You can 100% run tires wider than 47mm on the Terra rims. The rims are 25mm wide internally. It wasn’t that long ago that mountain bikers were running 2.2, 2.3” (56-58mm) tires on rims 25mm and narrower.
Specialized are really saying that their wheels are best suited for tires in their suggested range (some would say to start at 29mm, not 28, but at least they’re hooked). There is no safety issue, and some people feel that the extra sidewall stability afforded by wider rims have gone a bit too far, making the ride too bumpy when the bike is leaned over.
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Indeed, I have a bike with 2.3” tires on old MTB rims with 20mm internal width - but those rims are hooked. With hookless rims, my instinct would be to stay much closer to spec.
I wouldn’t worry about corrosion with alloy rims, including because aluminum oxide is actually protective (unlike rust). In my view, the main thing to be alert for is galvanic corrosion, which on a wheelset is most likely with steel spokes and alloy nipples. This is why I always opt for brass nipples.
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The Terra CL are also hooked
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I’ve been building a wheel database that might be useful. It won’t tell you review quality or warranty (one day…), but it may be useful to heavily filter a large amount of the wheels out there eg internal width, price, weight, spoke type/material.
That may reduce the options and also surface some you weren’t aware of. Those Terra CLs sound good though.
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That sounds very useful, Chris, thanks. Is there a link you can share?
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Oh yeah, that would be useful for you…
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Aha. The issues I had were indeed corroded nipples, and the valve hole being “eaten away”.
I have both options for my gravel bike and although I’m convinced as well that my carbon wheels are stronger than the alloy ones, I find myself charging harder on the rough stuff with the latter for the simple reason that breakage will be cheaper to repair. That being said, I’m not dancing ballet on the black stuff either, I’m just less serene.
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My main gravel wheels these days are a set of Elite 38mm deep carbon wheels (25mm internal) and aluminum HED Ardennes (21mm internal). The carbon wheels look cooler but they are equally great. If I was buying a set tomorrow it would probably be HED Emporias, I like the wider internal and, unless something has changed, in my experience HED wheels apparently last forever.
No matter what gravel wheels should have super durable and well sealed hubs. Maybe it’s just bad luck but my Industry 9 wheels with a torch hubs have neither.
In my experience you’re more likely to dent a metal rim on small to medium rock strikes; have tire pressure bordering on lower limit (like most of us do these days) strike a rock and you’ll have a dented metal rim. Same situation on a carbon rim and you’ll have no damage. When it comes to hitting very big obstacles or hitting obstacles at very high speed, you’re more likely crack a carbon rim where in the same situation you might severely dent or flat spot a metal rim. The carbon rim will be a write-off, the metal rim, if it can be repaired, will not be perfect again. Ofcourse no two rock strikes are the same and so it’s hard to compare but this is my experience over many years of riding both alloy and carbon.