The wheelset of your gravel bike can make a huge difference to the feel of your ride. But how do you choose the right gravel wheelset for you?
Different types of gravel wheelsets excel at different things. Gravel biking is such a wide discipline that two gravel wheelsets could be very different from one another and should be used for different types of riding.
Many reliable brands make gravel wheelsets, but Campagnolo and Shimano are, as always, some of the most popular. Regardless of your budget or where you like to ride your gravel grinder, there’s a gravel wheelset for you in their lineup.
So, what exactly should you look for in a wheelset? And what is the hierarchy of Campagnolo and Shimano gravel wheelsets?
Don’t worry! In this guide, we’ll give you a complete rundown of all the factors you should consider when buying a gravel wheelset, as well as the hierarchy of wheelsets from two of the most popular brands, Campagnolo and Shimano. We’ll be covering:
- What Should You Look For In A Gravel Wheelset?
- Campagnolo Gravel Wheelsets
- Shimano Gravel Wheelsets
Let’s dive in!
What should you look for in a gravel wheelset?
If you’re looking to get yourself a new pair of wheels for your gravel bike, the market can be somewhat difficult to navigate, given the huge variation in gravel wheelsets.
Different riders will be looking for different types of wheels, and the metrics they’ll usually consider are wheel size, rim width (and tire compatibility), and material.
But how do each of these factors affect the feel of your ride on your gravel bike?
Rim Width and Tire Width Compatibility
The possible width of tires on your gravel bike is likely to be the factor that affects your ride the most. This is generally determined by the width of your rims.
One rim width will likely support a variety of tire widths. So, in this section, we will discuss the effect of using tires of different widths on your ride.
- Want to know more? Check out our Ultimate Guide To Bike Rim Width [With Rim Width Tire Size Charts]
Although other factors determine the off-road capability of your tires (knobbliness, whether they’re tubeless, the distribution of the tread pattern, your wheel size), arguably the most significant is the width.
The general rule is: the wider the tires, the more off-road-capable the wheels.
To put some specific numbers on it, thinner gravel bike tires would be anything from around 32 mm to 38 mm, and where you choose in that range would depend on just how off-road you want to go.
However, if you’re keen on using your gravel bike for some serious off-roading, like singletrack or MTB trails, you’ll likely need wider tires.
As the terrain you’re trying to traverse gets rougher, thinner tires result in more and more rolling resistance, and wider tires result in less and less (relatively). Wider gravel bike tires would usually be between 38 mm and 50 mm.
Wheel Size: 700c vs 650b
This is a surprisingly nuanced choice, and your wheel size will significantly affect your ride, both directly and indirectly.
One of the most significant reasons for this is that, with 700c wheels, you will have less clearance (space) to fit wider tires on your bike. 650b wheels, although smaller in diameter, will allow for wider tires on the bike.
For example, your available tire clearance for 700c might be 42 mm, but with 650b you could easily fit in 50+ mm.
This is just scratching the surface of the wheel size choice, and it’s worth considering as it will change the feel of your ride in very specific ways.
- Want to know more? Check out 650b Vs 700c Wheels: Which Should I Choose?
Material
As usual, the main differences that can arise from wheels of different materials are in weight and strength. Most gravel bike wheels are aluminum or carbon, but it is possible to find steel ones occasionally.
Lighter-weight wheels will allow you to accelerate and decelerate more quickly but won’t maintain momentum as well as heavier ones. If you’re looking for lightweight wheels, go for carbon; if you’re on a budget, aluminum is a good choice.
Regarding strength, most gravel wheelsets are made with off-road riding in mind. They’re likely to be strong enough, regardless of your use. However, steel is generally the strongest, and carbon is perhaps the most likely to fail because it can crack under pressure.
Campagnolo Gravel Wheelsets
Campagnolo only entered the gravel market relatively recently, so they don’t have a huge amount of options when it comes to gravel wheelsets.
In fact, there are only two different gravel wheelsets made by Campagnolo – Shamal and Levante – developed together with their 13-speed Ekar gravel groupset.
The good news is, they’re both extremely high-quality gravel wheelsets that would generally be considered professional standard.
The not-so-good news; neither are budget options and will set you back a fair sum.
a gravel wheelset for less-extreme terrain: Campagnolo shamal
The Campagnolo Shamal wheelset takes the name of the classic road wheels, the Shamal Ultras, re-purposed for the gravel discipline.
