The Wheels
BEST AFFORDABLE WHEELS
Tubular & Canti:
HiFi Mixmaster X (canti): The 28mm low profile aluminum rim is made for wide tires and is one of the best for cyclocross tubulars thanks to the radius of the rim bed. Built up into a 1390 gram wheelset, these tough wheels will up your speed for less than $700.
Clincher/Tubeless & Disc:
Stan’s NoTubes Iron Cross Comp (disc): Tubeless for cyclocross has arrived, and this $595, 1590 gram set offers durability, reasonable weight and reliable tubeless performance.
The award-winning NoTubes Iron Cross got some updates for this year.
BEST HIGH-END WHEELS
Tubular: HED Stinger 3 FR: Available for disc or rim brakes. Designed with ’cross in mind, this tough set of wheels with 38mm deep x 28mm wide carbon rims are only 1200 grams and $2000 for the pair, have the best bed radius for ’cross tires, and even offer aero benefits if you happen to be off the front alone at breakneck speed.
Tubeless: The American Classic Argent: American Classic’s Bead Barb does wonders to prevent burps and help convert non-tubeless tires, and there are both disc and rim brake options. At $1449 (rim brake), these wheels are expensive for an alloy rim, but save weight over many options and are the best rim brake tubeless rim for cyclocross that we’ve tried.
American Classic even makes their own excellent tubeless valves that fit flush in their rims. © Cyclocross Magazine
Reading the review of the Serac CX in issue 25, I am wondering Serac or KommandoX. Intermediate rider in SF Bay area.
FuelForThoughts how heavy are you? for Bay Area courses, often wider is better if you can fit them. Plus the width helps with burps. Specialized has a new 38c 2Bliss tire.
cyclocross No problem with burps running Vittoria TNT XG on WTB ChrisCross (29r, 25f psi). I am 162 lb. Which Spec’ tire are you thinking of? Only one I could find on their website in 38 is the tracer which looks lie a file tread.
Have you measured the Serac width?
FuelForThoughts cyclocross The Serac seems to be a bit narrower than the Kommando X. But if you’re having good luck with the XGs, probably no huge reason to switch to either tire. Perhaps slightly bigger side knobs…but the next switch probably worth making is only for volume reasons. Maybe Cross Boss when it’s out, or Ritchey Shield next year? https://www.cxmagazine.com/ritchey-shield-wcs-cyclocross-tubeless-tire-zeta-ii-wheels
[…] a list price of $1,200, the Ardennes SL disc wheelset costs 40% less than HED’s older Stinger 3, a previous Editors’ Choice award-winning wheelset. With a total weight of 1,435 grams, the Ardennes SL is just 65 grams heavier than the carbon HED […]
[…] brand. We’ve seen that happen in the world of cyclocross, under different circumstances, when the award-winning Bailey-designed carbon cyclocross frame later appeared under Italian and Canadian branding and on top of CrossVegas podiums, although the […]