Pacenti Forza Disc Brake 650B wheelset

Strong and reasonably light, for not a huge amount of cash, these Pacenti Forza Disc Brake 650Bs get my nod if you want to sample the delights of smaller wheels for road and gravel riding and you're put off by more expensive options.

• Pros: Low weight, durable, easy tubeless, price
• Cons: Have to buy different end caps

You can spend a fortune on a set of wheels, but these Pacentis show you don't have to: they're very reasonably priced, very well made with good attention to detail, and the weight isn't all that bad either – a usual trade-off at lower prices.

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Pacenti has built this wheelset by combining 25mm external width rims to aluminium hubs with EZO Japan bearings and 28 Sapim D-Light spokes per wheel. On the scales they come in at 1,573g (751g front, 822g rear), weighed with tape but no skewers or tubeless valves. To put that into context, the Reynolds ATR2 650B wheelset reviewed last year weighed 1,602g and cost £1,299.

These aluminium clincher rims measure 20mm internally, providing an ample cross-section for wide tyres. There are wider rims, with many coming in at 23mm or more internally, so the Pacentis are generous but not super-progressive. The rims have an asymmetric shape and drilling pattern, which the company says builds a stronger wheel; it's something that many brands – Ritchey, for example – have been doing for a very long time. The rims are anodised black with bold white decals.

The rims are tubeless-ready but can be used with inner tubes. I tested with both, replacing the supplied rim strip with tubeless tape and valves and having no problems seating a tubeless tyre onto the rim with no tyre levers and just a regular track pump.

The wheels come with hubs ready to be bolted into a quick release frame. I've been testing a Salsa (review soon) with quick release axles so it was an easy job to fit these wheels, but if your bike has 12mm thru-axles you're going to have to buy new end caps. As most modern disc brake bikes are coming with thru-axles it's a shame they're not included in the pack, but are instead an extra cost.

The freehub body is compatible with Shimano and SRAM 11-speed cassettes. You can also buy a Campagnolo freehub, but there's no XD driver option for SRAM wide-range cassettes. There's a neat removable bite guard made from stainless steel on the freehub to prevent the cassette become too attached to the freehub.

I ran the wheels with WTB's new Sendero 47mm tyres on a Salsa Journeyman (the pink one) and installation was easy, from setting the tyres up with tubeless sealant to swapping the disc rotors and cassette over. I didn't even have to realign the brake callipers, which was a win.

On the road but mostly on the trail, the wheels shone. They're robust when bashing them down rock gullies and there's adequate stiffness when you're heaving up steep inclines.

I really battered them on some of my roughest local trails but the Pacentis weren't fazed by it at all. For riding over mixed terrain, the bigger volume provided by the 47mm wide tyres is a real bonus. You can run very low pressures with less risk of flatting, increasing both traction and comfort.

> Buyer's Guide: 18 of the best adventure/gravel tyres

They also shaved a load of weight off the Salsa compared to the stock wheels and gave the bike a much more sprightly and energetic ride on rolling terrain with lots of sudden gradient changes. The low weight was much appreciated on some of my steeper climbs, which nudge 25 per cent.

You can pay a lot more for wheels – those Reynolds ATR2 650B wheels I mentioned earlier will cost you another £900 – but when they're this good at £400 it's easy to question why you would, unless you want the aero benefits of deep-section carbon wheels.

> The 650B alternative: Is this smaller wheel size right for you?

You can still pay a little less, though: their big rival in this price range is probably the Mason X Hunt 650B Adventure Sport Disc wheelset, priced at £319. As well as the lower price, you get a 25mm internal rim width, a SRAM XD/XDR option, and the right end-caps fitted for your bike for no extra charge. Tubeless tape and valves are also included. They are a smidgen heavier at a claimed 1,595g. We haven't tested those Hunt wheels, though, so can't comment on their performance in comparison to the Pacentis.

In all, the Pacenti wheels offer good performance with a pretty low weight for a decent price. They just get all the key details right for not a lot of money. Really, the only criticism is the lack of 12mm end caps included in the box, but they're not too expensive to add to your order. And you'll also need to factor in the price of tubeless tape, valves and sealant if you want to ditch the inner tubes.

Verdict

Solid and lightweight 650B wheels that don't break the bank