Alright, so I studied many possible combinations for this new wheelset since it is going to be installed on my new QuickPro ER:One. For me it is absolutely mandatory to use steel spokes: they just make more sense for a wheelset that needs to be reliable and for easier maintenance at home (truing, etc.). I started with the idea of having 24/28 spokes, but the market is overwhelmingly focused on 24/24 or 21/24 for road wheelset. I guess that is enough, my weight is 81 kg, FTP around 280-290W, I do not race, some sprint just for fun but I cannot push more than 1300W anyway.
Overall system weight: 81 kg (me), 8 kg (bike), 3 kg maybe for everything else (water, food, tools, clothing, etc.). Total 92kg, that leaves me a significant margin for any wheel rated to 120 kg max weight. I would not go for 110 kg since I might do some road bikepacking, so the overall system weight might rise to 100-105 kg.
The highest stress that these wheels are going to experience will be potholes and road bumps to limit cars speed; road surface is extremely variable here in northern Italy, it constantly alternates between relativey smooth to terrible, easily comparable with cobbled roads in Belgium (I rode Flanders cyclosportive in 2023 and some cobbled sectors were smoother than some roads at home). Sometimes the road surface becomes full of bumps and potholes while you are riding at 45-55 km\h on a false flat at the end of a descent, but you cannot move to the center of the road (better tarmac) because there's traffic. Those situations are very bad, very dangerous and you absolutely need wheels that can withstand that kind of multiple high energy impact, a situation that sometimes goes on for 30-60 seconds before you can finally move somewhere else on the road. Associate all this with very, very long alpine descents (we are talking 20+ km) where you constantly accelerate to 60-70 km\h and brake to 20 km\h for hairpins.
24/24 or 21/24 steel spokes with deep carbon rims should be enough to withstand this kind of stress, also due to the fact that I run 30/32mm tires (current front tire measures 31mm WAM and rear 33mm WAM) and that deep carbon rims should be strong enough when chosen in a non-ultralight layup.
another important requirement is the rim depth: 55mm minimum since these are going to be used with a QuickPro ER:One, so I want something that is consistent with the aero look of the frame.
keeping all these things in mind, I have narrowed down my options mainly because nowadays most brands only offer carbon spokes (that I don't want). here is my list:
1) Elite Drive SL 58D SS - final price 880€ - depth 58mm - IW 25mm - EW 36mm front / 34mm rear - proprietary Elite hubs - weight 1451g - 60T ratchet - Sapim CX Ray - alloy nipples - 120 kg max weight - 24 2x rear - 21 front with radial lacing on NDS
Pros: quick buy, the brand is now getting some presence in western market (I am talking shops like Mantel, Ridewill, etc.) and western press, so probably easier to sell
Cons: I'd prefer silver hubs and spokes (they match better with the frame that has silver/holographic logo), I'd prefer brass nipples for durability, EW very wide especially in the front (33-34mm WAM tire almost mandatory), semi-matte finish (I'd prefer glossy), 21 spokes in front wheel with radial lacing on NDS does not sound too robust (it is a well accepted theory that radial lacing should not be used in disc brake wheels)
2) Zen Vaporlite II - final price 730€ - depth 60mm - IW 25mm - EW 36mm - ZC261 silver hubs (same as H-Works SR261) - weight 1440g (on-paper approximation, real weight may be different) - 54T ratchet - Silver CX Ray - brass nipples - 120 kg max weight - 24/24 spokes with 2x lacing
Pros: cheaper, silver hubs and spokes, brass nipples, I can get glossy finish, 24/24 spokes with better lacing pattern in my opinion
Cons: much less known brand, no idea about hub quality and reliability, EW 36mm means 33-34mm WAM tire almost mandatory
3) Zen MR55 - final price 780€ - depth 55mm - IW 25mm - EW 31.4mm - ZC261 silver hubs (same as H-Works SR261) - weight 1280g (on-paper approximation, real weight may be different) - 54T ratchet - Silver CX Ray - brass nipples - 130 kg max weight - 24/24 spokes with 2x lacing
Pros: price, silver hubs and spokes, brass nipples, I can get glossy finish, 24/24 spokes with better lacing pattern in my opinion, much lower weight, 130 kg max weight, narrower EW means I can still use 30-31mm WAM tires if I want to do that
Cons: MR rims have moulded spoke holes instead of drilled spoke holes. As far as I understand, this results in less material needed, less rim weight and probably better compaction of carbon layers around the nipple hole. However, I have no idea about the maturity level of this technology (e.g., achieving very good compaction of carbon around the nipple holes).
