malancro55

I'm looking for a second wheelset to use only on the road. My factory wheels will be set up for gravel riding. I've put gatorskin 25mm on the factory wheels and was OK with how they ride but am wondering what would be similar spec and performance for a road setup. Where would I need to come in with a factory set of wheels for it to be considered an upgrade?

700c thru axle disc Shimano 11spd.

guachi

Since your bike is a Trek I'll recommend a set of Trek wheels for you. Try the Aeolus Pro 51 wheels if you can find them in stock near you.

I have a set of their more expensive cousins, the RSL 51, but the wheels are identical aside from weight.

biker128pedal

Depends on your budget but an aero set of Bontrager wheel is what I’d go for. I have a Domane and considering a et of Aeolus 37 or old 5s. I have a set of rim brake Aeolus 5s and like them on my Madone.

Mojo31

I have the Pro 37s on my Domane with R3 tires. It's a great upgrade.

jaxgtr

The Checkpoint is similar to the Domane, and I just ordered some Aeolus Pro 51's to be used as my primary road wheels. I like the Pro 3v's, but I wanted something with a little narrower internal width that I could run the 26 Pirelli's if I wanted to. I am sort of limited to 28's with the Pro 3V's.

I should have mine in early Nov if the carbon gods are with me.

jaxgtr

I put a set of the Aeolus 37's on my wife's bike and they are really nice, and I just got received my Aeolus Pro 5's (rim brake) for my Emonda, and they are sweet. The older Aeolus Pro 5 Disc are no longer being made and were replaced with the Aeolus Pro 51's, which I just put on order for my Domane. Can't wait to get them.

Lazyass

I recommend Bicycle Wheel Warehouse, I've bought two sets of wheels from them and counting. They have great prices, free ship and they ship fast. I just got some 11sp rim brake wheels for my CX bike with their house brand wheels/hubs and they're really nice. The freehub is as loud as Chris King. They're located in CA and I'm on the other side of the country and they got here four days after I ordered.

You might like these but they also have more expensive ones with DT Swiss, Stan's and Speed Tuned rims:

https://bicyclewheelwarehouse.com/Gr...-Clincher.html

Their discount codes (they used to have a discount for Bike Forum members but I don't see that anymore):

https://bicyclewheelwarehouse.com/Coupons.html

PoorInRichfield

I have two wheelsets on my 202 Domane SL7... one road and one gravel. The "key" is to get the second set of wheels with a hub that is from the same manufacturer as your original wheels... or has identical specifications. With similar hub specs, you shouldn't have issues with the brake rotors lining-up with the calipers nor issues with shifting due to alignment of the cassette with the rear derailleur.

On many Trek wheelsets, the hubs are made by DT Swiss for Trek. Knowing that, I opted for DT Swiss 240 EXP hubs on my second wheelset and everything lines-up perfectly without any need for rotor or cassette spacers on either wheelset.

malancro55

First off, thanks for everyone's replies. As the bold red letters next to my name indicate, I've got a lot to learn. I've been researching for days now making sure that I got a decent set that would fit my bike. Every time I think I've made a decision, I learn something that complicates things. For example, I hadn't considered that things may not line up as Poor pointed out. I had written off Trek because of the limited availability and deals elsewhere. I have found decent prices on Fulcrum Racing 3, 4, and 5 sets and also a set of Campagnolo Zonda C17. As a cheap ass, I've also looked at ican and Superteam, but think I've talked myself into something more reputable though outside of this forum people seem to like them. Am I setting myself up for frustration if I don't stay with Trek or DT Swiss?

Lazyass, that site and wheelset you suggested are awesome which is making my life harder.

guachi

I'll second PoorInRichfield about the hub spacing. I have a Domane SLR7 and the stock wheel was the Pro 3V with a Rapid Drive 108 hubs and then bought the RSL 51 wheels with DT Swiss 240 hubs. The brakes did not, in fact, line up. There was slight rub. It's not like it can't be fixed easily enough (just a few minutes). But I'd rather have zero minutes than a few minutes.

I don't know what the stock wheels are (if they're Affinity like my 2019 Domane SL5 then they really aren't very good). But whatever you get will be better than the stock wheels so I'd use the wheels you buy as the wheels for whatever kind of riding you do most often and the stock wheels for the other riding.

