We spend a lot of time talking up our carbon wheels and what are seen as our "flagship models". This is a natural reaction to spending our time living and breathing innovation and pushing the boundaries of what is possible to make your riding experience the best it can be. After all is said and done and the hundreds of hours of work have been put into a product, of course we want to shout about it.
We offer wheels for purpose and painstakingly scrutinise each facet of design and performance, looking at how our wheels can improve a customer's riding experience. We design, build, test, destroy, repeat. We test in the lab, on the road, in the wind tunnel and in every condition imaginable (which in Northern Ireland, can be all 4 seasons in a day!). Only when this process is complete, do we release our wheels into the aether.
What can often be forgotten about however is that the same amount of thought and effort goes into everything we do, including our alloy models. As much as we exert the same energy on everything we make, some products grab more headlines than others. We got our heads together and thought, let's change this!
Let's have a look at our core alloy range...
Our 365s are the embodiment of what we do, however they don't often get the praise they deserve. We had a look at the market and there was nobody who made a performance wheelset that was suitable for year round use, so we designed one ourselves from the ground up!
They weigh in at a scant 1574g (Rim) & 1586g (Disc), and they feature a 26mm deep hardened alloy rim and a 3 pawl j-bend hub, laced together with Pillar spokes and brass nipples. We kept things simple but effective with a 24h 2x front and rear spoke pattern. This keeps things strong and robust. This is the only model we offer with a pawl driven hub but there is method in the madness.
Working closely with chemical engineers, we developed an all season aqua grease that we add to the internals and water ingress points. This is what ultimately allows you to ride in all conditions. It's smaller details like this that can get forgotten about.
These are the go to option for the weekend warriors, commuters and those looking for a reliable training partner. They get the job done without the plaudits and for the money (£280 Rim / £290 Disc), nothing comes close.
At the more performance orientated side of things we have our Race wheels. These are our lightest alloy offering, aimed at those who want a lighter wheelset that accelerates instantly and makes your bike feel alive. These hoops have received rave reviews from riders and media outlets alike.
They tip the scales at 1454g (Rim) & 1479g (Disc) and they feature a 26mm rim with radial lacing up front and 2x drive and radial on the rear. This keeps things stiff whilst keeping the weight down so acceleration when you drop the hammer is instant.
These wheels are super competitively priced at (£360 Rim / £370 Disc). The equivalent "big brand" wheels would set you back over twice this.
Sticking with performance, there is an ever increasing shift towards disc brakes within the industry with many brands no longer supporting rim brake. Many riders, myself included are still rocking rim brake bikes and as long as this continues, we'll keep producing wheels!
Our Pace wheels are our only rim brake only alloy offering and they are the swiss army knife of wheels.
These are a great all-round option for riders of all abilities looking for fast acceleration and an aero boost. They're super-lightweight (1490g) and you can feel this when putting down the power and accelerating. The braking performance is superb, too and the alloy brake track adds longevity to the package.
If getting muddy and exploring new horizons is your thing, then our Gravel Wide++ Alloy (£330) wheels are for you. These wheels are available in both 650b and 700c guise and they are the ideal component for your off-road adventures.
Our Gravel Wide++ wheelset was designed for challenging, mixed road conditions. Whether you're a complete off-road gravel rider, or simply like to hop-on/hop-off road/trail, you will have confidence these wheels will deliver. They are incredibly versatile and we have quite a few guys and girls using these for road, cross and gravel!
They weigh in at 1657g (650b) & 1770g (700c) respectively which is no heavyweight for wheels of this designation. Don’t let this fool you however as they are robust, stiff and responsive whilst being compliant when you need them to be. They can take a beating!
The Wide 25mm internal profile gives you the option to fit wide tyres (35-52c) for increased stability when cornering (on-road and off-road), and increased speed due to improved rolling resistance - especially when run tubeless.
We laced the rims to our patented, lightning fast ratchet drive hubs and we opted for 28 Pillar j-bend spokes front and rear with 2x lacing to keep things strong, solid and balanced.
Should you want something a bit narrower for use on road and trail, we also have our Gravel Wide 700c wheels which are true multi-purpose hoops. The Wide 19mm internal profile gives you the option to fit wide tyres but also fit skinnier rubber for the road. We understand that riders often want a bike that does everything and these are the wheels for THAT bike, whether it be for commuting, shredding the trails or a leisurely road ride.
These wheels are light at 1586g and at £330, they are almost £100 cheaper than the equivalent from the competition.
Book-ending our alloy round-up is our Duty wheelset. As mentioned before, we offer wheels for purpose and these are certainly that!
These have been designed with bigger, more powerful riders in mind, as well as those who want wheels that will take a beating. We looked at the market and nobody built a wheelset that offered performance on top of being stronger and more durable so we got our heads together and designed these from the ground up. Why should the bigger guys be limited to heavy, non responsive wheels? As a bigger ex road and track sprinter myself, I have had my fair share of dud wheels which is in part how these wheels came to being.
Just like the Pace, these feature the same 31mm deep rim profile, but to make it a stronger build, we specced j-bend hubs instead of straight pull and went for 28h front and 32h rear spoke counts with 2x spoke lacing. The higher spoke count and brass nipples makes the Dutys pretty much bombproof. They are still light however, weighing in at an impressive 1649g. They certainly accelerate and fly along like a super lightweight wheelset.
A lot of design and tech has gone into these wheels and at £380 (Rim) and £390 (Disc), you will have thousands of miles of fit and forget riding.
Any of these wheels would be the perfect upgrade for riders looking to improve their bike’s performance and durability without having to sell an organ or remortgage the house.
A set of our alloy wheels would make any bike feel better than brand new. They may not be making the headlines, but these wheels represent a revolutionary upgrade, offering top level performance at a real world price point that nobody else can come close to.
If you would like some more in depth advice on what wheels would work best for you, get in touch via email (team@scribecycling.com), live chat, Facebook or Instagram and we'll be more than happy to help.
