Vel, the in-house wheel brand of Sigma Sports, is adding six new wheelsets to its already extensive range. The latest additions for 2022 include gravel and road offerings in both carbon and aluminium.
The Vel 28 RL Alloy is a tubeless-ready disc road wheelset. The 28 refers to the rim depth of the wheel, which Vel says makes it ideally suited for “blustery” conditions when deeper section wheels can cause some handling issues.
The inner rim width measures 21mm, which while not as wide as some new road hoops, is still generous enough to be compatible with tyres up to 34mm wide. This should give the 28 RL Alloy plenty of crossover appeal as an all-road wheelset, where wider tubeless tyres run at lower pressures now dominate the market.
Vel 28 RL Alloy road wheelset
(Image credit: Vel)
Vel’s own Rapid Engagement hub boasts a 102 tooth engagement ring, which it says translates to a “very quick pick up and efficient power transfer”. The centerlock disc hub also benefits from sealed bearings and is compatible with Shimano/SRAM, SRAM XDR and Shimano Microspline cassettes.
Laced with 24 Pillar Wing straight pull spokes front and rear in a two-cross pattern, the 28 RL Alloy wheelset has a claimed weight of 1,550 grams for the pair and a RRP of £399.00.
The new 60 RL Carbon tubeless wheelset, with its 60mm rim depth, joins a line-up that already consists of 38, 50 and 80mm depth options and are created, Vel says, “for riders wanting to maximise their speed on flatter courses.”
Weighing in at a claimed 1,690 grams they feature an internal rim width of 20.3mm, which like the 28 RL Alloy wheels are designed to work with today’s wider tubeless tyres, while the aerodynamic rim profile is created to reduce drag while still offering stability in crosswinds. The 60 RL Carbon wheels also use the same RE hub and Pillar spokes as the 28 RL Alloy set. The wheels are available now with a price tag of £799.00.
Vel 60 RL carbon wheels
(Image credit: Vel)
Vel is also releasing four new gravel wheelsets: the 23 GRL Alloy (in 650b and 700c sizing), the 35 GRL Carbon and the 35 GRSL2 Carbon.
Available now, the 23 GRL Alloy features a 23mm rim depth and width, which is compatible with up to 47mm width tyres. Tubeless ready, both wheels sets utilise Vel’s RE hub and Pillar straight pull PSR23 spokes. As for claimed weights, the 650b wheels tip the scales at 1,680 grams while the 700c option weighs 1,800 grams. Both sizes retail for £399.00.
Vel's 23 GRL gravel wheelset
(Image credit: Vel)
Coming later in June, the 35 GRL Carbon wheelset is offered in a 700c size. As the name suggests the rim is 35mm deep and has an internal rim measurement of 24.5mm that Vel says can handle tyres measuring as wide as 57mm or 2.25”. Again, it utlises the brands’s RE hub and Pillar Wing spokes and has a claimed weight for the pair of 1,540 grams. The RRP for the 35 GRL wheelset is £799.00.
Also arriving in June is the 35 GRSL2 carbon 700c wheelset that Vel describes as “race-ready”. While the rim measurements match those of the 35 GRL the weight drops to a claimed 1,350 grams, thanks to the addition of DT Swiss 240 hubs and Sapim CX Ray straight pull spokes. The GRSL2’s will set you back £1,099.00 a pair.
All of Vel’s wheelsets come with tubeless tape, tubeless valves as well as spare spokes and nipples. There’s also a two-year warranty and a crash replacement offer.
Luke Friend has worked as a writer, editor and copywriter for twenty five years. Across books, magazines and websites, he's covered a broad range of topics for a range of clients including Major League Baseball, the National Trust and the NHS. He has an MA in Professional Writing from Falmouth University and is a qualified bicycle mechanic. He has been a cycling enthusiast from an early age, partly due to watching the Tour de France on TV. He's a keen follower of bike racing to this day as well as a regular road and gravel rider.
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