Best road bike wheels 2025: Aero options for a faster ride

Upgrading the wheels on your road bike is one of the best performance-enhancing upgrades you can do as best road bike wheels can increase speeds, reduce rotating weight and improve reactivity. 

The biggest performance gain from upgrading your road wheels is aerodynamics, although you can opt for deeper or shallower, 40mm to 50mm is typical for the best all-round performance. This depth offers aero efficiency without excess weight and without becoming difficult to manage in crosswinds.

It's difficult to compare wheelsets' aerodynamics based on manufacturers' claims, as protocols differ and results may be presented differently. So we took 18 mid-depth wheelsets to the Silverstone Sports Engineering wind tunnel in November 2024 to test them head-to-head under the same conditions.

The full results are available to Cyclingnews subscribers, whose subs helped to pay for wind tunnel time, but we've used them to inform our picks here.

Pro teams often switch between different wheel depths for different terrain. If you're looking for a climbing wheelset, we also have a guide to the best lightweight wheels, while we have deeper options and disc wheels covered in our guide to the best triathlon wheels.

Below you'll find our picks of the best road bike wheels we've tested here at Cyclingnews and lower down there's a buyer's guide to how to choose, as well as an explainer of some of the terms you'll come across when looking for the best road bike wheels.

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Although the low weight and sawtooth profile grabbed headlines, it was the ride comfort on offer that stood out for us. The sawtooth profile is eye-catching and is designed so that with the wind straight on, the 353 NSW behaves like a 45mm depth wheel, while at greater yaw angles, it behaves like one that is shallower - clever.

With less material, it's also lighter and we weighed the wheelset at 1,307g with tape and valves. We rated the crosswind stability, which we found to be a notch above the competition. We also enjoyed the new, simpler hub design, with an elastomer spring that makes the 54-point of engagement freehub very quiet. 

There are some compromises: the hookless beads and 25mm internal width mean that there is only a limited number of tubeless tyres that are compatible and there's also the high price tag. We've not wind tunnel tested these Zipp wheels either, so we can't quantify the aero benefits.

Read our full Zipp 353 NSW review for more details.

Best for aerodynamics

The Scope Artech wheelset was the lightest wheelset and also saved the most watts in our wind tunnel test: over 10 watts at 40km/h. They sail well at high yaw angles, as well as performing among the best across a range of speeds at lower angles and in a straight headwind.

Although we tested with 28mm tyres, the 6.A signifies Scope's all-road format, which Scope says is aero-optimised for 30mm width. In any case, our tyres measured up at 30.6mm on the 25mm internal width rims.

Weight reduction comes from low spoke count carbon spokes, as well as 3D printed alloy hub shells and a titanium ratchet freehub, although bearings are high-quality steel rather than ceramic. 

All this tech does come with a hefty price tag, head over to our Scope Artech 6.A review to get the full picture.

Best wheel-tyre system

The 1,316g weight of the Cadex 50 Ultra Disc wheels puts them in the realm of the best lightweight wheels, but without excessive depth. They come with an aero hub with 40 points of engagement that's connected to the hookless rim using 5.2mm wide carbon spokes with an aero blade profile. The wheels are stiff, so you get good reactivity, but they're also comfortable and stable.

The 50 Ultra Disc wheels are designed to work as a system with Cadex's matching tyres, which have a profile tuned to up the combination's aerodynamics, although they're optimised for 25mm wide tyres, which is now a little narrow. 

In our wind tunnel tests with 28mm Schwalbe tyres, they performed mid-pack, saving around 8 watts at 40km/h versus our Fulcrum Racing 5 baseline, although the more comprehensive testing by Giant, Cadex's parent company, suggests better performance with a range of 25mm tyres. 

Cadex has a battery of tests to back up its aero claims for the 50 Ultra wheels, which you can read about in our review. We also put them in a three-way test with Enve and Roval wheels, where their weight and stiffness shone forth. 

Our Cadex 50 Ultra Disc wheelset review should clear up any questions you have about these hoops.

