The 7 Best Chinese Carbon Gravel Bike Wheels in 2023

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This article includes the best Chinese carbon gravel bike wheels. You can choose from 650b and 700c wheel sizes.

All wheels in this article come from established and reliable manufacturers, pass extensive testing, and are covered by at least a 2-year warranty. So, you can be confident using them.

Additionally, they cost a fraction of the price of wheels from mainstream brands but meet the same levels of quality (sometimes, they even exceed it).

Continue reading to learn how to choose gravel bike wheels that are worth it and safe to ride, and much more.

Let’s get started!

What Are the Best Chinese Carbon Gravel Bike Wheels?

The best Chinese gravel bike wheels are those that balance stiffness, durability, and weight. The wheels must be covered by a warranty and pass extensive quality testing.

All wheels below come from established Chinese manufacturers who test their products and have satisfied customers worldwide.

Check out the How to choose gravel bike wheels section first if you don’t know where to begin.

Best Budget

Use this ICAN discount code CYCLISTSHUB on www.icancycling.com during checkout to get 5% OFF your purchase. Share this code via email.

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Also available at icancycling.com

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Best Overall

Use this Winspace discount code CYCLISTSHUB10 at winspace.cc or lunwheels.cc during checkout to get 10% OFF your purchase. Share this code via email.

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Also available in 700c size

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Best Premium

Use this Elitewheels discount code CYCLISTSHUB at elite-wheels.com on the checkout page to get 15% OFF your purchase. Share this code via email.

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Skip to the comparison table…

Lún Grapid 650b & 700c (Best Overall)

Although Lún is a relatively young brand, they have had experience with carbon wheel manufacturing for other brands for about a decade (under a different name).

When developing the Grapid series, Lún took everything they learned when producing road and MTB wheels.

Grapid wheels with in-house designed hubs (6803 and 6903 bearings) will be a worthy upgrade to your gravel bike. You can choose from 650b or 700c wheel sizes depending on the terrain you want to ride in.

Both wheelsets come with in-house designed hubs and Sapim CX-Ray spokes. You can choose the freehub type (Shimano, Campagnolo, or SRAM XDR).

The tubeless-ready rims support up to 50mm tires which are suitable even for MTB-like terrain.

Grapid wheels are covered by a 2-years warranty.

ICAN 700c Aero 40 (Best Budget)

If you are looking for budget but quality carbon wheels, you should check out ICAN’s Aero line. Their Aero 40 wheels are popular not only among road cyclists but also among gravel riders.

They come with in-house designed hubs and Sapim CX-Ray spokes like the Grapid’s.

ICAN Aero wheels are available in multiple rim depths (35, 40, 45, 46, 50, and 55mm). Depending on your riding style and preferred terrain, you can choose whatever depth you want.

I recommend deeper wheels for flats and smoother terrain and shallow ones for more hilly and technical terrain.

As the rim width suggests, these wheels are better for narrower tires (25-40mm), and you can use them for road cycling as well.

ICAN Aero wheels are UCI approved and come with a 2-year warranty.

Also available at icancycling.com

Elitewheels DRIVE G (Best Premium)

I tested Elitewheels’ DRIVE road bike wheels, so I was pleased when Elitewheels introduced its DRIVE G series.

They took the best from the road series (like the low weight, spokes patter, rim finish, etc.) and implemented it into the gravel series.

You get excellent stiffness thanks to the clever rim construction, carbon spokes, and in-house designed hubs—all while having featherlight wheels.

Btw. the hubs are double-walled, so they are waterproof, yet easy to clean, and come with NBK ceramic bearings.

Of course, DRIVE G are tubeless-ready, so you can pump tires at lower pressures for increased comfort and grip.

Farsports Ultralight XC Series

Farsports has been developing and manufacturing wheels since 2004. Their Ultralight XC Series line is the best they offer. So, they should catch your attention if you are a racer or a demanding rider.

It’s super lightweight and you can choose a freehub body for Shimano, Campagnolo, or SRAM cassettes.

The in-house designed Farsports hubs are connected to the rims with Sapim CX-Ray spokes. Their popularity ensures availability and easy serviceability almost anywhere.

Overall, Gravel XC Series provide you with high stiffness to transfer all energy you put into pedaling.

They come with a 2-year warranty and if you crash with them, you get a 35% discount on your next wheels.

Elitewheels Gravel SLT35

Elitewheels belongs to the leading Chinese carbon wheels manufacturers. Their line-up also includes these gravel bike wheels.

You can choose from multiple hubs (SLT, DT Swiss 350, DT Swiss 240), decals (black or white), and freehub bodies.

SLT35 come with Sapim CX-Ray spokes, so you won’t experience any issues finding a replacement if you break them. They belong to the most used spokes out there.

Of course, the rims are tubeless-ready, so you can run your tires on lower pressures and improve your comfort and puncture resistance.

Thanks to the higher of these wheels than the Farsports gravel wheels, they are ideal for flats or hilly terrain. They can perfectly maintain your speed and are suitable for steady efforts.

Additionally, they are covered with an extended, 3-year warranty.

Farsports 650b & 700c Gravel Bike Wheelset

If you appreciate customizability and many options to choose from, I can recommend Farsports wheels.

This established Chinese manufacturer produces premium Chinese wheels that meet and often exceed the quality of wheels produced by mainstream brands.

Farsports test their wheels in-house. Their wheels meet ISO 4210 quality standards. However, their wheels can pass even stricter tests.

These wheels are also suitable for heavier riders because their weight limit is 125kg (275lb).

Additionally, you get a 2-year warranty.

YOELEO 700c SAT C35|35 DB PRO CX/GRAVEL WHEELSET (Offset)

YOELEO is one of the most well-known Chinese bicycle brands. They are popular thanks to their UCI-approved road bike wheels. But, they also produce gravel bike wheels.

