheelset-1589g-24deep-24wide

And they have 650 ones the week after

https://www.huntbikewheels.com/collections/gravel-wheels/products/hunt-650b-adventure-sport-disc-27-5-gravel-road-trail-wheelset-1579g-24deep-25wide

Just read through your linked post, I misses that thread.

As my gravel purchase lives more off than on road I opted for 650b 47c tyres. So far I have been impressed.

Mine is a Ribble CGR. Have you looked at them? (There are 4 flavours of frame material)

@honourablegeorge this is where I show my complete lack of knowledge. Am I going to notice a difference in ride quality between a 25mm wide rim, versus a 29mm wide rim…?

Went from 700x40 to 650x42 on a bike that isn't really designed for it. I don't have any helpful comments except the BB is so low I keep buzzing my toes on flat turns and it's fun to ride.

Having had 660x47 and 700x 41 I have settled on the 700c.

Thats because most of my riding on the bike is more road based, although some are pretty poorly surfaced. I also don’t really do much loaded riding, mainly me with a couple of bottles and maybe a small frame bag for spare clothes, food etc for a big days ride

I liked the extra cushioning and comfort that the 650b tyres run at lower pressures gave but the 700c are ‘almost’ as good at that. However I find they are easier to keep rolling on smoother surfaces and the extra couple of mph average I seem to get with them does add up over 60 plus miles into a noticeable difference.

There’s not a huge amount of difference though and my decision was primarily made with my current bike by already having a really nice set of 700c wheels.

@rOcKeTdOg Realistically, I can’t afford anything carbon, and thus remotely aero

Ah, I thought you meant the 3T wasn't available so you were going Rag, not that the 3T was unobtainable monetarily. Gotcha!

Anyway 700x42mm WTB resolutes is your answer

I did part of the West Highland Way this morning and was very glad I was on 650x47 and not the 700x40s.

Part of my decision making process is the need to carry a seatpack and my wee legs. 700x40 means the tyre is running very close to the pack. 650x47 gives a bit more clearance.

700x38c*

Because that's the largest Schwalbe CX Comp's are available in and I'm a high mileage cheapskate at the moment (and IME they're actually quite good, shame they dont' do a folding version).

*which makes no sense as they're actually labeled as ETRO 622x40. Which makes them the only tyre in the history of cycling to actually be bigger than the manufacturer claims?

OP ... The standard 4 season disc wheels are available next week ...

https://www.huntbikewheels.com/products/4season-gravel-disc-road-cx-wheelset-1589g-24deep-24wide

No need for anything wider unless you're going wider than 2" I wouldn't have thought.

They really are very, very good for the money, and Hunt customer service is first class.

In terms of the bike, might be worth looking at PX/OO, they still have deals on the Space Chicken (carbon) as well as the Ti Tempest and Pickenflick. I have the latter and it's a properly sorted and fun ride. There's a long thread on the Tempest that has been running a few weeks, also lots of positive comments.

@normal-man-2-2 I have briefly looked at those, but discounted it as they don't do a frameset only…?

@rOcKeTdOg 'tis a shame really, even those heavily discounted '18 models for £2,500 are just out of reach. Unless I save until the end of the year, by which time they'll be gone… 😕

@kelron @mattbee @scotroutes @thisisnotaspoon thanks for the insight. Looks like this might end up being a try it and see job. Then sell/buy another set if it's not right… *sighs*

@hardtailonly I was trying to avoid the Space Chicken (which I've always liked the look of), for reasons…

And this ...

Anyway 700x42mm WTB resolutes is your answer

There’s a nice looking carbon Rondo Ruut on eBay at the moment.

Rondo

What’s putting you off the Space Chicken? I keep thinking about getting one or a Ragley Trig.

@hardtailonly I was trying to avoid the Space Chicken (which I’ve always liked the look of), for reasons…

#cuttingoffyournose ... etc IMO.

I get that not everyone likes the PX/OO way of doing things. But you can't argue that they do some sorted bikes at terrific prices.

Tempest is awesome.

Would recommend one.

Rode round the Isle of Wight on mine yesterday.

I’ve had both on my rag+, 650x2.0 was nice but BB very low. Now run 700x40 nanos, bump absorption feels the same but rollover is better with 700. I can get a mudguard on but needs routing over the seatstay bridge. When I get a new gravel bike it will be need room for 700x45 or thereabouts, wouldn’t bother with 650 again. Most of my riding is towpaths and forest tracks / fire roads.

CGR in steel, Ti and carbon available as frameset only.

@funkmasterp tempting, but I've decided to build a bike to my spec, hence getting a frameset.

