- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Tubeless valves
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
review
£870.00
VERDICT:
A wheelset that offers plenty of stiffness and aero benefits without breaking the bank
Weight:
1,449g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
- Exceptional
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Quite good
- Average
- Not so good
- Poor
- Bad
- Appalling
The Scribe Aero Wide 50-D carbon disc wheels are all about speed according to the manufacturer, and they don't disappoint. Matching a wind-cheating 50mm-deep rim to smooth-running hubs, an instantaneous freehub engagement and plenty of stiffness makes for a set of wheels that delivers for those who want to put the hammer down. The impressive weight and a sensible price finalise the deal.
- Pros: Solid wheelset that is very well built; aero advantages are noticeable; lightweight and well priced
- Cons: Simplistic graphics... nit-picking, I know!
Over the last 12 months I've tested a lot of wheels and there have been some crackers, especially from the smaller and emerging brands. Companies that are taking quality components and building them into a great all-round package. Scribe has followed that route, and these Aero Wide 50-Ds show the company knows what it's doing.
A wheel weight of 1,449g (1,438g claimed) is impressive full stop, but when you consider that's including a wide and deep carbon fibre rim, plus the extra spokes needed for a disc build, it is truly awesome and something you really notice when fitting them to your bike.
The rim has a U-shaped profile which is less pronounced than those earlier aero offerings that were pointy in design ten or so years ago, and they certainly feel fast. We haven't got the room in the road.cc office for a wind tunnel so I'll have to go on how the wheels respond out on the road, and I can say that once you are above 20mph these things really start to fly. You can almost feel them dragging you along without much need for any extra input power-wise.
I've got another test bike that's wearing a set of Campagnolo Bora 50 Disc wheels, which are pretty old school: a narrow rim and that V-shaped profile I mentioned earlier. Fast yes, but much more twitchy in a crosswind compared to these Scribes.
The Scribes do offer quite a firm ride, although I wouldn't say they are overly harsh, and if my focus was more on speed anyway then I'd be willing to sacrifice a bit of comfort.
When it comes to spoking, Scribe has gone for a 2:1 build front and rear (twice the number of spokes on the rotor side). It's Sapim CX-Ray spokes throughout, with 21 at the front and 24 for the rear. It's a common setup for a disc wheel and, in my opinion, one that works well when it comes to balancing weight versus strength.
Stiffness is impressive, too, with these wheels giving little away when you are stamping on the pedals or braking hard at the front. Flex isn't an issue.
The overall build quality is top notch, and I had no issues from the moment I took them out of the box. It's worth noting that Scribe has placed a 105kg weight limit on the Aero Wides, which includes rider, bike and luggage.
Hubs
The Scribe Five4 hubs run smoothly and have dealt with the worst of the weather that we have seen over the test period, though it has been warm and pretty dry. The sealed stainless steel bearings are still running as smoothly as the day they came out of the box, although a full year-round test in winter conditions would work better to confirm this.
All options of axle fitment are available on Scribe's website, from quick release through to 15mm thru-axle, and while Shimano/SRAM is the default freehub option, Campagnolo and XDR are also available.
The freehub has a 54-tooth engagement which the pawls can locate every 6.6 degrees, giving instant acceleration. I love a trackstand at the lights and one thing I can't stand is a gappy, sloppy freehub as I rock fore and aft. The Scribes work brilliantly – I know that as soon as I press lightly on the pedals, drive is engaged.
In the box Scribe had supplied us with a set of Schwalbe Pro One tyres and they fitted easily. They are tubeless ready, as are the Scribes, and the seal was very good. I tried them with a few other pairs of tubeless and tubeless-ready tyres and had no issues with fitting them to the 19mm internal/26mm external width rim.
Buy these wheels and included in the package are a set of tubeless valves and four spokes and nipples, alloy Sapim ones.
Value
When it comes to value, the Scribes are pretty impressive at just £870 when you consider what you are getting.
The excellent Pacenti Forza C 30mm Disc wheels are lighter at 1,378g but they are 20mm shallower. Apart from that, they are a very similar offering: a great all-round package of light weight and stiffness.
