Crank Brothers launch new Zinc 3 gravel, cyclocross and adventure wheelset

With the surge in popularity of adventure and gravel bikes we’ve seen an increase in the availability of wheels tailored towards dealing with rough stuffing, and the latest comes from US firm Crank Brothers with its new Zinc 3. 

It’s the company’s first foray into the road, cyclocross, gravel and adventure bike market, but it has a background in mountain bike wheel design so expectations are that these new wheels should be up to the task of dealing with gravel roads. 

What really sets the Zinc 3 wheels apart from their rivals is the same unique spoke lacing pattern they’ve been using on their mountain bike wheels for many years.  Called “twinpair spoke technology,” the two-piece spokes thread together at the midpoint and gives the wheels their utterly unique appearance. 

The thinking behind it is to pull weight away from the rim and put it closer to the centre of the wheel, which is claims provides lower rotational inertia, faster acceleration and greater wheel strength. 

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Wide rims are a good thing when using wide tyres, with 30 to 40mm common on adventure bikes. The Zinc 3 rims measure 25.5mm on the outside and 21mm on the inside. 

They’re a disc-only wheelset as befits the adventure bike market, and the rims are tubeless-ready as well. Due to the unique spoke design, the rims aren’t drilled so there’s no need for tubeless rim tape, and it also means the rims are stronger according to the company’s claims. It also means spokes can be replaced without having to remove the tyre. 

The hubs are compatible with most current quick release and thru-axle bikes, with replaceable end caps. Weight is a claimed 1,645g and the ship with a two year warranty. We don’t have a UK price yet but in dollars they cost $750.