Carbon Road / Gravel Bike Rims

 

At Wheelscience we use best of breed technology to delivery you outstanding performance. No compromise, ever.

Materials

We only us Torayca carbon fibre.  Toray Industries of Japan is without question the global leader in carbon materials.  We use two types of their fibre.

T700 carbon fibre from TORAYCA^® is considered the gold standard in industrial fibre.  While more recent advances in carbon have led to the development of T800 and T1000 fibres, both of these are actually too rigid to be used alone.  Our Everest rims use a blend of T700 and T800 as do our Elemental SL wheels, while the Elemental and Vortex rims are 100% T700.

Ultra Carbon

Our new ultra carbon rims take weight saving and strength to an entirely new level.  By producing rims that effectively come out of the molds ready to ride, that require no finishing, not clear coating we can take over 100 grams off the rims.

Road Rim configurations

Our Elemental, Elemental SL and Everest wheels are available as Clincher, Tubeless-ready clincher and Tubular.  For tire pressure recommendations please see our FAQ page.

MTB rim graphene infusion

We infuse our MTB rim resin with graphene particles to remove the microscopic air bubbles that form as part of the production process.   The removal of these increases the impact resistance of the rims by almost 20% while adding only 6 grams in weight.  An excellent trade off.

Interesting rim facts

We conduct various tests on our rims as you would expect.  Some of the more interesting outcomes are the following:

Our spoke holes are tested to over 350 kilogram force (over 800lbs).  This means we use a mechanical set up to apply that much pull force to a spoke set up in a rim section.  That is 200-300% of the load they will be exposed to in day-to-day use.

We crush test our rims (unspoked) to 600kgs without failure, that is almost 1500lbs.

Our testing is incredibly comprehensive to ensure your wheels will give you years of trouble free use.

Spokes and nipples

We exclusively use Sapim secure lock nipples.  Made from the highest quality materials and renowned for their light weight and longevity.

Wheelscience carbon spokes

Available only in the Ethereal 1 wheels our carbon spokes weight less than 3 grams each (1/2 that of a pillar spoke) yet are even stronger!

Pillar 1423 spokes

Our Elemental and Vortex wheels use Pillar 1423 spokes.  They are J pull for our own rim brake hubs or straight pull for disc brake or DT hubs.

They are made from SANDVIK T302 stainless steel and weight around 6.5 grams (size dependent).

The aero profile offering superior drag reduction shown below:

 

Sapim CX-ray

Considered by many to be the best aero spokes available, while also taking into account their weight - around only 4.25 grams!  Available as J bend or straight pull subject to hub selection.

 

 

DT Champion

We use DT Swiss' workhorse Champion spokes in our mountain bike wheels.  The DT cold forging process and precision production processes give outstanding long term reliability and performance in the off road world.

Hubs

It goes without saying that hubs are the heart of any wheel.  So at Wheelscience we have taken steps to ensure ours are not only cost effective but also easy to service and extremely long lasting.

Ethereal 1 hubs

An all carbon shell and brand new rachet internals mean our Ethereal hubs give unmatched weight and rigidity to our flagship wheels.

Elemental ceramic hubs (rim brake)

Used in both our Elemental and Everest series wheels our hubs are CNC machined aluminium with TPI ceramic bearings. The front hub weighs just 80 grams and the rear only 210 grams, yet due to the geometry they allow us to build a very stiff and responsive wheel.

Bearing sizes are as follows:

Front hub: 2x699 (9x20x6mm)
Rear hub: 3x6802 (15x24x5mm) and 1x6902(15x28x7mm)

Wheelscience disc brake hubs

When we looked at launching our disc brake hubs we assessed what was already available to us and selected the highly regarded Novatec D411SB/D412SB hubs to build into our wheels.  With excellent reliability and reduced weight (front 85 grams, rear 232 grams - 12mm centrelock version) we have been very pleased with that choice.  With regards to price, reliability and serviceability these are an excellent choice.

Bearing sizes are as follows:

Front hub: 2 X 6803 (26mm x 17mm x 5mm)
Rear hub: 4 X 6209 (15267) (15mm x 26mm x 7mm)

 

DT Swiss hubs

Due to popular demand we offer DT Swiss 350, 240 and the amazing 180 hubs on our Everest and Elemental ranges.  All with the new EXP ratchet system.

