I’m new to gravel and looking to buy my first gravel wheelset. Wondering what are the relative technical pros and cons of alloy vs carbon wheels (weight, price, and subjective preferences aside).
One particular consideration as part of this: wheel fragility and likelihood of unrideable-level damage. On the one had, I read this (in article below, but not evidenced or further explained) vs. I heard the argument that carbon can be vulnerable to the kind shocks likely in gravel riding and will splinter.
*“Some think carbon wheels are more prone to damage than alloys when riding dirt and gravel surfaces. The opposite is actually true, as the carbon layups are well-made and come from companies that design, test, and either do or oversee their rim manufacturing and wheel assembly.”
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My gravel use is likely to be mostly half-day rides plus one or two 4-7 day trips per year on mostly class-1 and class-2 gravel, with maybe some occasional class-3 segments.
Apologies if this issue has been addressed elsewhere (I could not find it), and please feel free to direct me to other posts or articles. I did review articles like this one: THE BEST GRAVEL WHEELS - In The Know Cycling - which only shed partial light on this.
I’d say that the popularity of carbon wheels for mountain biking is good evidence that they’re not going to splinter on gravel. Wheel choice for use and load, tire choice, tire pressure choice, riding style, etc. will all affect wheel life .
Sample of one, but I’ve had Reynolds carbon wheels on my gravel bike for years with no issues.
Carbon gravel and MTB wheels are very strong from any reputable manufacturer. If you can afford them I wouldn’t have any concerns about strength over alloy wheels. I’ve had more issues with damage to alloy wheels.
one of the main benefits is that they still tend to have wider inner widths which work better with modern tubeless tyres.
I however still prefer hooked rims for gravel use and have been using a set of totally reliable carbon Specialized Roval Terra CL’s for the past few years.
I have both, can’t tell the difference except for the noise (fortunately or otherwise, I’m now mostly deaf so carbon wheels are fine).
I haven’t managed to break a wheel in the last 50 years: YMMV.
I have (badly) dented and buckled alu rims. I am yet to break any carbon rims. That said, I do now use inserts with whatever wheelset I’m using. This helps remove most of any anxiety I once had about smashing rims, meaning I can ride more aggressively/less cautiously, making everything way more fun.
Many carbon wheels manufacturers provide a good crash replacement policy (like Hunt, Zipp), which gets you covered in case of disaster :D. I’ve broken few carbon rims, but mostly on a road - high speed pothole hit etc.
Good point, but… the carbon wheels I’m currently most seriously considering (based on quality/reliability/etc vs price ratio) are the Campagnolo Levante - and unfortunately Campy does not have a crash replacement policy 
I’ve recently cracked a carbon rim on a road pothole that I couldn’t avoid due to car traffic at my shoulder. Contributory factors: gravel pressures (I think it would have survived with 10-20psi more), my 85kg, and the fact that it was a very light (250g) aftermarket carbon rim. It didn’t leave me stranded - I had to look carefully for the damage and the wheel was still true.
Most of the factory wheels are made with a more balanced build (read 300g+ for a shallow carbon rim) and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy them. The ride quality is much nicer. My top choice would be Roval Terra CL - one rung up and quite a bit lighter than the Terra C in your linked article.
When it comes to gravel wheels, like racing. Ride what you can afford to break.
Types of gravel vary greatly, but I have never broken any type of wheel on gravel. This feels a bit alarmist to me, perhaps suggesting that breaking wheels is common, and that just isn’t my experience.
I am not being alarmist, but gravel by its very nature will be harder on equipment. So if go drop £4k on a set of boujee Enve Pros (for example) make sure your happy to foot any cost of breaking them.
This. If you manage to break a carbon rim, it probably would also have been end of story for the alloy rim. But the replacement would be cheaper for alloy - except for differences in crash replacement policies.
Carbon rims don’t rust. I’ve had a pair of alloy gravel rims with rust issues. That’s one advantage of carbon.
All wheels - and everything else - can be broken with enough effort, carelessness or stupidity. If you are hard on gear or careless you should know, in which case the cost of replacement may be a major factor in what to purchase.
I’m relatively light and careful and have had very few problems with wheels ever. IME the larger tyres and lower pressures and speeds off-road mean the wheels have an easier life, but note that I’m talking gravel or XC - not DH or Red Bull Rampage.
You can typically get wider carbon rims at a lower weight than alu, and durability seems to be good by most accounts, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that unless you’re a serial killer of parts.
It’s not like you can’t get decent wheels in either material, although alu has less pose value, assuming that matters…
What else would I run with my overpriced PAS kit on Insta!
I’ve been using a set of Terra CLX wheels for the last six years / 25,000+ km and they’ve been great as well. The Terra CLs weren’t released yet when I bought mine but they are definitely better value than the CLXs.
The answer is not to go boutique. I would not put a set of wheels over £1k onto my gravel or MTB bikes. Lots of marks from rock/stone strikes on my current wheels show why.
I believe the CLX and CL share/shared the same rim.
I seem to have a lot of faith in Specialized rim testing after reading about their CLX road wheels years ago.
Thanks for all the wisdom! The Roval Terra CL wheels seem to get much praise and good reviews.
However, I see they’re suitable only for tyres from 28mm to 47mm - whereas the bike I’m having built will have a max clearance of 50mm or more, and I’m not likely to be able to get two sets of wheels.
What other good carbon wheels in the price range of the CLs or less (ideally backed with a good repair/replacement policy) that cover the width range 32mm - 50+mm might I consider, if such a thing is realistic?
(See my use cases in the original post. )
I’ve used a set of Zipp 303 Firecrest without any issues for three years. I run Schwalbe 50s now at anything from 23-30 psi. I haven’t had any issues at all. They are great wheels. And this is in Colorado and often on some gnarly gravel and single track with LOTS of rocks.