Scribe 365 Disc wheelset

At just under £300 the Scribe 365 Disc is a budget-friendly set of wheels, but unlike many at this price they aren't carrying a lot of weight, and as testament to Scribe's in-house wheelbuilders, they exude durability and excellent overall quality.

> Buy now: Scribe 365 Disc wheelset for £299 from Scribe Cycling

The 365s are robust enough for a tough winter and taking on all kinds of road conditions year-round, making them ideal if you want an alternative to expensive carbon wheels through the off-season, or you want to replace the original wheels that came on your bike with something reliable, budget friendly and probably lighter for year-round use.

The first thing I noticed in the spec list, hinting at their durability, is that they come with brass nipples.

Back in my commuting days, I'd buy wheels at this sort of price point, as I was riding 35 miles a day in all weathers, using rim brakes, so as you can imagine I would get through a set of rims quite quickly. Many of them didn't even get to that point, though, as the aluminium alloy nipples that many of them came with would corrode and crack. When it came to replacing them, they'd often be fused to the rim because of that corrosion, so I soon learnt to either buy wheels with brass nipples or go down the handbuilt route.

The review period for the 365 Discs kicked off around the beginning of December and was pretty much a washout for the first half, changing to freezing temperatures, a bit of snow and a lot of salt on the roads since the new year, and the Scribes have stood up well.

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Scribe builds its wheels in its Belfast HQ, and they arrived perfectly tensioned, running straight and true. And so they remained. You also get peace of mind with Scribe's three-year warranty.

Using 24 of Sapim's D-Light spokes on both the front and rear, with Sapim's brass nipples, the whole build felt strong and stiff, with no noticeable flex laterally when sprinting hard out of the saddle.

The Scribe-branded hubs use a six-pawl system for engagement, which gives a quick lock-in when accelerating or pulling away from a standing start, and even after all of that poor weather the bearings were still running smoothly and quietly.

Both Shimano (HG and HG+) and SRAM's PG-compatible cassettes are catered for, as are SRAM's XDR standard from the drop-down menu on Scribe's website. Campagnolo-compatible freehubs can also be supplied if you get in contact.

All axle diameters are covered, 15mm, 12mm and quick release on the front wheel, with the rear being offered in quick release or 12 x 142mm.

The rims are made from 6061-T6 aluminium alloy which is commonly used in the cycling industry, and are 21mm in depth. Width-wise you are looking at 26mm externally, and their 21mm internal width makes them suitable for your typical road and allroad tyres up to 35mm without causing a lightbulb effect to the tyre shape.

The rims are hooked, so you can use any type of tyre whether tubeless or clincher style, and some 25mm and 30mm tyres fitted absolutely fine with no problems at all. I used an air tank to blast the bead into place, and once popped on they sealed tightly.

A weight limit of 130kg is generous, and as a set tipped our road.cc scales at 1,654g including rim tapes (so lop about 40g off that) they aren't overly heavy, and certainly don't feel it when you are accelerating or climbing.

Value

At a quid under £300, the 365s offer great value for money when you take everything into account.

For instance, Mavic's Aksium Discs are found on a lot of bikes that we review, and while I've always found them to be tough and have a good ride quality, they are heavy at over 1,900g a set. They are also narrow for modern road wheels, at 17mm internally. A pair of Aksiums will cost you £315 at their retail price.

If you want something a little wider (19mm) and lighter from the French brand, you could go for the Ksyrium 30 Discs which have a 30mm-deep aluminium rim. They'll cost you £400, though.

The Miche Syntium Aero wheels are deeper at 29mm but similarly narrow, and weighed in at 1,720g on our scales. Matt wasn't overly impressed when he reviewed them, and described their £429 price tag as 'stuck in no man's land'.

Sonder's Alpha 700C wheelset has similar dimensions but comes with 28 spokes front and rear. It has an RRP of £329.99 and is designed for a range of riding terrains with a focus on durability. I've found the two sets I've used to be decent performers, but they are on the weighty side at 2,019g.

Conclusion

Overall, I can't find anything to really criticise the 365s for. They're a solid, reliable set of wheels that are competitive on weight and above all else – price!

> Buy now: Scribe 365 Disc wheelset for £299 from Scribe Cycling

Verdict

Robust and durable wheelset for very little money