Budget Gravel Wheel/Tire Advice

[hairylegs]

Hey all -

I'm looking to put some gravel wheels/tires on my Renovo John Day. It came with Velocity wheels which would be appropriate, but I'm not quite ready to buy a more expensive road set...although I covet the new Mavic UST line!

So I'm looking for something a bit cheaper but definitely want tubeless.

Are these crazy to try? https://www.bikenashbar.com/cycling/vuelta-corsa-slx-700c-disc-wheelset-vl-cslxd-base

I'm not sure on tires - I'm *considering* the Belgian Waffle Ride...would 35mm tires be appropriate? Open to suggestions.

And I have Ultegra Di2 - it looks like I can do a 34t cassette...was hoping to go even a bit higher....

Thanks for any and all input!

[CMiller]

Vueltas are on perpetual sale on sites like Nashbar, I wouldn't be surprised if they drop to 50% off on any sale coming up. I think for the money you could buy something much much nicer used on here, post up a WTB!

[nmrt]

shameless plug: I have these (Bontrager paradigm comp TLR disc) that came stock on my new trek checkpoint. i used them for 100 miles and them changed to a different wheelset because i wanted something superlight. the paradigm are not heavy though. they roll on dt swiss internals and can be run tubeless (i did).

yours for $349 + shipping
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/equipment/cycling-components/bike-wheels/road-bike-wheels-wheelsets/bontrager-paradigm-comp-tlr-disc-road-wheel/p/14197/

Hey all -

I'm looking to put some gravel wheels/tires on my Renovo John Day. It came with Velocity wheels which would be appropriate, but I'm not quite ready to buy a more expensive road set...although I covet the new Mavic UST line!

So I'm looking for something a bit cheaper but definitely want tubeless.

Are these crazy to try? https://www.bikenashbar.com/cycling/vuelta-corsa-slx-700c-disc-wheelset-vl-cslxd-base

I'm not sure on tires - I'm *considering* the Belgian Waffle Ride...would 35mm tires be appropriate? Open to suggestions.

And I have Ultegra Di2 - it looks like I can do a 34t cassette...was hoping to go even a bit higher....

Thanks for any and all input!

[hairylegs]

Interesting! This whole world is new to me...through axels and discs...

I'm looking to run something around 35 or 40s on the wheels. I know I have a 15mm front TA and 12mm back TA. I need to buy disc rotors, too right?

The Bontragers look to be a road wheel set that's suitable for gravel then? Thanks!

[nmrt]

yep, it is a whole new world out there with different axles and bb standards and a whole lotta mess. :)

The bontragers paradigm that came on my checkpoint are a gravel specific wheelset designed by trek. i guess there is no reason why you cannot use them on the road.

i do have disc rotors (ultegra sm-rt 800) installed on them. if you want the rotors, i coudl add them for a small cost.

the front wheels is 12X100 and the rear is 12 X 142.
I am unsure how you can convert the front 12X100 to 15X100. but i will inquire and let you know.

EDIT: Yes, you can convert from the existing 12 X 100 to 15 X 100 buy buying appropriate end caps/axle.
And I did run 40c tires on these rims for those 100 miles. It was perfect and oh...so comfortable.

Interesting! This whole world is new to me...through axels and discs...

I'm looking to run something around 35 or 40s on the wheels. I know I have a 15mm front TA and 12mm back TA. I need to buy disc rotors, too right?

The Bontragers look to be a road wheel set that's suitable for gravel then? Thanks!

[DrSpoke]

I'm a big fan of DT Swiss wheels and Schwalbe tires. I've had good success with this combination as far are ease of mounting, easy inflation, etc.

For wheels I'd look into some R24s and maybe even R23s. They've been discontinued but are still out there and about the same weight as the Nashbars.

The BWR is mostly road though a fair amount of dirt. For the event itself I use Schwalbe Pro Ones @ 28mm. But I train on tires a bit larger - either the G-One Speed @ 30mm or the G-One @ 35mm. The Speed wouldn't be a bad tire for the BWR if you are not used to riding on dirt.

An Ultegra RD can easily handle an 11-36 (SRAM) and some have even used an 11-40 w/a RoadLink. That is, Shimano is very conservative in it's ratings.

[hairylegs]

This is super helpful! I think my plan is gonna be to get some Schwalbe 35s for now and use them on my current wheels (Velocity)

If I want to go faster on the road for now I can always ride my Look 595 which I've shamelessly converted into a tribike...

I'll def go for a 36...maybe 40! Thanks for the info! This will at least give me a month to play on the fireroads before GWR reg opens...

Appreciate the advice!