4) XMCS T1100 wheels - final price 730€ - depth 60mm - IW 24mm - EW 32.9mm - proprietary R280 hubs - weight unknown - 54T ratchet - Sapim CX Ray - alloy nipples - 120kg max weight - 24/24 spokes with 2x lacing
Pros: price, can probably get silver hubs, silver spokes and brass nipples, can get glossy finish, probably the best tradeoff for IW/EW combo among all these wheels, 24/24 spokes with better lacing pattern in my opinion
Cons: no idea about hub quality and durability, weight is about 1265g for 50mm version so 60mm version with brass nipples will probably be around 1400g (heavier than MR55 but not that much)
If XMCS can meet my requirement at 730€ (in terms of silver hubs and spokes, brass nipples), I think that it might be the most reasonable choice. I am very curious about the MR55 rims, but I feel like XMCS is just a more "tried-and-tested" brand/factory at the moment.
You’ve certainly done your homework on this. 😂 I understand your reasoning, particularly because your priorities are quite different from mine.
For comparison, I’m around 78–80kg, so once you include the bike, bottles, tools, clothing etc., my normal system weight is probably close to 90kg. A lot of the lightweight rims I ride have a stated 100kg load limit, so I’ve generally got around a 10kg margin and personally I’ve never been concerned by that. In your case, though, if you’re potentially going to reach 100–105kg system weight when bikepacking, then I completely understand why you’d rather choose a 120–130kg-rated rim and have a considerably larger margin.
My FTP is also a little higher than yours and I can put out decent sprint power, but wheel maintenance isn’t something I’ve ever really based a purchasing decision around. I tend to buy wheels, ride them and deal with maintenance if and when it’s required. 😂
That said, I completely understand your reasoning for wanting steel spokes. If I were building what you’re describing, I’d probably use Sapim CX-Ray if I wanted the best balance between weight and durability. If outright robustness was more important and I wasn’t particularly concerned about weight, something like Pillar 1423 is another option. They’re considerably heavier, but they’re a more substantial spoke.
I also agree that 24/24 is a very sensible configuration for what you’re describing. That doesn’t mean a properly engineered 21/24 wheel is inherently weak, but if you specifically want conventional steel spokes, straightforward servicing and plenty of margin for poor roads and bikepacking, there’s nothing wrong with choosing 24/24 2-cross.
I’ve actually owned quite a few of the types of wheels you’re comparing, so I’m not basing this entirely on specifications.
I’ve had an XM Carbon Speed 50/60mm wheelset, 24mm internal, which weighed approximately 1,190g.
I’ve probably had around six different ZEN wheelsets. Currently I have a ZEN 45/45mm steel-spoke wheelset with Sapim CX-Ray spokes, brass nipples and H-Works hubs at around 1,300g. I also have a ZEN 65/65mm wheelset, 25mm internal / approximately 32.4mm external, using THR hubs and hidden nipples, at approximately 1,250g.
I’ve also got a ZEN VaporLite II 60/60mm on the way. That’s using the ZC-215RC hub, 20/20 spokes, 4mm bladed carbon spokes and hidden nipples, with an estimated weight of approximately 1,090g.
I’ve got three DFS sets as well. One is 60/65mm with 5.1mm carbon spokes and H-Works SR270 hubs. Another is a 55/55mm configuration, and my latest 50/55mm DFS wheelset uses moulded spoke holes, hidden nipples and 20/24 3.2mm carbon spokes. That set weighs approximately 1,038g.
