Light and strong – Boyd's brace of new gravel wheels suggest you can have your cake and eat it

The arms race to produce the lightest possible bicycles for racing purposes is a battle that began many decades ago. Changes in material drove it; steel gave way to aluminum, which was quickly pushed aside by carbon. After many shots were fired, the UCI stepped in to call a truce, with rider safety its reasoning. A weight limit was established in 2000. More than a quarter of century later it still stands - for both road and gravel races - despite the advancements in engineering and manufacturing that make it somewhat outdated.

Of course, outside the professional area the fight has continued. We now routinely see bikes that fall well below the UCI limit of 6.8kg, dripping in featherweight components to help cheat the scales. While the pros have to tow the line, mere mortals can get as fancy as their wallets allow. For those wanting to shed grams from their steed, wheelsets are typically the focus after the frame itself. Ridiculously light road wheels are nothing new, but the ongoing popularity of gravel racing has seen a plethora of gravity defying hoops hit the market. And next up are the Jocassee wheels from Boyd Cycling.

Boyd Jocassee carbon gravel wheels

While the claimed weight of 1,145 grams suggests these are designed for racing purposes only, it’s far from the case. The revamped Jocassee are built to withstand anything thrown at them, so while they might fly up the climbs due to their low rotational weight, they can also take a hit or three. To make them bombproof, Boyd turned to space.

The 25mm deep rims are said to weigh just 322 grams, but the brand’s proprietary carbon layup has been integrated with Toray T1000 aerospace-grade fibres in areas subjected to high amounts of stress. The production process also adds to the structural integrity of the rim; Boyd uses high-pressure moulding which results in a compact resin-to-fiber ratio that does away with excess resin and eliminates air pockets. Boyd says that it means the rim can survive over 120J of impact, which is three times the UCI requirement, and makes the Jocassee one of the lightest yet strongest gravel wheels around.

Boyd says the rim depth delivers vital vertical compliance which helps to dampen unwanted vibrations from the trail. It's partnered with a 26mm internal width that’s designed to work best with 40-50mm gravel tyres. Combined it suggests that the Jocassee wheels won’t just be quick to accelerate but comfortable over challenging terrain, too.

Rounding out the build - the wheels are hand-laced and tensioned at Boyd HQ in Greenville, SC - is a pair of Grade 54 ratchet hubs, which have 6.6° engagement and tool-free serviceability, and Pillar Wing 20 spokes, which combined with offset rim bed, are designed to deliver even spoke tension with the ability to remain true mile after mile.

“The Jocassee was never meant to be a delicate ‘race day only’ wheelset,” said Boyd Johnson, Founder of Boyd Cycling. “By integrating T1000 carbon and our new Grade 54 ratchet hubs, we’ve built a wheel that disappears on the climbs but remains rock-solid when you’re navigating chunky descents or technical singletrack. It’s the ultimate ‘no-excuses’ upgrade for riders who push the boundaries of what a gravel bike can do.”

The Jocassee wheelset retails for $2,000 / £1,800.

Boyd Reiver carbon gravel wheels

The 700c Reiver is the another new gravel release from Boyd, and while it’s a different proposition from the Jocassee, it’s no less relevant.

Instead of trying to be the lightest gravel wheel around, the Reiver opts for a more utilitarian metric: reliability. For many of us it should be at the top of the list when it comes to describing attributes of a gravel wheel.

Unless you happen to race for a living or live close to miles of champagne dirt, you need a gravel wheel capable of tackling muddy trails, rutted tracks and more. And you need them to do so in relative comfort and without the worry of what could happen after yet another rock strike.

The Reiver tackles this equation by matching 26mm reinforced carbon rims with Grade 36 hubs and Pillar J-Bend spokes. It’s a practical setup for sure but it’s not without its performance benefits. The hubs feature a 10-degree ratchet engagement, which is no slouch, while the claimed weight for the set is 1,385g, which is classed as lightweight in many people’s minds.

Throw in the durability and serviceability of this set-up, as well as the somewhat affordable price tag of $1,200 / £1,050, and it appears to make for a set of carbon gravel wheels actually built for the real world.