@hardtailonly Yes I know, but the Space Chicken frameset is slightly more expensive and has slightly less tyre clearance. Plus, after a spectacularly bad customer service experience a few years back, everything I've bought since then hasn't fitted either me, or my bikes. So it's me, not them…

@scruff I'll bare that in mind, haven't thought about crank length yet either…

@normal-man-2-2 looks like the CGR AL is also available as a frameset. Not sure how I missed those, I can see another thread coming on…

You should check out the Ragley too, better tyre clearance than all the others. Plus steel, a proper headtube badge and available as a frameset 👍🏼

Same as rocketdog 700c x 42 resolutes. They are the nutts

Those of you suggesting WTB , how hard are they to get on and off your rims?

My resolutes are shod on WTB Sti25 TCS rims and I don’t have any issues. Go on easy and go up tubeless even easier. 😀

Saw a CGR AL yesterday actually, looked very tidy and very orange

Those of you suggesting WTB , how hard are they to get on and off your rims?

No issues getting on and off (Hunt wheels). Did take a while for both my sets (Resolute, and the Exposure 30c on my 'road' wheels) to hold air without being topped up with air every 24 hours. But all good now.

I use both 700c 38mm and 650b 50mm on a Bokeh.
I really, really enjoy riding at 20psi on the 650b.. It really is nice and allows me to have great fun..
The 700c is fast no doubt but I'm much more careful on them and a result have less fun..
Thats is based on hardpack gravel trails and singletrack, no road.
I have found that speed aint everything and prefer the comfort and control that the bigger rubber gives.. Maybe I'm getting old.

I have WTB Horizons on Superstar rims. Easy to get on and off. Easy tubeless.

FWIW I'd recommend a frame that would take a range of wheel/tyre sizes. I have 3 wheelsets for my Van Nic Amazon Gradventourer and choose according to route/terrain.

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I use 700 x 43c Gravel kings on my Rag+, I think that the standard builds come with the same tyre. The only issue I have is the stupid seat stay bridge which is far too low meaning I have to use a smaller rear tyre in the winter. Can't see the point in 650b if you have room for 700 X 40c+ tyres unless you ride exclusively off-road.

@hardtailonly @fudge9202 turns out those are the tyres that are on my build spreadsheet, a lucky guess when I created it…

@medlow @scotroutes ideally I'd have two sets of wheels, but I can only afford the one set initially. Hopefully Santa will be generous and I'll be able to buy a second set in the new year.

I was pondering last night and was wondering if running XC MTB wheels on gravel bikes is a thing? In a similar way to running 5" tyres on 100mm rims on a fatbike giving better tyre shape (maybe?), would running a 650b 40mm XC rim with ~50mm tyres, work on a gravel bike?

@cheers_drive what size is your frame?
The seatstay bridge looks straight in the photos but on my frame it's arched and looks to have more clearance.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/159363082@N07/X93u2w

That's with a 37

It sounds to me like you have your heart set on the 3T Exploro. Quite understandably so, its beautiful. If there is any way you can push it that extra few hundred quid without causing yourself stress (can't emphasize this enough), you should do so. It'll be cheaper and you'll be happier in the long run.

Whenever I have tried to be more economical, it's always niggled away and triggered a merry-go-round of frame swaps which is perversely a very expensive way of doing it.

@joemmo
It's an XL and yes it's straight. Even with same 35c (37) tyres as you I have to run mudguards over the bridge. Great bike apart from that

OP - I'd say a 29mm internal rim is far wider than you need for a gravel tyre... at that point, it's just extra weight. Realistically, your tyres are going to be 45c or more likely less than that, and the Hunts are perfect for that.

peteimpreza

Those of you suggesting WTB , how hard are they to get on and off your rims

I had the recent thread complaining about Riddlers, but the same tyres went on my Hunt wheels with no levers, just by hand. Crest rims(old ones) were the issue.

It’s an XL and yes it’s straight. Even with same 35c (37) tyres as you I have to run mudguards over the bridge. Great bike apart from that

Weird one that, maybe there have been different iterations on the frame. The clearance at the chainstay bridge is closer on mine but still ok. Frame is medium / 56. I've seen on the newer frames that they have a combined rear dropout and brake mount so I guess they've refined it a bit.

I really like mine as well, it does everything I need it for. It's not the most off-road oriented bike in this niche but for 50/50 road and gravel it's a good choice IME

@crimsondynamo I was hoping for a rather large rebate from the Tax Man, which would have easily have paid for it. Shame my tax code turned out to be correct… 😩

I've promised myself that if the start-up I work for makes it, the first purchase is a 3T Exploro, with all the carbon bells and whistles. Until then, I'll just have to make do…

@honourablegeorge noted.