> Buyer's Guide: 12 of the best disc brake road wheelsets
Compared to something like Pearson's Hoopdriver wheelset at £1,300, the benefits are obvious. Over 200g lighter and £430 cheaper!
Conclusion
Overall, the Scribe Aero Wide 50-D wheels are a very complete package, and with full-on race bikes now coming with disc brakes they have their marketplace. If your bike has rotors and you want to go fast then these are the wheels to achieve that.
Verdict
A wheelset that offers plenty of stiffness and aero benefits without breaking the bank
road.cc test report
Make and model: Scribe Aero Wide 50-D
Size tested: 700c
Tell us what the wheel is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Scribe says, "The Scribe Aero 50s were designed to be the ultimate, go-to Aero option for those looking for speed. The deep section rims utilise every millimetre of the U-shaped Aero profiles to cut through the air across a wide range of yaw angles; gliding effortlessly at speed.
"At only 1,438g, the Aero 50s are exceptionally lightweight and pound-for-pound, feature amongst the best wheels out there. Partnered with lightning fast Scribe Five4 hubs (54-tooth / 6.6 degree engagement), these wheels respond FAST, offering unrivalled levels of performance.
"The Wide 19mm internal profile gives you the option to fit wide tyres for increased stability when cornering, and increased speed due to improved rolling resistance - especially when ran as tubeless. With Centre lock disc as standard, you can ride with confidence knowing the stopping power is there when it's needed."
They deliver right across the board.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the wheel?
From Scribe:
Rims
Disc specific design.
High filament (12K/18K) Japanese Toray T700 / T800 carbon fibre. Unidirectional for strength with additional reinforcement at spoke holes. (spoke tested to 280 kgf [single spoke load])
Scribe Carbon T:Tech used to strengthen rim walls, and rim bed - offering incredible long-term strength, even under high pressure
Optimised TG (Glass Transition) resin used to produce a super lightweight, responsive, low void carbon for increased performance
Wide 19mm internal (26mm outer)
21 hole Front | 24 hole Rear
Tubeless ready design gives you the option to have increased puncture resistance, faster-rolling wheels and improved weight (works with standard tube also)
4-D precision drilled spoke holes - directs spokes exactly to hub anchor point
Ramped rim bed for easy tyre fitment
Bead lock design with Hook offers incredibly secure tyre binding, even at lower pressures
Hubs
Patented, high-speed Ratchet Drive system Exclusive to Scribe. Check out our latest hub blog
Super fast 54-tooth engagement with 6.6 degree drive rate
Heat treated stainless steel drive ring
Centre-lock disc standard (6-bolt adapter available)
Fully CNC'd rounded design with 4-D precision drilled spoke holes
Sealed Stainless Steel Precision bearings with Scribe Race Grease (light, high speed)
Shimano/SRAM 8/9/10/11 speed freehub body fitted - Campagnolo and XDR also available.
Available in all major standards - Front: QR, Bolt thru (12, 15 and 9mm); Rear: QR, Bolt thru (142x12, 135x12 and 135x12). At basket stage, just tell us which option you want and we'll fit for you
Spokes and Nipples
The Scribe Aero 50-Ds use the Sapim CX-Ray as it's considered to be the most aerodynamic spoke on the market. At 4.25g each, and almost as light as Titanium, we can build you a super-lightweight wheel set that allows you to get up to speed faster
The unique drawing, and specifically pressed process produces fast, bladed Aero spoke (2.0mm - 0.9/2.2mm - 2.0mm)
By using fatigue-resistant 18/8 stainless steel, CX-Ray spokes have exceptionally high durability properties and will stand the test of time.
Straight-pull for increased torsional strength
21 hole front / 24 hole rear
Read more about Sapim spokes - Sapim.de
For nipples, we use Alloy Sapim double square head
Lacing pattern
Front: disc side 1x, drive side Radial
Rear: disc side 1x, drive side 2x
*we use the above lacing pattern as we can build strong wheels (due to the high spoke count - 21 front / 24 rear), and by lacing this way, we are able to add strength to the areas that need them most. For example, when you apply braking on disc brakes, wheel speed is slowed by applying force only on the disc side of the wheel. This is where support is needed.
