Deep section wheels

Acarbon rim with a depth of around 50mm can make a huge difference to the ride quality of a bike and a measurable difference to its performance too. With groupsets increasing in price as Di2 and eTap start to take over, bike brands are increasingly speccing entry-level all-road aluminium wheels to models costing up to £5K in order to keep a lid on the RRP – which means for many people a decent set of wheels is going to be their first upgrade.

Fortunately, while groupsets are going electronic and expensive, carbon wheels have been coming down in price. The latest version of the Zipp 404, for example, costs £800 less than the previous one and it’s lighter too.

It’s partly down to manufacturing processes and partly down to the market, but it’s a fact that you don’t need to spend thousands any more.

We’ve grouped together six wheelsets with rim depths from 45mm up to 65mm and costing from £969 up to £2,500. We’re going to take a look at what the difference is between the entry level and the halo and assess performance versus price.

All are disc-brake wheels and all are tubeless ready, in keeping with the direction road bikes have taken.

FFWD Tyro 2 £969

Weight 1,774g

Dutch brand FFWD has given the updated version of