Piecing together my next cyclocross/gravel bike and have been giving some thought to the wheels. I want tubeless ready, thru axle possible disc wheels that aren't too heavy. I was initially into the Ritchey WCS OCR Zeta wheels, which shipped with the Ritchey Swiss Cross disc bike, but it looks like they've been discontinued.

Then I came across the Mavic Allroad Pro wheels, and they seem to check all the boxes, plus they look pretty sweet. What does the UST designation end up meaning? That my tire choices are more limited? Or can you mount most tires on those rims?

Ideally I'd have two sets of these (road and offroad), but given the pricing I'd start with one and perhaps add a second used set later.

UST = tubeless

I have Mavic UST rims (open pro). UST is Mavic's attempt to get a standard fitting for tubeless tires so they all fit on easily and safely as there is currently no industry standard as to guarantee one brand's tire will fit on another brand's rim although they usually do. So if you fit UST tires you will find them easy(er) to mount and they should not be in any danger or coming off.
However it seems the initiative has been a bust as no other manufacturers have adopted the standard. That said, there's no downside to it as you can still fit non UST tubeless tires if you want or even tubes (I run tubes).

Woof. Those are some expensive wheels. Have you looked at Hunt? Wheel company in England but with free international shipping. They get good reviews and their bog standard gravel wheelset comes in at 1630g for $350 (USD).

Mavic UST comes now in 2 generations. Either way, the theory is that UST is tighter tolerance on both rim and tire--such that tires fit on easier but seal easier...so you don't really "need" sealant. Yea, I finger quoted right there. But outside of the MTB world-UST1 never caught on (because reasons, best left for another time)...and UST2 is brand new, but unlikely to catch a following either. So to get UST tires for road/gravel you're basically limited to Mavic tires....and people sing fewer praises of Mavic tires than they sing of Mavic rims.


That being said....there are better rims with more easily sourced spare wheel parts than anything Mavic. UST aside, that is why I'd buy something "not-Mavic". Also, their new wider format rims (like the new Open Pro) have lower max spoke tensions, and lower max pressures. It all comes down to what your budget is. Lots of nice wheels out there, especially handbuilts.

Contact a custom wheel builder. Plenty of good recommendations on this forum and elsewhere on the 'net. A good wheel builder will walk you through the options and make recommendations at your price range.

My wheel failures have all been with branded wheels, but my custom wheels have always performed flawlessly. Not saying there aren't good wheel brands out there, but - if I'm buying a wheelset separate from a bike - I prefer custom. My first set of custom built wheels are still in use by a friend of mine on his gravel/beater bike. They've never needed more than a few little tweaks on the truing stand.

For what is's worth, I'm thinking about some custom wheels like yours. Probably will go with DT Swiss 350 hubs, HED Belgium + rims, and Sapim Race spokes. Should be a little over 17oo grams and about $600.

Excellent recommendation, thanks -- I'll definitely check these out. At that price, I can get two sets for less than one of the Mavics.

I just picked up my Mavic Allroad pro UST wheelset for $847

they came with the 700x35 Yksion tire. I took the tire off by hand, it weighed 401 gram. Went on by hand seated easily with a floor pump. It measured 35.6 @ 50 psi
It's definitely going to need sealant to hold air.

and they look awesome as heck with the big spokes.

I have the Hunts and I have the Shimant GRX wheelset at $418. I'd go Shimano hands down as they are really rugged and durable and their cup-cone bearings are excellent! Overall Shimano hub quialiy seems better and both weigh close to the same. Shimano has straight pull spokes at that price too!

The GRX RX500 wheelset seems like a great bargain. 1600 grams isn't feather weight, but it seems like a really strong & durable wheelset. Would be a nice upgrade from most OEM wheels.

I did bite the bullet and went with the Mavic All-road pro wheels, and I love them. You can mount tires and get them aired up tubeless with a hand pump, no compressor. I've been running Mavic's 40mm gravel tire for off-road use and the Hutchinson Sector 32mm slicks for road rides.

Looks sharp! I hope to be riding mine this week!