Scouting Ultra Cross / CX wheelsets

Scouting Ultra Cross / CX wheelsets

--Questions: rim-brake or disc? 

--Tubeless? 

--Capacity to handle large tires (even 40mm)?

• Williams 31 wheelset.  Wide rim. Rim brake. 28/32 spoke count costs $589 US (about $767 CAD in 2016)(direct from manufacturer).  Tubeless ready (per email with Keith Williams, President). 1660 grams/pair. 31mm tall (semi-aero), 24mm width is quite wide--likely equates to 21mm internal width.  Lots of impressive sounding claims about the hubs, bearings, spokes.  Compares itself to HED Ardennes.  
• VELOCITY wheels.  
• If one has hubs/spokes, ordering rims is a possibility (A23, Quill, Aerilon).
• Great thing about these wheels is they seem to come with Velocity Race Hubs, which are really nice (often an upgrade on custom builds).  So those hubs could be a deal-maker. 
• A23 Comp or Pro.  Wide 23mm external.  Comp is 1700grams/pr. and $595US.
• Velocity sells rim and disc brake options. All seem to be tubeless ready. 
• The Quill Pro comes in at 1400 grams per wheelset, with a 21.1mm internal width.  Rim brakes, tubeless ready.  $829 US
• The Quill Comp is 1600 grams/pr. with the same specs as the Pro otherwise. 24/28 spokes. $599 US.  At 24.5mm deep, the Quills have an aero profile and are for rim brakes.  $639/US with tubeless kits installed. 
• Tubeless kit (tape and stems) is a solid deal at $33.  
• Might be worth checking Velocity's specials page. 
• American Classic wheelsets.  The TCX tubeless (disc-brakes) is $499US (about $660CAD).  Boasting a massive 22mm internal width (26mm outer), these are wide wheels. In quick release and thru-axle options, for both front and rear (could mix/match as needed). 1900grams/pair. Rear axle comes in 135 and 142 width options. 
• Clement Ushuaia.  This wheel is new and rather untested, and Clement's known for tires, not wheels, but...  Disc-only. 1620gr./pair. Tubeless ready. 23mm internal width!  (26mm outer) and 25mm tall. 28 spokes front and rear. Tubeless valves and rim tape included at $650 US.  Solid review here. 

  

  Clement Ushuaia

Considering all of the wheels above, the Williams 31 and the Quill Comp are quite impressive for rim-braking wheels.  The TCX offers interesting options, if one needed to, say, run a thru-axle up front and a QR in the back, but is otherwise a bit heavy.  The Williams have a taller profile vs. the Quills, and are a tad heavier.  Velocity has, one presumes, more experience: the Quills update A23s.  Velocity has disc-brake options

Although it's possibly worth the effort to scour eBay, getting wheels direct from one of these manufacturers is likely the ticket.

At the cheap end of the spectrum, there's another option: the WTB ST i19 wheelset.  Inner rim width of 19mm (ergo the name).  Disc-brake ready, it's usually sold for 29ers, but can be found with 700c spacing.  E.g. PlanetX is selling the pair for $173US. (about $228 CAD) 1900 grams/set, tubeless ready.  The website brags about the Selcof hubs.  Might be interesting to try in and find WTB ST i23 wheels with road hubs/spacing.

The main factor to consider: going to disc-brakes.  It's just hard to get adequate braking with canti brakes.  When I compare the disc-braking on my mtb to the canti-braking on my CX bike, there's really no comparison.  So it's quite likely that when I make the big wheel purchase, it will be simultaneous with the changeover to disc brakes.