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review

Scribe Cycling Core Superlight 60-D

9
£999.00

VERDICT:

9
10
Stunning performance, great durability and a very competitive price
Very tight feel
Noticeable aero advantage
Hooked rim allows use with all kinds of tyre types
Shimano, SRAM and Campag freehub options
Great value
Weight: 
1,486g
road.cc Recommends

This product has been selected to feature in road.cc recommends. That means it's not just scored well, but we think it stands out as special. Go to road.cc recommends

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.

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To deliver deep-section wheels at just over 1,400g, and for less than a grand is a pretty impressive achievement. But that's what you get from the Scribe Cycling Core Superlight 60-D wheels, which are handbuilt in Belfast. They're solid, stiff, durable and offer that 'swooshy' sound when you up the pace. A cracking set of wheels at a wallet-friendly price.

> Buy now: Scribe Cycling Core Superlight 60-D wheelset for £999 from Scribe

With 60mm-deep carbon rims Scribe's Core SLs are aimed primarily at fast riding, where the benefit of an aerodynamic shape becomes most effective – and they certainly feel efficient in real-world scenarios. At speeds nearing 20mph they feel as though they cut through the air smoothly and they also make that lovely swoosh sound as they roll along. Scribe also shares the wind tunnel data on its website, which is worth a glance if you like your data.

2024 Scribe Cycling Core Superlight 60-D - rim detail 4.jpg

Rims with this sort of depth can be twitchy on blustery days – but I didn't find that was the case with the Scribes at all. One day I was riding had gusts up to 38mph – according to the Met Office – and while I could feel the wind on the rims when cornering, it didn't affect the steering to the point where I'd considering swapping them for wheels with shallower rims.

2024 Scribe Cycling Core Superlight 60-D - rim detailn 3.jpg

On our office scales the Core SL – the SL stands for superlight – weighed in at 1,486g including the tubeless rim tape they are supplied with. So, knock that off at say 20g per wheel and we are talking 1,440g or so.

This puts them around 50g lighter than the likes of Reynolds' Blacklabel 60 Expert DB wheelset and the Cadex 65 Disc Tubeless wheels Matt reviewed last year. Those were also weighed with the tubeless tape fitted as, like the Scribes, this is how they are delivered.

This makes the Core SL a decent climber, and they feel quick from a standing start and accelerate well when you're already rolling.

I consider myself to have pretty powerful legs and I'm not exactly a whippet-thin racer, both of which can give wheels a hard time laterally – and I had no issues whatsoever. These felt tight and stiff when I was banking the bike from side to side when climbing or sprinting. Straight out of the box everything was running true, and my first ride didn't see any pinging noises coming from spokes and nipples settling.

2024 Scribe Cycling Core Superlight 60-D - rim detail 2.jpg

There's nothing groundbreaking about the build – which isn't meant as a criticism. Scribe hand picks components from around the world and builds them into wheels in its own Northern Ireland premises. The carbon and bearings come from Japan, the hubs from Taiwan and the grease... from Germany. Why not?

My previous experience has found Scribe wheels well made, reliable and offering a great performance, and their construction is backed up with Scribe's Infinity Warranty, which covers them for three years against material or workmanship defects. In the event of a crash Scribe offers a 50% discount on all replacement parts on carbon wheels, while alloy rim replacements will only incur a nominal charge.

2024 Scribe Cycling Core Superlight 60-D - velve hole.jpg

The 60mm rims are made from uni-directional Toray T1000 carbon fibre and have an internal width of 21mm and a 29mm external width. They're optimised for 25-28mm tyres but will still work very well with tyres up to 40mm in width.

2024 Scribe Cycling Core Superlight 60-D - spoke nipple.jpg

I'm glad that Scribe has stuck with a hooked rim design, which means that you can run both clincher (non-tubeless) and tubeless tyres. Hookless rims only work with tubeless tyres and are limited to 75psi.

2024 Scribe Cycling Core Superlight 60-D - rim bed.jpg

Because of the number of wheels I've been testing recently I was running the Scribes with tubeless tyres but with inner tubes fitted – to save the faff of constantly swapping tyres and sealant. Both 28mm and 30mm tyres from various brands fitted relatively easily, just requiring a tyre lever to pop the last bit of bead over the rim edge when using a track pump. This was the case using a tube or as a dry-run of a tubeless setup.

And while the tyres were a snug fit removing them didn't prove to be an issue, so I wouldn't be worried about getting a puncture in the middle of nowhere.

2024 Scribe Cycling Core Superlight 60-D - rim detail 1.jpg

The front wheel has 21 spokes laced 1x on the disc side and radially on the other; the rear has 24 spokes laced 1x on the driveside and 2x on the driveside.