Additional items in the box
Tubeless valves
Spare spokes x4
Spare nipples x4
Rate the wheel for quality of construction:
9/10
A really solid build throughout.
Rate the wheel for performance:
9/10
Very stiff indeed and respond well to hard efforts.
Rate the wheel for durability:
9/10
Rate the wheel for weight
9/10
Rate the wheel for value:
8/10
Did the wheels stay true? Any issues with spoke tension?
Yes, no issues with spoke tension at all.
How easy did you find it to fit tyres?
Very easy.
How did the wheel extras (eg skewers and rim tape) perform?
The included valves worked really well and I haven't needed to use the spare spokes or nipples yet.
Tell us how the wheel performed overall when used for its designed purpose
This is a fast wheelset, which is exactly what Scribe has aimed for.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the wheel
Weight, price, aerodynamics and impressive build quality.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the wheel
I didn't really dislike anything, though personally I'd like something a little stronger in the graphics department.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
They are right up there with other brands that have delivered quality wheelsets at this price, like Pacenti and JRA.
Did you enjoy using the wheel? Yes
Would you consider buying the wheel? Yes
Would you recommend the wheel to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
A blend of sorted components deliver a stiff, quality wheelset that definitely offers an aero advantage for an excellent weight and price.
About the tester
Age: 40
I usually ride: This month's test bike My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed
Since writing his first bike review for road.cc back in early 2009 senior product reviewer Stu has tested more than a thousand pieces of kit, and hundreds of bikes.
With an HND in mechanical engineering and previous roles as a CNC programmer/machinist, draughtsman and development engineer (working in new product design) Stu understands what it takes to bring a product to market. A mix of that knowledge combined with his love of road and gravel cycling puts him in the ideal position to put the latest kit through its paces.
He first made the switch to road cycling in 1999, primarily for fitness, but it didn’t take long for his competitive side to take over which led to around ten years as a time triallist and some pretty decent results. These days though riding is more about escapism, keeping the weight off and just enjoying the fact that he gets to ride the latest technology as part of his day job.
Latest Comments
- chrisonabike 10 min 18 sec ago
Did you go out the back of the wardrobe you found them in perhaps? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion,_the_Witch_and_the_Wardrobe
- chrisonabike 19 min 22 sec ago
Also reminds me of this oldie from The Onion: https://www.ling.upenn.edu/~beatrice/humor/clinton-deploys-vowels.html
- Rendel Harris 34 min 42 sec ago
Indeed, I didn't say it was compulsory to enter into a no win no fee agreement; it's perfectly possible to instruct a lawyer at an agreed fee rate...
- Andrewbanshee 41 min 26 sec ago
I remember Hull were bus lanes were the only 'bike' lanes too. For brief moments traffic melted away. These still remain and other roads had cycle...
- Rendel Harris 2 hours 23 min ago
Possible but unlikely I'd say, given that every single day people with no association with celebrity in any way are let off with unbelievably...
- Aluminium can 9 hours 3 min ago
You could try prayer. 5 minutes after I got home last night there was an almighty bang outside my house. I came outside to see two expensive cars...
- Jorin 9 hours 21 min ago
Ha! Nice. Ok, am I the only one having trouble "appreicating" the new Colnago?? This one I like, but the new C...
- Jogle 13 hours 31 min ago
Car flips onto its roof in dramatic crash off busy Nottingham roundabout...
- andystow 14 hours 32 min ago
Are the mentioned tyre levers hidden inside the lock?
Add new comment
18 comments
So my first ride today on a set of Scribe Aero 3850's and as it was the first time riding a wheel set said to give an aero benefit , it was interesting to notice how much difference it made.
It feels like the whole bike got dialled up to 11, I can only imagine the difference again a set of 50's would make but given the amount of hills and blustery days in Cumbria they may not be my ideal choice.
Very happy with the wheels and Scribe and Alan have been great to deal with throughout.
Personally I would recommend these wheels.
WhatsApp Image 2019-08-29 at 15.17.19.jpeg
Comment to win: yes please! Make it happen.
