Cervelo Aspero: 700C Gravel Wheelset

As mentioned in the previous post, I want to try out a proper 700C gravel wheelset equipped with a fast rolling tire. This will be meant for light gravel riding, where the largest volume and width is not necessary. It has to roll relatively well on smooth tarmac, and still be comfortable enough on light gravel trails.

To recap, these are the DT Swiss G 1800 wheels with the WTB Byway tires. Claimed tire width is 40 mm, but the actual width is 37 mm. Let's see how it looks on the Cervelo Aspero.

 

Front 700C gravel wheel installed on the Aspero.

Plenty of clearance at the fork crown area, and also at both sides of the tire.

Rear tire also has lots of clearance with the frame.

As usual, the tightest clearance would be at the chain stay areas. Still a comfortable gap here.

MT900 Ice-Tech disc brake rotors, with 11-42T cassette.

Using the same front single drivetrain, but with a 700C gravel wheelset.

Next step is of course to bring the bike out for a test ride. I found that my usual gravel track has been resurfaced with a new layer of gravel. Let's see how these new tires perform on this surface.

Fresh gravel! Unfortunately, the smooth centre tread does not perform well on loose gravel as there is not enough traction.

The gravel here is really loose and deep. Probably only fat bikes can ride through easily.

Picture of the Aspero with 700C gravel wheels out on the gravel.

With the black gravel wheelset and tires, it looks more like a road bike than a gravel bike.

How does it look? Still got to ride it more to see how it performs.

It is still too early to say how good the 700C gravel wheelset is. As the tire is narrower and smoother than the 650B Venture 47 tires, it is suitable for smoother paths.

My objective for using a 700C gravel wheelset is to use a smoother tire for faster riding on the road, on the way to the light gravel trail. Therefore, it will be important to see if the smooth tread along the centreline of the WTB Byway is useful or not. It should feel like something in between a pure road wheelset and the 650B gravel wheelset.