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Some wheels used in the Tour de France are designed to be primarily lightweight, while others are more focused on aerodynamics, but one thing in common is that they all aim to provide a competitive edge… and unfortunately for those of us who have to buy our own bikes and gear, they are all quite expensive! In this article we’re taking a look at what wheels the pros are riding alongside affordable alternatives.
As with our Tour de France bikes on a budget, you can often find good deals on the exact wheelsets used by the pros, but you can also find more affordable models that incorporate much of the same technology.
If you want to upgrade your bike but feel like a new one is an unnecessary expense, investing in some new wheels is probably one of the best ways to make it feel and perform better. While some of the wheelsets featured here certainly aren’t cheap, they are much more affordable than the top of the range models used by professionals which can cost several thousand pounds.
> The best road bike wheels
At this year’s Tour de France, a variety of wheel brands are represented among the 22 teams. Four teams are using FSA’s Vision brand wheels and another four are on Shimano’s Dura-Ace wheels. Roval and Zipp wheels are chosen by two teams each, as are Enve wheels. The remaining teams are equipped with wheels from Reserve, Black Inc, DT Swiss, Newmen, Bontrager, SwissSide, Corima and Giant’s Cadex brand.
Let’s take a look at some suggestions, plus some current deals on cheaper versions of these top deals…
Love the look of the Roval Rapide CLX II Team wheels (£3,000)? Try the £1,323 Roval Rapide CL II instead
Two teams are using Specialized’s Roval wheels in the Tour: Red Bull – Bora Hansgrohe and Soudal Quick-Step. Top riders like Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel have access to the newly released Rapide CLX II Team wheels. You’re looking at £3,000 for a pair of these, even more than the already expensive £2,500 for the non-team version.
However, if you want similar technology for a lot less, then we’d recommend checking out Roval’s Rapide CL II wheels for less than half the price. These have the exact same super wide aero rim as the CLX II wheelset, but with lower spec DT Swiss 350 hubs, which we’ve found to be high performing and very durable.
Get Roval Rapide CL II wheels for £1,323 from Balfe’s Bikes
Zipp 303 S (£849) > Zipp 353 NSW (£3379)
Movistar and ProTeam Lotto Dstny are using Zipp 353 NSW wheels, which retail for £3,379 a pair (you can currently get them for £2,799 from Sigma Sports, bargain!) If you’re looking to spend less than four figures in However, a set of wheels, Zipp 303 S wheels can be had for around £850.
> Are expensive carbon road bike wheels worth the money?
The 353 NSW wheels have a distinctive wavy rim, while the 303 S wheels have a standard shaped rim. Both, however, are 45mm deep. The 303 S wheels have an internal width of 23mm, which Zipp says is “aerodynamically optimized when paired with a 28mm tubeless tire.” They are also compatible with tires up to 50mm wide, making them suitable for gravel riding as well.
Buy Zipp’s 303 S wheels for £849 from Sigma Sports
Can’t justify spending £3,350 on Enve? Try the Enve Foundation 45 at £1,620 for the pair
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American brand Enve supplies wheels for Tadej Pogaçar and the United Arab Emirates Team Emirates, as well as Team Total Energies and their rider Anthony Turgis, who won Stage 9 of the Tour.
Pros typically use Enve’s SES 4.5 wheelset, which features 51mm and 56mm depth front and rear respectively. Retail price is £3,350 for the pair.
Enve’s Foundation 45 wheelset is around half the price of the SES 4.5, with a deep 45mm carbon rim with 21mm internal width and is said to be optimized for 25-28mm tyres. Like the brand’s SES wheels, the Foundation collection has been tested and developed in the Mercedes Benz Formula 1 wind tunnel “to deliver best-in-class performance in the real world of aeroplanes”.
Enve’s Foundation 45mm are £1620 from Balfe’s Bikes
Opt for the Vision SC60 (£1,149) on top-of-the-line Metron wheels
This season, FSA’s Vision brand wheels have doubled their presence in the WorldTour peloton, with four teams now in Vision circles. These teams are Arkéa-B&B Hotels, Astana Qazaqstan, Bahrain Victorious and EF Education-EasyPost.
