Mercury Cycling G1 gravel wheels are available now through Competitive Cyclist with a suggest retail price of $1,700. 2017 Sea Otter Classic. © G. Kato / Cyclocross Magazine
Gravel wheels were a hot category at the Sea Otter Classic this year with new offerings from companies like Crank Brothers and Alto Cycling. Mercury Cycling joins the list as a small company that has been steadily building up a reputation for performance oriented wheels at a value price point that puts it right in the middle of other offerings on the market. To show that the company is committed to cyclocross, it sponsors the Steylaerts-Verona Cyclocross Team. The Ogden, Utah based company has been making alloy and carbon road and mountain wheelsets for a few years now and it launched an all new gravel specific wheel at the Sea Otter Classic, known simply as the G1.
The G1 features a carbon rim with a 30mm outside width, 24mm inside width and a 30mm deep profile. The wheels have a nice looking matte finish and are tubeless compatible and disc brake only. Both the front and rear have 24 Sapim Race double-butted spokes with a round profile. Black brass nipples are used for durability.
Outer width is 30mm and inner width is 24mm. 2017 Sea Otter Classic. © G. Kato / Cyclocross Magazine
The hubs are Mercury Cycling's own design with two sealed bearings in the front and four sealed bearings in the rear. The G1's are shown here with quick release skewers but a simple end cap swap makes the wheels 12 or 15mm axle compatible in the front and QR or 142x12mm compatible in the rear. The wheels are XD-driver compatible, have an approximate weight of 1600 grams per set and the suggested retail price is $1,700 USD.
Mercury Cycling hand builds all its wheelsets at the Ogden, Utah headquarters. 2017 Sea Otter Classic. © G. Kato / Cyclocross Magazine
We talked to Mercury Cycling President, Chris Mogridge who explains, "The G1's may not be the lightest or the heaviest, but we wanted to build something with solid reliability and durability. Our price point follows the same ideal. We don't cut any corners and we are not the cheapest or the most expensive but we put out a good product."
The G1 wheels have already proven so popular that Competitive Cyclist has purchased the entire first run of wheels, so the online retailer remains the sole source for these wheels currently.
More info: mercurycycling.com
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2017 Sea Otter Classic Mercury Cycling G1 Wheels Photo Gallery:
Mercury’s 2017 mountain bike wheels feature an embossed logo and the 2018 gravel wheels will receive the same treatment. 2017 Sea Otter Classic. © G. Kato / Cyclocross Magazine