Best for comfort

The original Roval Rapide wheels needed to be run with tubes, but version two has added tubeless compatibility. The wheels are wide, with an external width of 35mm front and 30mm rear, with differential 51mm and 60mm rim depths and different rim profiles. The front is designed for stability and the rear for aerodynamics and power delivery. In the aero hubs are ceramic bearings and a DT Swiss Ratchet EXP freehub.

We rated the Roval Rapide CLX II wheels both fast and comfortable when we tested them as part of a three-way test with Cadex 50 Ultra and Enve SES 4.5 wheels. The hooked bead ensures wide tyre compatibility for tubeless running too. In fact, when Josh Ross tested these wheels, he found them to be some of the most comfortable road wheels he's ever ridden. 

Our latest wind tunnel test was of the Roval Rapide CL II, which shares the same rim, but with lower-priced hubs and spokes and a slight weight increase to 1585g. Our results showed a saving of over 7 watts at 40km/h versus our reference wheelset, although Specialized says that this doesn't align with its own results.

Read our full review of the Roval Rapide CLX II wheelset for more details and ride impressions.

Best race wheels

The Hunt Sub50 Limitless Aero Disc is Hunt’s latest move to show they can hang with the big names in the wheel game. It’s a lightweight, aero-focused wheelset that’s built with everyday riders in mind—but with plenty of high-end tech, including carbon spokes and CeramicSpeed bearings upgrades if you want to save weight and reduce rolling resistance. 

In our wind tunnel test, the Hunt Sub50 wheels saved over 8 watts at 40km/h and scored well for efficiency at both higher and lower speeds, unlike some other wheels tested.

Not only does the 49.5mm rim depth cut through the air efficiently, but the rims also have a 34.2mm external, 23mm internal width that is perfect for modern 28–30mm tires, giving you more comfort and better aero without the weight penalty.

On the road, the Sub50's feel super light and quick to accelerate, especially if you opt for the carbon spokes and ceramic bearings. They’re comfy over long distances and handle wider road tyres well, adding extra tyre volume and ride comfort. There's not quite the stability when descending that the 60mm depth offers though.

Read our full review of the Hunt Sub50 Limitless Aero Disc wheelset for more details.

Best for versatility

Enve pitches the SES 4.5 as the most versatile wheelset in its lineup, light but aero and with a 25mm internal rim width that adds a couple of millimetres to the tyre width, so that the 28mm Schwalbe tyres in our wind tunnel test actually measured 30.1mm. 

Enve's aero rims are optimised at 32km/h rather than the more normal 45km/h, so their aero qualities are more geared to everyday riders than the pro peloton, despite their use by UAE Team Emirates.

The front wheel is lower profile than the rear, for greater crosswind stability and Enve uses hookless beads. The wide rims make for very stable descending and they're comfortable for the long ride; they can easily be set up with wide tyres for gravel riding too.

We tested the Enve SES 4.5 wheels as part of a three-way group test with wheels from Cadex and Roval and rated their versatility and ride quality.

Read more in our full review of the Enve SES 4.5 wheelset.

Best budget road wheels

They may not have the cachet of some other brands' offerings, but the sub-£1,000 Scribe wheels bettered most in our wind tunnel tests and, at 1442g many on weight as well.

The 21mm internal rim width is quite conservative too, although our 28mm test tyres did measure up at closer to 29mm. There was a saving of over 9 watts at 40km/h versus our Fulcrum 5 reference wheelset, placing the Scribes on the aero podium.

Scribe backs its wheels up with a lifetime crash replacement scheme, a three-year warranty and a trade-in scheme. It's also one of the few brands to offer a rim brake as well as a disc brake option.

Beyond our wind tunnel work, we've not yet reviewed the Scribe Core Superlight wheels, but we've road-tested the brand's predecessor wheels of the same depth, you can read about those in our Scribe Aero Wide+ 60D wheels review to get the full picture.

Best money-no-object wheelset

The runner-up in our wind tunnel testing, we found a 10 watt-plus saving at 40km/h for the Syncros Capital SL versus the Fulcrum 5 baseline. 

The wheels are fully monocoque, with the rim, spokes and hub flanges built as one piece. This results in a very rigid structure and allows Syncros to reduce the spoke count to just 16 front and rear. This does mean that they can't be trued and damaged spokes can't be replaced though.