The difference is that the offset rims are stiffer and more durable than standard rims. This makes them ideal for rougher terrains.

The recommended tire width for these wheels is between 28 and 47mm. Keep in mind that the wheels have a weight limit of 105kg (231lb).

You can choose the hubs (YOELEO 230 SP or DT Swiss 240S) and axles so they will fit your frame.

Also available at yoeleoeurope.com

My Verdict

Before buying a gravel bike wheelset from China, keep in mind that you should always buy it from established and reliable brands.

Unbranded wheels from online marketplaces are not the wisest choice. They may be good but also of poor quality.

All wheelsets in this roundup were extensively tested, are covered by warranty, and are popular among rides worldwide.

To learn, what to be aware of when choosing gravel bike wheels, read the following section.

How to Choose the Best Chinese Carbon Gravel Bike Wheels?

This buyer’s guide explains what features to consider when buying carbon gravel bike wheels.

Wheel Size

Gravel bikes run either 700c or 650b wheels. The 700c wheels have a diameter of 622mm, while the 650b only 584mm. You should choose the wheel size depending on your riding style and the terrain you want to ride in.

700c wheels use narrower tires than 650b wheels. Narrower tires are better for light terrain and paved surfaces. They are faster and can maintain speed more easily.

La Velocita explains that 700c wheels combine the best weight, grip, and rolling resistance ratio. However, due to a larger diameter, they don’t accelerate as fast.

650b wheels use wider high-volume tires. They are suitable for rougher terrain like bumpy roads, rough gravel, mud, single tracks, trails, etc. The knobby tires ensure that you get enough grip and adhesion.

Wider tires run on a lower pressure are perfect for absorbing road vibrations and bumps. This makes your ride more comfortable. They also accelerate faster, but can’t maintain speed as well as 700c tires.

To wrap the wheel size up:
Go for 700c if you prefer combining paved roads with light terrain and you plan to race.
Buy 650b wheels if you enjoy rougher terrain and pushing your gravel bike to its limits.

Rim Width

The general rule is that your tires should always be as wide or wider as the outer rim width. When choosing the rim width, you have to consider your riding style and preferred tire width.

Check out the following table (all credit to Cycling Tips) to get a better idea of tire widths for different terrains.

650b wheel size is usually used only for rough and MTB-like terrain. So, unless you want to push your gravel bike to its limits, you should be ok with 700c wheels.

Source: cyclingtips.com

Clincher vs. Tubular vs. Tubeless

Gravel bikes mostly come with clinchers or tubeless-ready clinchers. Tubulars are more common on road bikes and are not very widespread among gravel riders.

Clincher

Clinchers are the most widespread type of wheels/tires. The tire is supported by an inner tube that can be made of rubber or latex.

This type of wheel is “user-friendly” in terms of maintenance. It is much easier to replace the inner tube or tire with clincher wheels than tubular or tubeless tires.

The downside is that they are more prone to puncture because they won’t allow you to inflate lower pressures (as tubular or tubeless do), and they also may feel slower due to higher overall weight.

NOTE: If the wheels are ‘clincher tubeless-ready,’ you can use them with tubeless tires (read more).

Tubular

Tubular tires are more common in road cycling and not very popular on gravel bikes. The reason is simple – repairability.

When you ride a gravel bike on gravel or rougher terrain, you are more prone to puncture than on smooth tarmac. Tubulars are not exactly the tires you want to repair on the side of the road because they are glued to the wheels.

Tubeless

Tubeless tires (also called clinchers tubeless-ready) are the most modern ones. Tubeless-ready wheels allow you to use a tube-free tire because they use sealant instead of the inner tube.

The main benefit of tubeless tires is their self-repairing feature – the sealant fills out small holes. These tires also allow you to inflate lower pressures, so they are more comfortable and less prone to puncture.

Their downside is that they are more expensive than clincher tires and more difficult to replace.

Rim Depth

Although aerodynamics is not a big deal in gravel cycling as in road cycling, it is still worth considering the rim depth.

It influences the aerodynamics of your wheels. So, if you care about the speed and plan to ride a lot on flats and smooth roads with your gravel, you should consider deeper section wheels.

Based on my research and browsing dozens of carbon gravel bike wheels, they rarely exceed the rim depth of 50mm. Rim depths of up to 35mm are the most popular on gravel bikes.

If you are interested in wheel aerodynamics, make sure to watch the following video where Hambini, a former aerospace engineer, explains why deep-section wheels are more aero.

Hubs

Some Chinese manufacturers develop their own hubs, while some offer you the possibility to choose the hubs from established manufacturers like DT Swiss.

Unfortunately, there are not many tests that compare the performance of in-house designed hubs with those from mainstream brands.

However, some YouTube channels like Hambini are worth subscribing to. Hambini does Chinese wheels reviews from time to time. Based on his testing, in-house hubs by Farsports or Winspace (Lún) are pretty good.

The easiest way to nail this is to check out the specs of your current wheels.

Other Features to Consider

Below, I list other features that are worth considering when buying new carbon wheels.

• Weight limit – do you fit into the weight limit? If not, look for wheels with a higher weight limit to avoid damaging them.
• Cassette compatibility – choose the right freehub body to fit the cassette (Shimano, SRAM, or Campagnolo).
• Rim finish – not every manufacturer allows you to choose the rim finish, but if they do, you can choose the one to fit your bike.
• Delivery time – keep in mind that wheels in which you can customize their components usually take a few weeks to make (and deliver).

Chinese Carbon Gravel Bike Wheels FAQ

This post is regularly updated to provide the most up-to-date product tips. If you find a product that is not up to date, please, contact me.