Best road bike wheels 2024 — transform your road bike with some shiny new hoops

Starting off our list of the best road bike wheels are the Hunt 48 Limitless Aero Disc wheels, which we've crowned our best overall thanks to their very good ride and build quality. The wide rims are constructed from a mixture of uni-directional T24 and T30 grade carbon fibre and include reinforcement around the spoke holes.

In comparison to other 40mm and 50mm-deep wheels, the Hunts make any bike feel like it doesn't need as much power to maintain a given speed, especially when that speed is around 20-25mph. They also roll very nicely, producing a very smooth and pleasant ride, and the rounded profile of the rim doesn't get battered around by crosswinds or when being passed by large vehicles at speed. 

Overall, these are a really great set of road bike wheels that are on the pricier side in comparison to similar wheels on the market, such as the Scribe Aero Wide+ 50-D Wheelset, but well worth the money for the high quality you receive. These would definitely be a solid all-round option for anyone wanting to invest in carbon deep section road wheels for racing or training for their disc brake road bike.

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The Ronde wheelset from British brand Parcours is for a bit of everything, capable on tarmac or gravel. They came in at 1,410g (with rim tape) on the road.cc Scales of Truth before being sent out to our reviewer, which is pretty impressive.

The price is fair and competitive, and our reviewer found these wheels to be stiff, responsive and quick to engage. They handled everything that was thrown at them, and uphill they're sprightly. With rim depths below 40mm, they do not suffer from skitters in the wind either. 

Go for these if you want to see improvements across the board compared to your stock wheels. 

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While they are mighty expensive, if you want some of the best wheels for the mountains without sacrificing speed then the Hyperon Ultra wheels from Campagnolo are probably about the best you can get at the time of writing. 

The rims are 37mm deep with a 21mm internal width, weighing in at 1,240g for the pair (there's an even lighter tubular version for the pros). They feature the 2-Way Fit System found on most high-end Campag and Fulcrum wheels which allows for tubeless or tubed tyres to be used without the need to use additional rim tape. 

On the road, our reviewer found them a joy to ride. The aerospace-grade carbon fibre and resin combined with a one-join construction makes for very stiff wheels, and punchless spoke holes also work to reduce lateral flex. Asymmetric rims improve stiffness according to Campag, and the spoke nipples are below the sealed rim to save weight.

If you can afford them, you will not be disappointed with these excellent race wheels... a "work of art", said our reviewer!

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If you're after a set of dynamo wheels for commuting, bikepacking or long rides then the Hunt Superdura Dynamo Disc wheels are our best dynamo wheels pick. They also offer charging for your devices, ensuring that you won’t ever have to do your nighttime commutes in the dark due to dead lights nor find yourself in a compromised situation because your phone has died. 

The system that Hunt has used to build these wheels is the SONdelux hub dynamo, which is pretty much the best out there if you want low resistance and care about the wheels not being too weighty. Not to mention, given the dynamo hub cost alone, the whole wheelset cost is very reasonable.

Overall, the Hunt Superdura Dynamo Disc wheels are without a doubt a solid option to consider. For what they are, they are lightweight coming in at 2,035g, offering a near faultless all-round performance and they are also great value. What’s not to love?

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Wheel giant Zipp has always been known for its impressively lightweight wheels. Therefore it won’t be a surprise to most readers to know that the Zipp 353 NSW Tubeless Disc Brake Wheelset takes our best lightweight crown in this guide, weighing in at a very impressive 1,340g; perfect for hill climbers or anyone looking to invest in light weight racing wheels, if you are prepared to fork out some serious cash. 

They also deliver with regards to stiffness, which is often lost when wheels are made to be anywhere near this light. This translates into their ability to perform to a very high level, regardless of conditions. Moreso, due to them being so lightweight, their acceleration and responsiveness is seriously impressive: effortlessly getting you up to speed, be it on the flat or on a climb. 

Overall, the Zipp 353 NSW Tubeless Disc Brake Wheelset is undeniably light, but the biggest downfall has to be the price. At an eye- watering £3,376.00 for the full wheelset, they will understandably not be within budget for most. But, if you don’t mind your wheels being hookless and the limitations that causes, nor the price, then this set of superlight wheels is for you. 

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We've banged on a lot about how good all of our selections are in this guide but, let's be honest... most of us want to upgrade so our bike looks cooler, obviously! Luckily this carbon disc brake wheelset from Italian component maestros Campagnolo not only looks great, but is actually pretty damn good too. 

Described as fast and stable by our reviewer (and "beautiful", but you can see that for yourself) the Shamals will spin quickly and corner confidently. They're easy to set up tubeless, and the 21mm internal width is on trend. They also come with a handy set of tyre levers, which happen to be very good indeed according to our reviewer. 

Go for these if you want to ooze class on the club run or in a race, and give your bike a serious upgrade too. 

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Despite their depth of 68mm at the front and 75mm at the rear, the Chrono wheels from Parcours are surprisingly stable according to our reviewer, who tried them out in on the windy plains of Lanzarote and was impressed... and more importantly, stayed completely upright. 

The wheels are on-trend as they're optimised for 28mm tyres and are compatible with tubeless. Our reviewer found them to be fast and predictable in high winds, reducing that snatching sensation you could get with lesser wheels when there's a strong gust of wind. 

Parcours has a lengthy engineering white paper to back up its speed and crosswind performance of the Chronos if you're not convinced - but we can vouch for these being excellent and relatively affordable deep wheels, ideal for fast road racing or time trials. 

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It's another entry for Hunt in the form of its Aero Wide wheelset for rim brake bikes... and, if this wasn't a sign of the times, it's currently our only rim brake wheelset in this guide! 

Our reviewer described the Aero Wide wheels as an excellent aloy wheel upgrade for your rim brake bike, that will last you for many thousands of miles in all weathers. The 'aero' part of the name is name only, as the shallow depth and materials don't really make for a significantly aero-focused wheelset, but the 'wide' bit is true as they work very well with 28mm tyres. 

Overall, these wheels are well built, stiff and light, and all most of us need unless you're a very serious racer. 

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Proving that alloy wheels can work for more than just training, the Race-D Wide+ wheelset weighs in at just 1,448g and is super stiff and durable. 

Tubeless-ready and with a 27mm-deep aluminium rim, they're wide as the name suggests with a 21mm internal width, which is useful for running wider tyres. The endurance bearings our reviewer opted for coped well in all weathers, but you can upgrade to race bearings if you're using them mostly in drier conditions. The noisy freehub might not be for everyone, but when freewheeling people will know you're coming, at least!

If you decide to invest, Scribe wheels come with tubeless tape and a bag of additional goodies including tubeless valves, spare spokes, spare nipples, a six-bolt adapter, a lockring for 15mm axles, a slim-fit lockring for forks with tight clearance and a 10-speed spacer, making them even better value. You can eve opt to have tubeless tyres and sealant fitted for you free of charge. 

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