The Sapim CX Ray spokes are used on a number of the brand's wheels, they have a flat, aero profile and are connected to the rim by Sapim's square-headed nipples. These are external, which makes them a good choice for fettling by the home mechanic.

2024 Scribe Cycling Core Superlight 60-D - front hub.jpg

The rear hub has a ratchet-style drive system rather than pawls, and it providesa a crisp and quick engagement. Two options are available: a 36T design that gives 10° between engagement points or a 54-tooth for a 6.6° engagement. Freehub bodies for Shimano, SRAM XDR and Campagnolo cassettes ranging from 9-speed to 12-speed.

2024 Scribe Cycling Core Superlight 60-D - rear hub 2.jpg

When you're freewheeling the ratchet freehubs can be quite 'buzzy' which, personally speaking, I like – but if you like a bit more stealth Scribe can provide you with grease (from Germany!) to quieten things down.

2024 Scribe Cycling Core Superlight 60-D - rear hub 1.jpg

The TPI hub bearings run very smoothly indeed. It was wet for a fair amount of the review period, but that didn't cause any issues – though it is of course ealy days. Popping off the freehub after a long, wet ride showed no signs of water ingress, so the long-term prospects are positive.

Value

Pricing is an area that Scribe is always strong in – and it's the same here. This wheelset costs £999, and if you go for the 54T ratchet they're 50 quid dearer at £1,049.

The Reynolds Blacklabel 60 wheels mentioned earlier come in at £1,800 and don't offer a Campag freehub as standard, while the Cadex 65 wheels come in at just a shade shy of £2,500.

Hunt's slightly shallower 54 Aerodynamicist wheels are around 150g heavier and I was very impressed when I reviewed them back in 2022. The price has inevitably gone up since then, but they're a still very competitive £1,099.

Our best road wheels buyer's guide looks at quality hoops from £370 (Scribe again) to over three grand for some snazzy Zipps.

Conclusion

The Scribe Core SLs perform solidly through every aspect of performance and reliability – and frankly I'm struggling to find a single quirk or fault with them. It makes me wonder, why would you want to pay more?

Verdict

Stunning performance, great durability and a very competitive price

> Buy now: Scribe Cycling Core Superlight 60-D wheelset for £999 from Scribe

road.cc test report

Make and model: Scribe Core Superlight 60-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: "Weighing only 1,419g, the CORE SL 60 Carbon Disc wheelset is the ultimate go-to option for those that want to go fast; EVERYWHERE."

They are a real-world fast set of wheels that are very well built.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the wheel?

Depth: 60mm

Material: Full, Unidirectional Carbon

Type: Clincher - Tubeless Ready (mini hook design)

Rim Width (external): 29mm

Rim Width (internal): 21mm

Spoke Pattern / Hole Count: Front 2:1/21H, Rear 2:1/24H

Weight Limit: Total combined weight limit is 105kg

Tyre Recommendation: 25 - 28mm (can run up to 40mm)

Rate the wheel for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the wheel for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the wheel for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the wheel for weight
 
8/10
Rate the wheel for value:
 
7/10

Did the wheels stay true? Any issues with spoke tension?

No problems at all with trueness or tension.

How easy did you find it to fit tyres?

Tyres were relatively easy to fit while providing a reassuringly secure seal on the rim.

How did the wheel extras (eg skewers and rim tape) perform?

The included rim tape remained stuck in place firmly and provides a good seal for tubeless tyres.

Tell us how the wheel performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Good real-world aero performance at a weight that is low enough to not affect climbing prowess.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the wheel

The build features top-quality components and a matching performance.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

They are very well priced – coming in much cheaper than the similar depth Reynolds and Cadex wheels mentioned in the review. Hunt delivers wheels with a similar performance to the Scribes that are a little bit more expensive.

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

The Core SLs perform brilliantly across the board – and without costing as much as wheels from some of the big brands. For the money, you really can't go wrong.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 44  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

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.

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3 comments

Avatar
username983 | 2 weeks ago
0 likes

I have a set of the the Scribe 50D and they are a great wheel. Especially for the price. But be warned, the freehub is insanely loud. And not a nice loud. It gets pretty jarring after a while. 

Avatar
Scribe Cycling replied to username983 | 2 weeks ago
0 likes

Hi username983, thank you for the comment, and it's great to hear you rate the wheels. The new models have a slightly different design which come with hollowed out ratchet discs to reduc ethe sound. They are significantly less in sound than the previous CORE models. 

Avatar
PRSboy | 2 weeks ago
0 likes

Interesting review, particularly their good behaviour in crosswinds... @Stu Kerton, have you tested the carbon-spoked Elan version yet?  I'm interested in the effect the carbon spokes have on the ride quality.

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