Home > Bike Types > Cyclocross

Boyd Cycling Debuts Vitesse Road Wheelset – Wide-Rimmed Budget Performer

Boyd Cycling Vitesse road bike wheelset
9 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

Boyd Cycling Vitesse road bike wheelset

Boyd Cycling’s new Vitesse wheel set comes with a with a 23mm wide, 28mm deep alloy rim of their own design and pulls as little as $550 from your play money.

Boyd Johnson has been building wheels since September 2009, but this is his first set with a rim of his own design. The benefits are the width and depth combined on an affordable wheelset. The pair, which weighs in at just 1,480g (claimed) for the 20/24 spoke count set, retails for only $550. There’s also 24/28 spoked set for $570.

The rim has a slightly rounded aero profile and, like virtually all of their wheels they feature Sapim X-ray aero spokes, Enduro sealed bearings and brass self-locking nipples. They’re handbuilt in the USA.

Boyd Cycling Vitesse road bike wheelset

Boyd says the Sapim spokes have one of the highest fatigue strengths on the market, making these a great training or cyclocross wheelset. The wide rim should spread a ‘cross tire out nicely, too.

Boyd Cycling Vitesse road bike wheelset

The minimal front hub has bearings pushed all the way to the outside edge to maximize axle stiffness.

Boyd Cycling Vitesse road bike wheelset

Boyd started out offering frames and wheels, but the wheel building business quickly drowned out the bikes. Yes, you can find these same hubs on other branded wheels, but our experience has shown creating a perfect set of hoops is as much art as it is science.

In the future, Boyd’s working on translating this rim design and some new deep aero ones into carbon wheels of his own molds. In the meantime, he offers a wide range of carbon rimmed sets priced from $875 to $1000 for tubulars and $1050 to $1150 for clinchers.

He’s also working on a disc brake carbon tubular for next ‘cross season as well as disc brake alloy tubies and clinchers. For TT, triathlon and track, they should have a full disc rear wheel available in May.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

9 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Darwin
Darwin
12 years ago

Umm, yeah. $550 is hardly a budget rim.

WV Cycling
WV Cycling
12 years ago

These are kinda neat, but when are we going to see some dangerously light clinchers that will compete with the American Classic Mag Clinchers?

Meta
Meta
12 years ago

@WVCycling It wont happen, at least for very reliable stiff rims. Carbon rims evolution is accelerating much faster. Especially with hydro brakes coming to road bikes. You’ll see clincher carbon rims at 1100-1200g within two years. Price for complete wheels $600-and up.

HA
HA
12 years ago

Not likely… how much weight do you really suppose you can remove from already light carbon rims and still maintain proper stiffness – even without a brake track? And then you’re going to add weight to the hubs anyway, for the disc mounts. And when has making things lighter in the bike industry, ever made them cheaper?

WV Cycling
WV Cycling
12 years ago

@Meta – Concurred, but only while sadly kicking a can down the street

P.S. Flit Wheels put out a slick pair of weight weenie clinchers that (mine) were 1285g for $500-some.

Louis
Louis
12 years ago

Pretty nice, but the price could be a tad lower. $450 would be a sweet spot for me. Anything over $500 and I’ll consider the HED C2 rims.

Shorts
Shorts
12 years ago

Well, they are $500 though the end of Feb then go up to the listed price above.

ZIMA
ZIMA
12 years ago

Good ! I wish more rims will come designed by Boyd.
By the way , this rim need not rim tape ?

chmago31
chmago31
11 years ago

Boyd told me the Vitesse rims ARE the Velocity A23 rims. I had trouble with an original 24 spoke Rouleur rear wheel. I weigh 225lbs and was told they would be rock solid. Two broken spokes later after 3 months of riding, I decided to sell them. Boyd told me this spoke breakage was extremely rare. Not long after this they came out with the 28 spoke (rear wheel) option for heavier riders. I should have known better than to believe the low spoke Sapim spoke hype. I would have bought another of the higher spoke count wheelset from Boyd, but was only offered free shipping. Decided to pass as it was a lot of $$$ for the wheels w/other options and long term service available.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.