Giant SLR 1 50 Disc WheelSystem

The Giant SLR 1 50 Disc WheelSystem is an affordable set of wheels that spin up to speed fairly well, their impressive stability makes them great through corners and they deliver predictable handling on descents. The main downside is that their hookless design limits your tyre choices in widths over 28mm.

> Buy now: Giant SLR 1 50 Disc WheelSystem for £1199.98 from Giant

These have 50mm-deep rims, which puts them at the aero end of the road wheel spectrum. They're also available with 36mm, 42mm and 65mm-deep rims, and as they're sold individually, you can mix and match – pairing a shallower front rim for better handling with a deeper rear for improved aerodynamics. The front costs £499.99, the rear £699.99.

The SLR 1s are at the higher end of Giant's SLR wheel range, with the SLR 2s having a different hub, lower quality 'free' tyres and heavier spokes. Matt reviewed the SLR 2s last year and thought they were a good set of budget wheels, but that their freehub had a slow pick-up and their ride was a little firm.

The SLR 1s are better in each of these areas than their less expensive stablemates, but it's worth bearing in mind that Giant also has Cadex wheels in its line-up, which are effectively the premium versions. In effect this makes the SLR 1s a mid-range wheelset.

These have a 22.4mm inner and 30mm outer rim width, so you can theoretically run 25-32mm tyres, but the wider you get, the fewer tyres are available for their hookless rims. According to Giant, if I was running 28mm tyres I could choose from 22 models from numerous brands – Cadex, Continental, Giant, IRC, Michelin and more – but the number of options reduces significantly over 28mm.

When they arrived the wheels had 25mm Cadex Aero Tubeless tyres fitted. This was useful, in that I could just fit the wheels on my bike and go – but I haven't run tyres less than 28mm wide in quite a while.

The hookless rims' inner width combines with those 25mm tyres to create a tyre profile that adds stability. Though when fitted the tyres are actually narrower than the rims, which I think  looks a little odd.

Giant SLR 1 50 Disc WheelSystem Ride

The first thing to say about these wheels is that the ride they deliver is impressively stable. I found that cornering was predictable even at speed, so on descents in particular I felt confident hitting corners at pace. The beads are 3.8mm wide, which Giant claims increases support for high-volume tyres and which should make for better cornering – and my experience on the road suggests this is actually the case.

I found that these wheels were also good in the wind despite their relatively deep rims. I was testing during the time of year when rain and wind was picking up, so I had ample time to test their effectiveness in tricky and challenging conditions. And I found them pretty stable even during some really quite gusty rides.

The wheels are no slouches either and I had no complaints when I was putting the hammer down. The speed of engagement isn't quite up there with the engagement on more expensive models, but it's exactly what I would expect on wheels at this sort of price.

Giant SLR 1 50 Disc WheelSystem Weight

Our test pair weighed in at 1525g, which is reasonable for wheels at this price and a mere 7g over their claimed weight. The Ere Research Genus II CL45 wheelset has rims that are 5mm shallower and weight 100g less.

The Scope R5.A All-Road wheelset has deeper rims but the weight is a whopping 1,820g, though these are a more all-road design made for both tarmac and gravel, so they will be more robust.

We also liked the the Parcours Chrono wheelset, which in spite of their 68mm-deep front rim and 75mm-deep rear rim, have a weight between that of the Ere and the Parcours, coming in at a very decent 1,670g and their performance was excellent, with surprising stability.

Giant SLR 1 50 Disc WheelSystem Setup

As you'd expect the review wheelset came with tyres on, so the initial setup was a doddle – all I had to do was pop on some discs and a cassette. And having to take the tyres off to accurately weigh them, I found the tyres came off and went back on the rims very easily. That said, Giant has somehow managed to find the worst smelling sealant I've ever come across!

There is more of a challenge if you want to run these with different tyres, especially wider rubber. There's no doubt that there are big strides being made in the number of compatible hookless tyres becoming available, but for now there's a slightly confusing matrix of brands and sizes.

The wheels come with rim tape that stayed in place throughout testing, and the fit was nice and tight around the rims. They also include tubeless valves, which stayed unclogged and tight throughout the review period.

The wheels come with a two-year warranty and have a healthy rider, bike and kit weight limit of 129kg, which should cover most of us.

Value

The £1,199.98 RRP is pretty good for wheels of this quality and that are the most stable wheels I've ridden at this sort of price.

Stu reviewed the £1,386 Scope R5.A All-Road wheels, but their more robust all-road design comes with a fairly hefty weight penalty compared to the Giant wheels.

Matt scored the Ere Research Genus II CL45 wheels 9/10 back in January. At 45mm the rims aren't quite as deep, but they're a 100g lighter than the SLR 1s. Their stability is similar but they're slightly more responsive.

For a very similar price and with even deeper rims you've got the Parcours Chrono wheelset. They cost £1,199 and even with 68mm and 75mm-deep rims their weight is reasonable – and Jamie found their handling excellent.

And for more options our best road bike wheels buyer's guide rounds up our top hoops from £250 to over £2,500.

Overall

I think Giant's SLR 1 is an excellent wheelset that offers impressive stability when you're cornering and descending, even during gusty autumn conditions – and it's this stability that I feel is the outstanding feature. They feel fast too, though there are some wheels out that with a quicker engagement.

> Buy now: Giant SLR 1 50 Disc WheelSystem for £1199.98 from Giant

Verdict

A very stable wheelset that handles excellently, though the hookless design limits tyre choices when you go over 28mm