The Shamal wheelset is constructed from high-quality, strong carbon and weighs only 1585 g. This is a huge advantage for quick, agile gravel riding.
The rims are medium-profile, which means that the radial width of the rims is quite large (35 mm front, 40 mm rear), to decrease drag on the wheels as you ride.
If you’re more into serious off-roading on your gravel bike, this is unlikely to make a huge difference, but the Shamal wheelset is optimized for more streamlined, fast gravel riding on not-so-brutal terrain.
In fact, the internal rim width of 21 mm makes them compatible with 25-32 mm tires, meaning that, in reality, they’d also be a usable choice for a road bike.
Regarding compatibility, since they’re primarily a gravel wheelset, they are, of course, only compatible with disc brakes. However, they are available with various hubs, so whether you’re using an Ekar, GRX, or XPLR groupset, they’ll be compatible with your cassette.
However, they’re not particularly budget-friendly and currently cost around $1500.
A Gravel Wheelset for more off-road terrain: Campagnolo Levante
The Campagnolo Levante wheelset will be better for most gravel riders if you intend to take your bike on slightly more off-piste.
Constructed of the same carbon as the Shamals, the slightly lower-profile rims (30 mm), result in a slightly lower weight, coming in at 1485 g for the pair. Realistically, 100 g is unlikely to make a noticeable difference to the feel of the ride, however.
What is definitely going to make a noticeable difference, though, is the internal rim width. At 25 mm, they can support up to 42 mm tires, making them more suitable for harsher off-road riding.
Once again, they’re a disc brake-only wheelset, available with hubs compatible with any Shimano, Campagnolo, or SRAM groupsets.
They’re a little more expensive than the Shamal wheelset, and they’ll set you back around $1600 for the pair.
Shimano gravel Wheelsets
Similarly to Campy, Shimano only makes two different gravel wheelsets, developed along with their extremely popular GRX groupset series.
The good news for the Shimano fans out there is that they’re significantly cheaper than Campag’s gravel wheelsets, and they’re available in both 700c and 650b wheel sizes.
A Shimano gravel Wheelset For Less-Extreme Terrain: GRX RX570 Wheelset
The GRX RX570 wheelset is a much cheaper option for those looking for a quick, agile, and high-quality gravel wheelset well suited to less-extreme terrain.
However, one of the reasons they’re so much cheaper than Campagnolo’s Shamal wheelset is that they’re constructed from aluminum. This results in a fairly significant weight penalty, at a total of 1902 g.
This isn’t likely to make a huge difference for most riders, but if you’re looking for a super lightweight wheelset or you’re simply keen on carbon, then this probably isn’t the right choice for you.
They come with a similar internal rim width to the Shamals, at 21.6 mm. However, Shimano claims much wider compatibility, supposedly supporting tires of up to 42 mm.
It’s likely that since these are a similar width to the Shamals, one of the two brands has either over- or under-estimated the potential tolerance of the wheels.
They’re disc-brake only and are compatible with hubs that support Campagnolo, Shimano, or SRAM groupsets.
However, an advantage over Campag is that they are available in both 700c and 650b wheel sizes – so if you’re looking for 650b, Shimano gravel wheelsets are a good option.
The RX570s are just over a quarter of the price of the Campagnolo Shamals, coming in at $430 for the pair.
A Shimano gravel Wheelset For more off-road Terrain: GRX RX870 Wheelset
In contrast to Campagnolo’s gravel wheelset lineup, the Shimano wheelsets do present a difference in quality, as well as in design.
The GRX RX870 wheelset is a step up from the RX570s and compatible with wider tires.
Constructed from carbon fiber, these wheels are significantly lighter than the RX570s, weighing 1438 g for the pair in the 700c model. This is a significant difference – at nearly half a kilo, it could produce a noticeable difference to your ride.
Additionally, the internal rim width of 25 mm provides a wider range of compatibility, and Shimano claims that they can support up to 50 mm tires.
The compatibility is the same as for the RX570s: disc brake only, compatible with any of the “Big Three” groupset manufacturers, and available as either 650b or 700c.
Something that’s quite surprising for a wheelset of such quality is that they’re actually not going to break the bank. You can pick up the RX870 wheelset for just $700, which, for a fully carbon, lightweight gravel wheelset, is a bit of a steal.