On the 23mm rim bed our 28mm tyres measured 30mm and the 1311g weight is low for their 60mm depth. There's no need for rim tape either, which helps save weight and simplifies tyre setup.

 The corollary of the bleeding-edge tech and amazing looks is an eye-watering price tag, the highest of the 18 wheelsets we took to the wind tunnel.

The tech is explained in more detail in our Syncros Capital SL wheelset launch story.

Also consider

Claimed to be an all-rounder wheelset, the Campagnolo Hyperon Ultras aim to balance aerodynamics, weight and handling. They look great too, with a luxurious gloss rim finish, seamless-looking unidirectional fibres and classy graphics. 

We lamented the lack of any aero claims or hard numbers, although, in fairness, these are easily manipulated and every brand claims that its wheels are the fastest. At 1,240g a pair, the wheels are impressively lightweight though.

Handling feels more akin to a much shallower wheelset and the Hyperon Ultras are taut and stiff with low inertia. That tautness does detract from ride comfort a little, with a skittish ride on poor surfaces. They don't lack durability, holding up absolutely fine during our testing and the cobbled streets of Bristol left no chipping, no denting, and still they were still straight as an arrow afterwards.

Read our full review of the Campagnolo Hyperon Ultra wheelset for our full ride impressions.

Pushing the boundary of road wheels, Zipp's 303 Firecrest offers phenomenal performance both on and off-road. 

They offer razor-sharp handling and outstanding smoothness on-road, complemented by the low weight - just 1,410 grams with tubeless valves - when the road picks up. That weight becomes astonishing when you consider the impressive impact strength on offer, making the 303 Firecrests an outstanding wheel for fast-going all-road use. 

The only potential downside is that you're limited - according to Zipp's recommendations - to 28mm tyres and up, although, in reality, that's the way the trend is going, so our advice is to embrace it. Being hookless, you're also limited to tyres that are hookless compatible, and that rules out everything from Continental besides the GP5000 S TR, AS TR and TT TR. 

To find out more about why we think they're so good, read our Zipp 303 Firecrest Carbon Tubeless Disc wheel review.

Hunt threw away constraints on wheel width and profile when it designed the Hunt 60 Limitless Aerodynamicist wheels and the result is a wheelset that has a 21mm internal width, but an external width that bulges out to 34mm. Hunt has a patented hybrid structure to keep weight in check at 1,670g. 

Although Hunt says that the wheels are optimised for 28mm tyres, our wind tunnel tests found that they were more aero when fitted with 25mm rubber. They also came out as the second-fastest overall, which is impressive given they cost less than half the price of others. 

On the road, our review found that they were stable too, which we felt particularly on fast descents. With hooked rims, there's wide tyre compatibility and you're not paying the earth for top-notch aero performance.

Read our full review of the Hunt 60 Limitless Aero Disc wheelset for more info on design and ride experience.

Many will see the 303 S as an affordable version of the Firecrest, however, while the ticket price is lower, there are some key differences. The rim is 5mm deeper and has a narrower 23mm internal rim width.

If you're looking for a wheelset that will offer versatility, then you could do much worse than the 303S wheels, which are compatible with tyres from 25-50mm wide. With that said, gravel riders looking to run wider gravel tyres will be better served by the 25mm internal width of the 303 Firecrests.

They weigh 115g less than their predecessor and fall under Zipp's Total System Efficiency ethos for wider and lighter wheels. This results in a smoother, faster and more cultured ride for a great price. 

Harnessing the latest trend for wide tyre, low pressure, they're suitable for on-road and off, and as a bonus, they come with a lifetime warranty. Tubeless tyre installation is a breeze thanks to the hookless rim design, although not all tyre brands are compatible, most notably Continental (except the GP5000 S TR).

For a deeper dive, check out our Zipp 303S Carbon Tubeless Disc wheelset review.

When our reviewer's only hang-up about the Aeolus RSL 37 wheels is the price tag, you know you're looking at an outstanding pair of wheels. 

