Scribe Inception 50+ review: an affordable carbon wheelset that makes for a brilliant upgrade

The wheel upgrade market, especially at the lower end, has been challenging for some time, and it's not hard to see why. Most mid-range bikes now come with in-house carbon wheels that tick a lot of boxes. They’re aero, light enough, often 50mm deep, and most crucially of all, look like all other carbon wheels. So, for many riders, the incentive to upgrade just isn’t what it once was.

But that doesn’t mean the whole category is redundant - far from it. Scribe’s Inception 50+ Disc wheelset makes a strong case for the budget carbon upgrade. After testing it over some of the UK’s roughest roads, I can confidently say it’s far from budget in terms of it's performance, making the Scribes comparable with some of the best road bike wheels you can buy.

The construction

At £649, the Inception 50+ is one of the cheapest full-carbon wheelsets on the market, yet it still manages to weigh just 1,433g. That figure compares favourably not just to alloy upgrade options - some of which are in the same price range - but also to carbon wheels from big-name brands costing twice as much. On paper, at least, the Scribes look almost too good to be true.

And there are trade-offs, of course. The carbon layup (a mix of T700 and T800 fibres) is light but doesn’t offer the same lateral stiffness or snap that you’ll find in top-tier carbon wheels. If you’re used to riding something like an Enve or Zipp, you might notice a slight softness when putting down big efforts or sprinting hard. But again, these wheels cost a fraction of the price of a set of Enve SES 4.5s. And they ride far better than they have any right to at this price.

The hub system is functional and fast-engaging, with a 6-degree pickup. It’s not flashy, and I’d hesitate to make durability claims without a long winter on them, but there were no issues during testing. The freehub is very loud, which will split opinion. I didn’t mind it, but it’s something to consider if you prefer a stealthy ride. If you're not a fan of loud hubs, Scribe did tell us that they can specify a medium viscosity grease, which does go some way to dampen the sound, if customer's require it.

The ride

Out on the road, the Scribes hold up well. I tested the wheels with a set of 28mm Continental GP5000s (which measured up at 29mm on the 24mm internal rim) and ran them tubeless. Set-up was pleasantly easy, thanks to the ramped rim bed and bead-lock design. Within minutes, they were sealed and ready to go.

The wheels were fitted to a Giant Contend SL - a solid alloy platform with decent geometry but limited compliance, which made it easy to spot any flaws. And yet, over Oxfordshire’s notoriously rough tarmac, the ride quality was smooth.

Rolling performance on flatter roads was good for this price point too. The 50mm depth and rounded rim shape held speed well and didn’t feel overly twitchy in crosswinds, however the lack of bladed spokes does affect top end speed. Climbing was great too - these aren’t featherweight climbing wheels, but given the depth and price, their performance on punchy terrain was more than respectable.

Ultimately, what sets the Scribe Inception 50+ apart is its honest execution. There are no gimmicks here, just a well-specced wheelset that performs well in the real world and doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. They don’t redefine what carbon wheels can do, but they massively overdeliver for the price - and that’s arguably more valuable.

Specs

• Weight - 1433g
• Depth - 50mm
• Internal rim width - 24mm
• External rim width - 31mm
• Rim technology - Clincher (‘mini hook’ design)
• Tubeless ready - Yes
• Hubs - Scribe High-Speed pawl hubs
• Spokes - Round, J bend, Alloy