Riders typically opt for Vision’s Metron 60 SL Disc wheels, but have the option to upgrade to the shallower Metron 45 SL Disc wheels.
> Tour de France bikes
A more affordable alternative is Vision’s SC60 wheels, which the brand says use the latest version of the Vision wheels found in Metron’s pro-level range, “but with more classic and less extreme build solutions”.
The carbon rim is available in 45mm or 60mm depth and features a 21mm internal width, which is said to achieve maximum efficiency with tubeless tires ranging from 28 to 32mm.
Get Vision’s SC60 wheelset for £1,149 from Team Cycles
Save £500 over Dura-Ace by using Shimano Ultegra C60 wheels (£799.99)
Team Ineos Grenadiers, Alpecin-Deceuninck, Groupama-FDJ and Team dms-firmenich PostNL all use Shimano wheels (most of the time). Ineos Grenadiers, for example, has been known to dip into the Lightweight and Princeton ranges in its quest for those famous marginal time trial gains.
The pros use Shimano’s top-of-the-range Dura-Ace wheels, and you can currently get the C60 disc wheelset for £1,299 from Sigma Sports.
For less money, Shimano’s Ultegra C60 wheelset is currently available for £799.99, featuring sliding technology from the Dura-Ace range. The latest Ultegra wheels debut full carbon rims, with this model featuring a rim depth of 60mm and a width of 21mm.
Shimano says, “As with its Dura Ace counterparts, the balanced relationship between three factors was at the forefront of development: aerodynamics, stiffness and lower weight.”
Buy Shimano Ultegra C60 wheels for £799.99 from Fawkes Cycles
Hadron Swissside2 Classic 500 wheels cost £1,090, almost £700 less than the pro versions
> Can the Van Rysel RCR Pro become one of the most successful bikes in WorldTour cycling?
Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale are riding Van Rysel road bikes this year, equipped with SwissSide Hadron2 The latest wheels, which cost £1,746 for the pair. These wheels are available in rim depths of 38mm, 50mm, 62.5mm and 80mm, with the team often choosing the 50mm group.
For “World Championship winning pedigree at an affordable price with unbeatable quality”, SwissSide also manufactures the SwissSide Hadron2 Classic wheelsets using identical rims to the Ultimate series, in depths from 38-80mm, but with cheaper DT Swiss hubs and spokes.
Hadron Swissside2 The Classic 500 wheelset costs £1,090 direct from SwissSide
Go for the Giant SLR 1 50 Disc (£839.98), a fraction of the price of Cadex wheels
The Jayco–AlUla team is the only team to use wheels from Giant’s Cadex brand, making their bikes a giant affair. Riders like Michael Matthews and Simon Yates use the Cadex 50 Ultra Disc wheelset, which features a 50mm depth and hookless rim profile and has a claimed weight of 1,349g for the pair. However, each wheel costs between £1,149.99 and £1,499.99.
For less than the price of a Cadex 50 Ultra Disc wheel, a pair of Giant’s SLR 1 50 Disc wheels can be had for £839.98 right now. Like the Cadex wheels, these also have a 50mm hookless carbon profile and 22.4mm internal width. They are less than 200g heavier of the pair, with a claimed weight of 1,518g.
Giant’s SLR 1 50 Wheelset is £839.98 from Pedal On
DT Swiss AR 1600 Spline wheels (£519.99) are a quarter of the price of the Arc 1100 Dicut Disc
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The Uno-X Mobility riders are using DT Swiss wheels, specifically the Arc 1100 Dicut Disc brake set. This wheelset has a claimed weight of 1,299g per pair and is priced at €2,499 (approx £2,100). They come in a range of rim depths – 38mm, 50mm, 62mm and 80mm – and are available in both rim and disc brake versions.
DT Swiss AR 1600 Spline wheels are less than a quarter of the price at £519.99, and although they’re not carbon fibre, the AR 1600s are designed to deliver the highest aero performance from an alloy system, according to the brand.
DT Swiss says the same “know-how” went into developing these wheels as its high-end carbon aero wheels that are run by the pros. Aero touches include flat blade spokes and hidden spoke nipples.
Buy DT Swiss AR 1600 Spline wheels for £519.99 from Velo Workshop
Which of these (almost) pro team wheels would you choose? Let us know in the comments section below.