While not quite as progressive as some options here, the 21mm internal width will play nicely with road tyres, blowing them up nice and wide to help with lower tyre pressures, increase grip and handling, and avoid pinch flats. Tubeless setup is a cinch too, blowing up with little more than a cheap track pump, and ride performance is simply faultless, especially when it comes to crosswinds. 

They roll on DT Swiss' new Ratchet EXP hubs, which are light, stiff, durable, and super-simple to maintain, and if you manage to write off a wheel in the first two years, Bontrager will replace them and also backs them with a lifetime warranty.

Check out our Bontrager Aeolus RSL 37 TLR review for the full rundown.

The FFWD Ryot 55 wheelset is a pretty solid all-rounder that we'd happily recommend to racers and competitive club riders alike. When we took them to the wind tunnel, our testing protocols put them at a slight disadvantage (they were competing against wheels 5-10mm deeper, and we tested with 25mm tyres, while these are designed for use with 28mm) but despite that, they came out in a respectable 6th place. 

Their weight is a little heavier than we'd expect for a 55mm wheel, at 1750g with valves, but we only noticed that extra weight in the real world when trying to accelerate on a 12% climb. 

During our testing, we had no issues with crosswinds, no durability concerns, and tubeless setups were a walk in the park each time. 

The Enve 65 wheels (Enve has dropped the Foundation moniker) come from Enve's lower-priced wheel range. Nevertheless, we were impressed by the aero performance in our comparative wind tunnel testing of 10 aero wheelsets, where they were the fourth best of those tested. 

Enve says that the wheelset is aero-optimised for 25mm to 28mm tyre width and are tested at wind speeds from 32km/h up to 48km/h, so there's a wide speed range for which they've been aero-tested in development. They also include Enve's patented wide hookless bead tech, designed to protect the rim and your tyres from damage from a hit on poor road surfaces.

Hunts Race Aero Wide wheelset is incredible value for money when you consider what you get in the box. At this price point, there doesn’t appear to be anything that can match them. They’re light, they appear to be faster on the straights for the same effort, and they’re also very stiff without being uncomfortable.

You get decent hubs, in the form of Hunt’s Race Straight-Pull with 10-degree RapidEngage four-pawl freehub, high-quality sealed cartridge bearings from Ezo, and the freehub is coated with H_CERAMIK coating, which Hunt says increases protection from cassette damage.

If you’re looking for a relatively inexpensive wheelset that will suit the majority of your types of riding all year round (save for the harshest of winters) and can even be used off-road as well as on it.

We've got a full Hunt Race Aero Wide wheelset review if you want some more info.

As a robust, disc-equipped option, the Strade wheelset is versatile in that it can be used for both training and racing and can be run using traditional tubes or tubeless tyres, the latter will, of course, provide a far more engaging and granular riding experience.

The wheels use machined Parcours-branded alloy hubs laced in a 24 front/rear, two-cross pattern with Sapim CX-Ray aero spokes - the freehub body comprises a four-pawl, three-degree engagement system. Both hubs employ EZO cartridge bearings and centre lock disc threading and have been optimised for 12mm thru-axles front/rear (adapter kits are available for other axle standards). The hubs can be optioned with ceramic Kogel bearings on request. The wheels come ready-to-ride as a tubeless application out of the box with pre-installed rim tape and valves, and freehub spacers for 8/9/10-speed cassettes. 

Our Parcours Strade disc wheelset review will answer any questions you may have.

How to choose the best road bike wheels

Whether you're after a set of bombproof winter wheels, a race day only set of deep sections, or something in between that you can venture off down a gravel track on then there are going to be a few universal considerations that will inform any choice you make.

Rim width, tyre and tubeless compatibility, and braking options are going to be considerations alongside the usual budget constraints to make sure you get the most for your money.

In a previous wind tunnel test in August 2022 the ten wheelsets tested were:

• Shimano Dura-Ace C60 (R9200 series)
• Roval CLX II 60mm
• HED Vanquish RC6 Pro
• Hunt 60 Limitless Aero Disc
• Vision Metron 60 SL
• Enve Foundation 65
• Reserve 50/65
• FFWD Ryot 55
• Zipp 404 Firecrest (58mm)
• DT Swiss Arc 1100 DiCut 62 DB