Token G23 Black 700C Gravel Wheelset

The Token G23 Black 700C Gravel Wheelset is impressively light for a set of wide alloy rims, yet still strong enough to ride well at speed and handle a fair bit of cargo. They're a touch vibey and unforgiving on the rough stuff, however, which can be fatiguing over time – especially if you're running sub-45mm tyres.

For more options check out our best road bike wheels buyer's guide.

> Buy now: Token G23 Black 700C Gravel Wheelset for £399 from Merlin

Token says these are an upgraded version of its old V23 wheels, and fully 300g lighter than they were. That puts the G23s at a very decent 1,510g on our scales (including rim tape), which is just a few grams from the claimed 1,506g. That's pretty impressive for aluminium wheels at this price, and several competitors we've reviewed recently have been 1,700g+.

Don't go thinking they're flimsy though, because they're not. The 28mm wide rims (23mm internally, hence the G23 name) feel perfectly stiff enough for accurate steering, and there's no sense of flex when cranking the pedals out of the saddle – not that you're likely to be stomping out Herculean efforts often on the kind of adventure rides these are aimed at. I'd have no qualms about loading the bike up on these wheels, and given their 100kg rider weight limit you've got a fair bit of leeway for cargo.

After a few seconds of twanging as I first rode away, the 24 spokes per wheel settled into their two-cross pattern and stayed evenly tensioned. You might expect a higher spoke count – 28 or even 32 – especially at the rear, but I gave them quite a battering on fast, rough descents and slow, rock-strewn climbs and they took it all without complaint. Even the abrupt sideways slip into a rock that knifed an inch-long slit into my rear tyre, dammit.

That spoke count is at the racier end of things, and that's why they're light. If you do want complete bombproofing then take a look at something like the £429 non-Race version of the Hunt 4 Seasons, or the Ryan Builds Wheels Club Gravel wheels. The latter are available in various spoke counts – see the Value section below for details on both.

The Tokens are not the most compliant though, and send noticeable rattle and buzz through to the bar over fast fire road sections, even shod in big, 45mm tyres. Go skinnier than that (or more importantly, lower volume) and they can be jarringly unyielding under big impacts.

Ironically a little more mass in the rims might have helped damp the vibrations at speed, but so long as you're on big rubber you'll probably enjoy the easy acceleration and lower overall weight far more often than you suffer the buzz at 20mph+. And just to be clear, with the right pressures they're not awful; just not as good as they could be.

The G23s come taped for tubeless use – you'll need to supply valves – and I found most test tyres very easy to install. The only issue I had was with an older set of GravelKings, which were so loose no amount of messy faffing got them to seal well enough to inflate, but to be fair those tyres have the same issue on many wheels.

Obviously there's no way to predict how your own tyres will fare, but the 'normal' tyres I tried – some newer GravelKings with their redesigned 'Beadlock' bead and a set of Maxxis Ramblers – all went on and inflated with no issues.

Value

At £499.99 these are psychologically definitely not £500, but even if they were – imagine! – they'd be well priced for alloy wheels of this strength and weight.

The 1,403g Hunt Gravel Race Wheelset is £579, for instance, and Hunt is a direct-to-consumer online brand.

The ever-reliable DT Swiss does its GR1600 Spline wheelset for £539, and while they don't excel in any particular area, our reviewer Matt found 'there isn't much to fault as a package'. They are heavier than these Tokens at 1,775g, though.

The Ryan Builds Wheels Club Gravel Disk Brake Wheelset is also heavier at 1,700g, but they're cheaper (£418, which is far more convincingly not £500), customisable when you order (for no additional cost), and slightly wider at 25mm internally. They're more compliant and less buzzy at speed too, if that's the key for you.

I should point out the G23s are also available with 650B rims and/or QR axles, if you're somehow both quite up to date and yet old fashioned at the same time.

Overall

If you're willing to sacrifice a little comfort for the benefits of low weight, these are a good choice – they weigh the same as some entry-level carbon wheels, but cost far less. And while there are certainly smoother-riding alloy options out there, these still aren't unmanageably stiff, especially if your tyres on the wider side.

Verdict

Light but still rugged alloy wheels at an attractive price, if a little uncompliant over the rough stuff