For up to date information on these hubs please see the DT SWISS WEBSITE

 

 

 

Aerodynamics

In 1991 Steve Hed patented the toroidal wheel shape.  Ever since then it has been (and is still) considered the pinnacle of spoked wheel aerodynamics.  The patent is no longer active and all shape-related innovations since that time have built upon that discovery.

This is why we know we have industry-best technology built into our rims.

The toroidal profile used in the Elemental series and the Everest series provide outstanding aero performance and stability in cross winds.  

Elemental profile

Everest profile

For the more budget-conscious, or for those of you taking your first step into the carbon wheel world we offer the Vortex series.  These wheels use the classic V shaped profile, still favored by Lightweight wheels in Germany, makers of some of the world's most highly regarded wheels.

Time savings

You can read all about our time savings and performance testing on THIS PAGE.  We believe our wheels offer as good aerodynamic performance as any other wheels available on the market.

 

 

Lifetime Warranty

All our wheels come with a limited lifetime warranty against manufacturing faults.  You will not buy a wheel from us that is not 100% perfect.

Having a lifetime warranty is a pretty big deal both for you as a customer and for us as a manufacturer.  So let's break it down in detail, so you understand exactly what we mean.

Rim

Your rim will arrive in perfect condition, and other than wear and tear will remain in perfect condition for the entire time you own your wheels (see note below on brake surface).

Spokes and nipples

We supply spare spokes and nipples in case they are required.  

Brake surface

You will not experience a heat related failure* as long as you either use our brake pads.  They are available here or you can select extra sets with your purchase, which is what we recommend as that option is cheaper. 

You MUST install your brake pads at least 2mm below the top of the rim to ensure good braking and longevity of the surface.

Please do not use stock "carbon pads" from your bike shop. 

*This is valid to 20,000 kms or two years.  Note, your brake surface will wear out over time and should be inspected for signs of wear or grit-related damage.

Hub shell

Your hub shell will never fail due to a manufacturing related problem.

Hub bearings

Your bearings are sealed and will be maintenance-free for 2 years under normal circumstances.  Heavy off-road usage, combined with excessive use of degreaser may impact this.  Please do not use WD40 or similar anywhere near you hub bearings.

 

The bottom line is, we want you to have a trouble-free experience with our wheels and will take care of anything that we are responsible for.  We are not responsible for normal wear and tear.

SHIPPING YOUR BIKE WHEELS IS EASY - AND IT'S FREE!

We ship almost everywhere in the world.  

******UPDATE - Until further notice we are now shipping all wheels by premium courier services at no extra cost.  We will use either UPS, DHL or FedEx depending upon who has the best service on any given day.******

Shipping Times.

Stock wheels will usually ship with 24 hours of order.

Built to order wheels ship within 10-12 working days of your order being placed. 12-14 working days for full carbon disc wheels. 

We will keep you up to date when they are dispatched and provide you with a tracking number if available.

Countries we have shipped to.

Since we launched in 2014 we have shipped thousands of wheels all around the world.  Here is a list of the countries we have delivered to so far.

Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China (mainland and Taiwan), Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA, Vietnam.

 

Our most popular destinations are below.

Country	Process
Australia	Free delivery by Auspost or premium delivery by FedEX to your door. You pay GST via your payment to us, nothing for you to do.  We do all the paperwork in the background.  EASY!
USA	Free delivery to you directly by USPS or premium delivery by FedEX.  Currently no Import duty is payable.  No Sales Tax is payable.
Canada	Free delivery to you by Canada post or premium delivery by FedEX.  Tax is GST @5% but we hardly ever hear that is actually applied but we refund it if it is.
UAE	Free delivery to you by Emirates post or premium delivery by FedEX.  Official import tax is 5% but we hardly ever hear that is actually applied but we refund it if it is.
Singapore	Free delivery to you by Singapore post or premium delivery by FedEX.  Tax is GST @7% but we hardly ever hear that is actually applied but we refund it if it is.
Europe (Inc UK)	Your parcel will be delivered by your local postal service or UPS with no more to pay. We use a freight forwarder, so no VAT or duty is payable. Premium delivery by FedEX where we refund you the duty payable when the wheels arrive.