I’ve also got a Serenade 65/65mm wheelset using the Scope-style/fish-scale rim profile, approximately 31.5mm external, 20/20 carbon spokes and weighing around 1,290g.
And I’ve currently got the Tagoola Aura all-road wheels, with a wide 26mm internal / 35mm external rim and 20/20 3.4mm carbon spokes.
So I’ve ridden everything from conventional CX-Ray/brass-nipple builds to very lightweight carbon-spoke wheels, different spoke counts, wide rims, deep rims, hidden nipples and moulded spoke-hole designs.
On your concern about the MR55 moulded spoke holes, personally that wouldn’t worry me. The principle behind moulding the spoke openings is actually quite logical. Instead of manufacturing the rim and then drilling through the cured laminate afterwards, the spoke openings and reinforcement are incorporated into the moulding/layup process. You’re therefore not subsequently drilling through and cutting fibres around the opening.
That doesn’t automatically mean every moulded-hole rim is stronger than every drilled rim — layup design, reinforcement, resin, compaction and manufacturing quality still matter — but I certainly wouldn’t regard moulded spoke holes as an immature or inherently weaker construction method. I’ve now got a 1,038g DFS wheelset using exactly this type of construction myself.
Regarding the VaporLite II and the ZC261/SR261 hub, I wouldn’t personally worry about the hub either. It’s essentially a H-Works hub , and I’ve had numerous H-Works hubs. I currently have around four wheelsets using H-Works hubs and I’ve had very good experiences with them. I’d happily buy them again.
On the rim/tyre width question, I also don’t think you necessarily need to treat a 33–34mm measured tyre as mandatory simply because a rim is wide externally. External rim width doesn’t determine the final tyre width — the tyre casing and internal rim width have much more influence.
As a real example, my latest moulded-hole wheels are 25mm internal. I’ve measured the tyres with calipers: a nominal 30mm tyre comes out at approximately 32mm, while a nominal 32mm rear tyre measures approximately 33mm.
Across my other wheels I run quite a range. I’ve used 28mm tyres with approximately 30mm-wide rims, 30mm tyres with approximately 32mm external rims, and nominal 32mm tyres that generally end up around 33–34mm. I’m currently experimenting with nominal 34mm tyres on the ER:ONE, which measure approximately 36mm. They fit, but that’s getting towards the limit.
That’s actually one reason I think the MR55 at 25mm internal / 31.4mm external is interesting for what you want. It gives you more freedom with tyre sizing than a 36mm external rim if you don’t necessarily want to run a very large tyre.
Looking at your four options, I don’t think there’s a bad wheelset amongst them. I’ve owned XMCS wheels myself and wouldn’t have an issue buying another set. Equally, having owned considerably more ZEN wheelsets, I wouldn’t automatically regard XMCS as more tried and tested from my own experience.
For your requirements, though, the MR55 specification makes quite a compelling case: 55mm depth, 25mm internal / 31.4mm external, 24/24 CX-Ray, 2-cross, brass nipples, silver hubs/spokes, 130kg load rating and around 1,280g estimated weight.
But equally, if XMCS will give you exactly the specification you want for €730 and you’re happier buying that wheelset, there’s nothing wrong with that choice either.
Personally, with the roads and riding you’ve described, I wouldn’t make the decision based on whether one wheelset is 1,280g and another is 1,400g. At your system weight, another 100g or so in the wheels is largely irrelevant compared with getting the rim dimensions, layup, spoke count, nipples, hub and serviceability that you actually want.
In your position, if steel spokes are absolutely non-negotiable, I’d be looking primarily at 24/24, CX-Ray or a heavier-duty steel spoke if required, brass nipples, a 120–130kg-rated non-ultralight rim layup, and whichever rim dimensions best suit the tyres you actually intend to run.
You’ve narrowed it down to sensible options. At this point I think you’re really choosing which combination of compromises suits you best rather than there being one objectively correct wheelset.
