Swiss Side Pion Disc Brake wheels

Swiss Side's Pion Disc Brake Wheelset is a good choice for a fast road setup, with a respectable weight which, combined with the slight aero advantage from the 32mm depth, gives a performance boost over stock rims, but for off-road/gravel use the 18mm internal rim width limits tyre choice to 30mm or narrower. They're easy to set up tubeless, but there are very good cheaper alternatives.

• Pros: Good weight for aluminium wheels of this depth; build quality; high max system weight will suit bigger riders; easy tubeless setup
• Cons: Max tyre width 30mm

If you're looking for a wheelset upgrade under the £500 mark then you've got seemingly endless options – Swiss Side's Pion Disc Brake wheelset is fighting in a very crowded market.

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The Pion range – it's available in disc and rim brake versions – is Swiss Side's cheapest option, and the only aluminium wheels that the Swiss company still makes. The Pion Disc is aimed at riding varied terrain, be that on the road or on gravel, and I've been using them for some cyclo-cross riding too.

Setting these up tubeless was very easy – Michelin's Power Mud CX tyres, Vittoria's Rubino Pros, and Challenge's new handmade Strada tyres all went up without any trouble.

No matter where I rode with these wheels, they felt nippy and very positive, reacting well to sprints out of slow corners and accelerations on steeper climbs. They felt very solid under me, with no hint of movement under heavy braking, and even though I've subjected them to rougher off-road riding than they're designed for, they've come out running perfectly true.

Aluminium is a popular choice for a durable wheelset, and the Pions have proved perfectly robust, thanks in part to the very good build quality. As you might expect from Swiss engineering, the components that make up the wheels are good quality, with DT Swiss's Aero Comp bladed spokes and 370 hubs.

These are laced in a two-cross pattern front and back and deal with the forces from the drivetrain and disc brakes well, with no noticeable flex under load.

The hubs offer the choice of 5mm x 100mm QR or 12 x 100mm thru-axle front, and 5mm x 135mm QR or 12 x 142mm thru-axle rear. It's not as extensive as some – Hunt's 4 Season hubs, for example – but it'll suit many current road and gravel bikes. Swiss Side provides all the end caps that you need in the box, along with good QR skewers and DT Swiss tubeless tape installed as standard.

While these are good wheels for road use, for proper gravel riding and for cyclo-cross I'd have expected to see a slightly wider internal rim profile. Tyre clearance on gravel and adventure bikes has grown, with many accepting 40 or 50mm wide tyres, but the Pion, measuring 18mm internally, is rated to just a 30mm tyre. Seeing as gravel and cyclo-cross tyres rarely dip below 33mm because of the need for high volume tyres to soak up the rougher surfaces, it seems pointless to limit wheels aimed at off-road use to 30mm rubber.

Even though these performed pretty well off-road, wider tyres allow you to run lower pressures, which improves grip and comfort on loose and bumpy surfaces. If you're looking for a wheelset to mix serious gravel/CX riding with road, you'll need to look elsewhere.

Weight and value

Measured with the DT Swiss tubeless tape fitted, the Pions weighed 1,801g on our scales. While they don't feel overly heavy when riding, you can go lighter – for around the same money or less.

Prime's Baroudeur SE Disc wheels, another aluminium option, come in at a claimed 1,585g and cost just £299. Their 19mm internal rim bed is slightly wider, and they have a 30mm rim depth.

Hunt's 34 Aero Wide disc wheelset is similar to the Pions at £479, slightly wider (20mm internal, 26mm external), and claimed to be quite a bit lighter – 1,548g.

You can still spend more, though: Fulcrum's Racing 3 DB wheelset is £559.99, though they are slightly wider internally at 19mm and they support 15mm thru-axles too.

> Buyer's Guide: 20 of the best disc brake road wheels

If you're looking for a dedicated set of aluminium road disc wheels then the Swiss Side Pions are a good choice. They work well for road riding and feel quick in a sprint, plus you're getting good build quality so long-term reliability shouldn't be an issue. However, if you don't want to be limited to using a 30mm tyre, especially when cyclo-cross season rolls around, you'll need to look elsewhere.

Verdict

Strong, robust and fairly speedy, but the narrow rim limits tyre choice and there are more versatile options out there