Any deep section solutions for larger riders? I hover right around 105kg. Bike adds another 40kg.
Hi Jones_One,
At ~105kgs, you won't have any issues with the current wheels as they are, but we would recommend more regular checks from an experienced bike mechanic.
Our wheels are tested way above industry standards and we've even put our Wide+ lightweight 32-Disc wheelset (only 1,408g) through 4x ISO standard [3 million cobbles / 10mm in height / 64kg load (for single wheel) / 25 Kph. *23mm Vittoria Rubino Pro tyre used for testing at 90% max inflation. The 50-Ds have the same resin, carbon fibre, hub, and spoke hole reinforcing pads :-).
*we have a short video is at the end of out Technology tab if you wanted to see this in action: https://scribecycling.com/pages/superior-specification
I hope this helps. Alan.
Had a set of Pace alloy wheels on test from Scribe for a couple of months now and have been so impressed I've ordered a set of 3850's.
Take up on the freehub is the fastest I've encountered, so really looking forward to some additonal aero benefits. Personal preference I know but don't agree about the graphics I much prefer understated.
Lol. I can confirm that JWT is not Scribe! Seriously though, we would absolutely frown upon false statements Freddy56 and as much as we want customers /riders to enjoy our wheels, we'd never encourage such actions; ever!
I started a thread on singletrack asking if anyone had any experience of scribe, Alan saw my thread and emailed me. He offered to let me test the pace wheelset and I decided to buy a set of 3850's. I'm sorry you feel my opinion may be untruthful but it is my opinion based on my experience of scribe. I wanted to offer that opinion on here hence a first post. I still prefer understated graphics, and I'll let you know what I think of the 3850's when they arrive.
Hi Alan,
Did you manage to get that tyre comparison chart knocked up? I seem to remember you saying that a 25mm pro on on the rims measures up at 28mm. Is that the same for the disc and rim brake model, and therefore by that logic, would a 23mm on the rim brake rim come in at about 26mm?
I'd love to run 28mm, but the supersix won't quite squeeze it in.
Cheers!
Hi MoutonDeMontagne,
We are still working on the tyre chart and we'll try and get this up ASAP.
However, you are correct for the 23mm and this inflates to ~26mm at 100 psi (exact is 25.90mm).
I hope this helps and if you need anything else, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us.
Alan.
Looking to get my first set of deep carbon wheels for rim brakes. Would you go for Scribe (assuming that their rim brake models are as good) or Borg 50c.
Never heard of Scribe, I like the look of their alloy wheels offerings.
Hey bikercat! We use the same Scribe Five4 Ratchet drive system in our Carbon rim brake models, with similar spoke counts (24 rear / 20 front) but lacing is different of course as the additional crossing isn't required for rim brakes. The customer feedback we've been getting for our Carbon Rims brakes has been awesome and if you check out our Facebook page, you'll start to get a snapshot of this. We are a new brand to market but we've decades worth of experience going into our range. If you'd like to know more about us / our range / comparisons with other brands, please don't hesitate to give us a shout on chat / email (team [at] scribecycling.com) as we'd love to tell you more about our range :-). Many thanks. Alan.
Malcolm Borg will fix the wheels he builds in the UK, if you have problems. Frankly, I'd go for Borg because of the servicing aspect.
Nit picking about graphics is not such a small thing. Truthfully, how many of the non pros, those of us who buy our own kit and have only delusions of actually being proper quick on a bicycle, actually buy what is effectively functional jewellery for our bicycles?
With 50mm of otherwise drab carbon to play with, there is either a market of the wheel manufacturer to offer a range of funky designs, or for someone to make some large transfers, like wot you get in airfix kits.
Hell, yeah, I want the option of flame graphics on my wheels!
flaming wheel.jpg
Anybody bought from Scribe ? The returns address is for a garden services business.
Hi joeegg, we are in the process of setting up operations at the address where returns are mailed to. At the moment, we are a pure play, online retailer but we will be opening this location for site visits, and even demo rides soon! Alan.
They do look and feel super smooth in the flesh. top marks