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WR35 Disc Review: Unbreakable Performance for Gravel Racing
Rider Profile
Name : Nikolaus
Origin : Austria
Information : 193 cm, 79 kg
Riding Type : Enduro MTB & Gravel, training about 8 hours per week
Races : UCI Gravel Race Austria, Human Fish Gravel, The Hills (Gravel Earth Series), Parenzana Gravel Race, Lines Trailpartie
Specifications
Bike
Frameset : Carbonda CFR-707
Groupset : Shimano GRX 2x11 with Stages Powermeter
Handlebar : Zipp Service Course, ZTTO Coomputer Mount
Bartape : Silca Nastro Cuscino
Saddle : Specialized Phenom
Wheels
Rims : Light Bicycle WR35 Disc
Hubs : DT Swiss 350
Spokes : Sapim D-Light/Race
Tires :
Front: Continental Race King,
Rear: Schwalbe Thunder Burt with Rimpact Tire Insert
I wanted components for a durable gravel race bike and was happy to find Light Bicycle offers various rims.
I have built this bike from the frame, selecting exactly the components I wanted for a heavy-duty gravel race bike. I wanted this to be durable, as stopping during a race due to mechanical costs takes more time than you can save by any marginal gains. The most vulnerable aspect of gravel bikes is the tires, of course, so I was happy to find that Light Bicycle offers a wide variety of rims.
The Light Bicycle support staff was helpful and well-informed about the demands of bike racing.
I got in touch with the Light Bicycle Support Team who were very helpful. We exchanged several emails discussing my use case, weight, etc., and they laid out all the options. The people doing the support seemed very well-informed, not only about their own products but also about the demands of bike racing. Additionally, there are great articles on the homepage as well. I opted for the WR35 rims and built the wheelset myself with DT Swiss 350 hubs and Sapim D-Light and Sapim Race spokes, resulting in a wheel with excellent cost-benefit ratio and overall great performance.
With the Continental Race King Tires in the front and Schwalbe Thunder Burt in the back, I have fitted wide tires and the Light Bicycle rims offer great support for this width of tires. Additionally, the option to have a rim bed with no spoke holes makes the tubeless setup a lot more robust since the tubeless tape has a limited life span and is often the source of air leakage. This is especially true for a wheelset where you will be switching tires regularly like I do, when there’s a race with a smoother gravel course like the UCI Gravel Race Austria, where I then opt for Challenge Strada Bianche tires. Always having the option for hooked rims is also great for me as a tall and heavy rider if I ever switch to slimmer tires, because I need to run higher pressure than most in this configuration.
I had absolutely zero issues during training or races with my Light Bicycle wheelset and decided to build more.
I’m happy to report that I had absolutely zero issues during training or races with my Light Bicycle Wheelset. In a gravel race I was drafting directly behind other riders, often not being able to see any obstacles in the course very well and it’s a great peace of mind to know that the Light Bicycle rims can (and did) take many hard hits.
Being convinced about the built quality of the Light Bicycle rims, I decided to build another wheelset with WR45 rims, aero spokes, and DT Swiss 240 hubs. Now I will use the “old” wheelset with 32mm Continental Grand Prix tires as a training wheelset for group rides on the road and the occasional Gran Fondo, and the new wheelset will be my dedicated Gravel Race Set. And in time my mountain bike will get a Light Bicycle wheelset as well.
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March 4th, 2025 | Light Bicycle
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