How to Choose the Right Carbon Wheel Depth For You
One of the best upgrades you can give your bike is to add carbon wheels to the equation. Carbon wheels are the answer to reaching free speed and the most performance gains from your equipment.
If you’re ready to take the next step in cycling and are looking to upgrade your wheelset to carbon, the sometimes difficult decision making process often follows in choosing the best carbon wheelset for you. A big factor for many is selecting the right wheel depth to meet your needs as a cyclist.
The best word of advice when making this decision is to consider the type of rider you are, your style, level of experience, where you spend the majority of your time riding and what type of terrain that includes.
Here are some of the different benefits to various Black Inc carbon wheels that may help with making your decision (for road/gravel cycling):
TWENTY
The TWENTY is our lightest wheel on offer. Built for pure climbing strength, to excel when the road rises up. The TWENTY is made from the lightest of ultra-high strength carbon fiber, so don’t be fooled too easily by its feather light weight. You’ll be in safe and sturdy hands through the hills and down the descent to follow on a set of TWENTY’s.
A top feature of the TWENTY is its ability to promptly accelerate, deeming it the perfect climbing wheel, especially on a climb with varying gradients. This stems from the hub construction with low-friction CeramicSpeed bearings and an updated freehub body engagement system. The clincher version with all-steel spokes weighs in at a mere 1,240g and also features an updated rim bed geometry for tubeless.
Opt for the TWENTY’s and you’ll be flying through the hills in no time…
Ideal for: The type of rider that lives for the climbs and likes to hit them at speed, lives in or around hillier-mountainous terrain, likes to climb but also loves to descend confidently.
THIRTY
The THIRTY is marginally wider than the TWENTY, also ideally suited to climbing with the added bonus of being strong and versatile enough for both road and gravel cycling. Light in weight and with a low rotating mass, the THIRTY’s also provide the rapid acceleration needed to climb comfortably and efficiently. Its broader rim profile assures that they not only allow you to float up the climb, but also confidently rip down descents.
For the rider seeking enhanced traction, handling and comfort, the THIRTY’s have a newly developed CFD-certified rim shape that improves stability when using tires that are wider than 25mm.
Ideal for: The rider who loves to climb, lives in or around hillier terrain, thrives off climbing but also loves to descend at speed and wants to mix up their riding between the road/gravel.
FORTY FIVE
The FORTY FIVE is a wheel for the jack of all trades. The rider who likes a bit of everything. The ultimate all-rounder wheelset providing the perfect balance of lightness, aerodynamics, strength and stiffness. It can do it all and excel on every type of terrain; from high mountain passes to endless flats, open roads and all that’s in between. Disc-only, tubeless ready and optimised for 25-28mm tyres, with an internal rim width of 21mm. The final winning touch: They’re built with custom CeramicSpeed bearings and feature a lightweight freehub, ensuring every pedal stroke is that much more smooth and efficient.
Ideal for: The all-round rider who likes to mix it up across all terrains; whether that be solely in training or racing crits, to mountainous road races. Take them up, down and into the flatlands and do it all with optimum speed and efficiency.
SIXTY
The SIXTY is for the rider that craves pure speed, offering just the right blend of aerodynamics and lightweight to deliver the ultimate aero carbon wheelset. In addition to its ability to go fast, the SIXTY is constructed to optimise stability and rider comfort, ensuring they’re ideal over many terrains and surfaces; from paved to unpaved, stomping up the hills or flying along the flatland. With wider tires quickly growing in popularity within the cycling world, the SIXTY’s rim shape provides a more aerodynamic option for wider tires. Also improving handling, on-road traction and allowing optimal comfort.
Ideal for: The rider that’s all about aerodynamics and aero gains, likes to ride fast, punch numbers through the flatlands, but also enjoys storming up the hills at speed.
FIVE
The latest addition to the Black Inc family is the FIVE. A handcrafted, solid spoke wheelset featuring a unique one-piece rim and spoke blade construction. Officially Black Inc’s greatest creation to date, this class-leading road wheel is the absolute pinnacle performance wheel. At an ultralight 1,318g the FIVE was created to achieve exceptional aerodynamic performance using a combination of NACA optimized spoke, rim and hub profiles. Built to go fast…everywhere, wherever the road veers. Not only incredibly quick, the FIVE handles like a dream, carefully optimized with CFD software to achieve this. The unique one piece, five-spoke design was inspired from the motor and automotive industry, using a distinctive Kamm tail design. As with all other Black Inc wheels, the FIVE comes equipped with customized CeramicSpeed bearings to ensure the ultimate hub durability, providing the finishing touch to the ultimate, luxury, performance seeking wheel.
Ideal for: The rider that prioritises performance gains on all road terrains and riding at speed with every given advantage possible.