Scribe Élan Wide+ 42-D wheelset

Scribe's Élan Wide+ 42-D Carbon Spoke wheels are proper all-rounders that bring a bit of aero assistance to a beautiful balance of stiffness and lack of weight. At sub-1,400g these things fly, whether your bike is pointing up or down hill, but the key thing for me – apart from the great price – is that durability for such a light set of wheels doesn't look to have been compromised.

Scribe says the Élans were designed to offer the pinnacle in performance, and while there are some great wheelsets out there, as a package these are very impressive.

> Buy these online here

So, what have we got?

They are based around a 42mm-deep unidirectional (UD) Toray T700/T800 carbon fibre rim with a U-shaped profile. This has an external width of 30mm, 21mm internal, which means the wheels work well with wider road tyres without sacrificing compatibility with thinner 25mm rubber.

The rims are drilled with 21 holes on the front and 24 on the rear to accept lightweight UD carbon fibre spokes, and use a ramped bed design to aid the fitment of both tubeless and clincher tyres. I used both 25mm and 28mm tyres, one pair tubeless and one tubed, and found both easy to fit and remove.

Those carbon spokes join the rims to the aluminium alloy hubs, which are available to suit all axle styles, quick release and thru-axle, and are compatible with Center Lock disc rotors, although a six-bolt adaptor is available.

There are two bearing options, a choice of Endurance as standard, which can cope with a mixture of weather, or Race, which roll faster but don't have the durability for a lot of wet riding.

Freehub-wise, all road groups are catered for which is good to see, so whether you are using Shimano (HG & HG+) or SRAM (PG) 8 to 12-speed cassettes, Campagnolo or SRAM XDR, you'll be able to use a set of Élans on your bike.

Tubeless rim tape is included, as are the tubeless valves.

What this all means out on the road is that you are never left wanting. Acceleration is phenomenal, whether from a standing start or when rolling. A kick on the pedals and these Élans just surge forward, and their lack of weight means they are barely affected by rolling terrain. Hit a little rise, give a little dig on the cranks, and you are up and over it.

Scribe's patented Ratchet Drive hub has an instantaneous engagement which gives no slack whatsoever. If you like a subtle sound to your freewheeling activities, though, you might not be a fan as it's a little on the buzzy side.

As wheels shed weight, they can also start to shed lateral stiffness. I'm not the lightest rider around and can put out a decent amount of power so flex can be an issue, but I had no problems here. Even out-of-the-saddle efforts, really cranking the bike over form side to side, couldn't get the rims bending to a degree that is noticeable.

On the flat I did notice a little aero nudge. It's not as pronounced as a set of wheels with rims over 50mm deep, where you feel the benefits really start to take effect at just over 20mph, but it's enough to give you a bit of a boost on the straight sections, downhill, and to take full advantage of a tailwind.

One thing dropping the grams does bring, though, is a lower rider/bike/luggage weight limit than most, just 105kg. That may or may not be a major factor for you.

If you're spending over a grand on a set of wheels, you want to know they'll last, that you won't have to worry too much about hitting a pothole or rough section of road and damaging your investment.

Happily, I can put your worries at ease. I took these rattling through broken tarmac at speed, even bunny hopping over deep holes and hammering down a local hardpack byway that's more used to seeing mountain bikes and horses. None of which had any impact on them; they were true out of the box and that's how they've remained.

Scribe backs this up with a three-year warranty against material or workmanship defects, and will also provide replacement bearings for any of its carbon wheels during that warranty period.

If your carbon wheels are damaged in a crash, Scribe also offers a lifetime crash replacement policy for the original owner. Should the worst happen, Scribe will either pay for your local mechanic to carry out the work, or repair them itself with the postage being the only costs you are eligible for.

I was very impressed overall. While I'm hardly going to be putting them on my gravel bike, if they were mine I wouldn't be panicking if I found myself riding on a road that Rod Stewart would feel compelled to dust off his shovel for.

The wheels also feel like they'll spin forever on the bearings, whizzing around with no resistance at all. Even after plenty of winter riding there haven't been any issues here.

Value

And what is also impressive is that Scribe can deliver all of this for £1,190. Okay, not cheap, but still a bargain compared with some: we tested the 35mm-deep version of the DT Swiss ERC 1400 Dicut wheelset, but a 45mm rim is also available. They are light at below 1,500g and they also come with a ratchet style freehub, DT Swiss's 240. They don't have carbon spokes, though, if that's a deal breaker, and they cost £1,869.98.

Hunt offers some decent rivals, such as its 44 UD Carbon Spoke wheels. They are roughly the same weight as the Scribes and a few quid more at £1,199.

> Buyer’s Guide: 58 of the best road bike and gravel bike wheels

Black Inc's Forty Five is a good set of multi-purpose road wheels according to Liam. They are a bit heavier at 1,580g, though – and they cost a cool £2,200. 

Conclusion

Overall, there is very little to find fault with here. Scribe has used top notch components to create a performance package that delivers right across the board without any compromises.

Verdict

Quick on the climbs and the flat, superlight wheels that excel regardless of what you ask of them