Mojo31

Many things can result in a need to realign the brake rotors. When I changed the rotors on my Pro 37s, I had to reset the calipers. Only took a few minutes. No change of wheels or other components are guaranteed to be swap and play. The tolerances are just not that precise.

biker128pedal

I have not done it but was counting on shimming to align the center lock disc.

https://novemberbicycles.com/product...shim-pack-of-4

MinnMan

25 mm Gatorskins seem like a less than optimal choice for gravel. But apart from the standard ragging on Gatorskins, if you're running 25s already, that should be fine for the road. I'm not sure what you are trying to gain with the second wheelset? Lighter wheels, deeper section/more aero?

You write that you want similar performance on your road wheelset as you are getting on with the wheels presently set up for gravel. The surfaces are so different that I don't know what :similar performance means.

malancro55

Minn, the second wheelset with 25s will serve as my road wheels. My factory wheels will be set up with 42s for gravel and winter. What I meant was I was looking for a second set of wheels that performed at least a well as my factory wheels when set up with 25s for road riding.

I ended up buying fulcrum racing 4 db. Switching everything out now.

blakcloud

Glad to hear you are set up with new wheels so this next point is just a data point for future readers.

I have three pairs of wheels, all different hubs and I have absolutely no problem with switching out wheels. No rub on the rotors, shifts just fine between each of the cassettes. Maybe I got lucky because I thought as others that it just wouldn't work.

msu2001la

25mm Gatorskins seem like a less than optimal choice for any type of riding.

MinnMan

Good for you. You went there.

msu2001la

It was just sitting there... like a $20 bill on a sidewalk.
Someone had to pick it up.

malancro55

Tell this noob what is so bad about Gatorskins and what I should be riding instead.

msu2001la

My post was in jest. I didn't mean to offend anyone.

Gatorskins are fine. They're just a stiff, high-mileage, high rolling resistance tire that is durable and offers great flat protection, but otherwise doesn't check many performance boxes. Using these tires in 25mm size (narrow by today's standards) seems somewhat contradictory to me, as I'd only run 25mm on a high performance race bike.

malancro55

I'm not offended at all. I'm truly a noob trying to learn. What tires do you recommend for someone racing triathlons on a gravel bike modified for road riding?

msu2001la

Continental's GP5000 is a pretty solid choice. It has less puncture resistance than the Gatorskin, but will roll a lot faster, has better grip and is lighter. It is one of the best all-around road bike tires out there IMO.

MinnMan

I don't think we knew about the triathalon angle before? Tris on a gravel bike seem less than optimal, for sure. But anyway, if you are racing, you do not want Gatorskins.

So yeah, GP5000s FTW.

malancro55

I was trying to keep things straight forward and simple in my description. I bought the Checkpoint thinking it would be a great 'everything' bike at the beginning of last year. Planned to ride more trails and less road. Have ridden 100% pavement. After my first triathlon, on 42s, I looked at selling it to purchase a road bike. Many people commented on my sales post that I'd have a decent road bike with a couple of mods to the Checkpoint. That, along with the fact that lead times are ridiculous, convinced me to hold on to the gravel bike for now. I purchased Gatorskin 25s to replace the factory 42s. A month ago I crashed and bent the hell out of my front rim. That opened the door for me to actually buy 1 new front wheel and a new set (hence, the post). Now I have a second wheelset, tires, and aero bars as I train and learn. P.S. I thought I did respectable on the bike portion of the tri, placing in the top 3rd. I'm hoping to improve on that with winter training and the upgrades.

classic carl

Are those the Pro 37 wheels on your wife's bike? I'm debating whether I should buy the Pro 37 or the Pro 51. I'm wondering if the 3 oz. less weight of the Pro 37 would be offset by the increased aerodynamics of the Pro 51. After further investigation, I see that the Pro 51 is considerably wider than the Pro 37. Do you know how wide of a tire can be installed on either? I have 28mm tires on OEM Bontrager Paradigm SL aluminum wheels on the Emonda.

I can't get either up here locally until February, and I'll be in Florida then. I might have to look down there if you get yours sooner.