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28 Carbon Wheel Makers For Gravel & Mountain Biking

If you are looking to improve the performance of your bike, the easiest place to start is with the wheels. Chances are if you're thinking about upgrading your wheelset you probably are considering carbon.

28 Carbon Wheel Makers For Gravel & Mountain Biking

There's no doubt that carbon wheels are lushโ€”they are strong, stiff, light and rad. However, carbon wheels are not the cheapest option and buying a set of aftermarket carbon wheels can feel a bit intimidating. And that is why we felt compelled to put this list togetherโ€”not to be a comprehensive list of carbon wheel manufacturers but to be a start point for you on your decision making process. In this list we tried to include a solid range of makers and producers from all over the world. Some are huge mega-corps and some are smaller makers hand-laying fiber in-house. We won't tell you what to buy, but we will always favor the small, local makers.

The BGDB Team โœŠ

1. Bontrager ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ
2. Boyd ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ
3. Cantu ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ
4. Cenos ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡น
5. Chris King ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ
6. Crank Brothers ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ
7. Curve Cycling ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ
8. Duke ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท
9. DT Swiss ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญ
10. Easton Cycling ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ
11. ENVE ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ
12. Forge + Bond ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ
13. HED ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ
14. Hunt ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง
15. Industry 9 ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ
16. Knight Composites ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ
17. Light Bicycle ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ
18. Mavic ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท
19. NOBL ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ
20. Race Face ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ
21. Reserve Wheels ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ
22. Rolf Prima ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ
23. Scribe Cycling ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช
24. Syncros ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ โ†’ ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ
25. We Are One Composites ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ
26. Wheel Science ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ
27. Whisky Parts Co. ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ
28. WTB ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

1. Bontrager ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

Since 1995, Bontrager has been a sub brand of Trek that produces pretty much any biking product you could imagine. They have a full line-up of pretty much any carbon wheelset you would ever need from road, to gravel and mtb. The sheer size of Trek / Brontrager pretty much guarantees that you will be able to easily find these wheels at affordable prices and with a solid warranty.

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2. Boyd ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

Since 2009, Boyd Cycling has been handbuilding wheelsets in Greenville, South Carolina. Boyd offers a full-range and for you off-roaders they specialize in gravel, CX and MTB. Boyd wheels are quality kit for very fair prices. Good for the trail and on the bank account. What's not to love?

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3. Cantu ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

From Texas, Cantu is a family-run business that specializes in custom wheels, components and apparel. Cantu wheels are pretty slick with a full range of gravel, CX and MTB sets. You can even customize the color of the Cantu logo to match your setup. We like it.

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4. Cenos ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡น

From Vilnius, Lithuania, Cenos is a team of riders who also happen to build custom carbon wheels. Cenos uses Japanese Toray carbon and the highest quality resins throughout their manufacturing and also have a full range of road, gravel and off-road sets. They also offer a 30 day free trial and free shipping. Sounds like a sweet deal to us.

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5. Chris King ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

Admittedly, starting this list we didn't know that Chris King made wheels! It turns out they started producing high-end carbon wheels only this year and you just know they're awesome. Having a set of Chris King wheels and hubs would be a dream. This is a no brainer.

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6. Crank Brothers ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

Since 1997, Crank Brothers (founded by Carl Winefordner and Frank Hermansen... Carl + Frank = Crank) has been cranking out awesome tools, pedals and components. They also offer a solid range of carbon wheels for every mountain discipline out there. Woof.

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7. Curve Cycling ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ

Curve offers something they call their Dirt Hoops that come pre-built or as a rim for you to get your spoke on. The wheels come in 29โ€ or 27.5 in the wide 35 or a โ€œwiderโ€ 40. These are lush.

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8. Duke ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท

Since 2009, Duke has been building custom XC, trail, enduro and gravel wheels from its headquarters in Western France. Alongside the wheelsets Duke also manufactures some serious lightweight hubs to match. Love it.

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9. DT Swiss ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญ

Founded in 1994 in Biel, Switzerland, DT Swiss is one of the global top dogs in the carbon wheel game. Apart from wheels they also manufacture solid forks, dropper posts and shocks. DT Swiss offers a full range of carbon XC, gravel and MTB wheelsets at pretty much every price point you can imagine. Get some. ๐Ÿ“ท: @kandie_gang

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10. Easton Cycling ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

Currently owned by Fox Factory, Easton Cycling has a solid line-up of gravel and off-road carbon sweeties for decent prices. We currently run a set of EC90 AX's on our gravel bike and couldn't be happier. These are slick wheels. ๐Ÿ“ธ: @photowil

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11. ENVE ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

ENVE's name isn't an exaggeration. If there is anything to make you covet your neighbor's bike it's a set of wheels from ENVE. ENVE has a wide range of wheels for anything you want to do in the dirt. If you want the best, these are damn near the best you'll get.

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12. Forge + Bond ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

Based in Utah, Forge + Bond is dedicated to innovation and environmental responsibility. They manufacture carbon wheels for bikes using their proprietary material, FUSIONFIBERยฎ, which is able to be upcycled into new components. Despite being a newer player in the industry, they offer a full lineup of durable mountain and gravel wheels. Love this.

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13. HED ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

HED has been one of the best names in wheel innovation since the late 80s. HED may have their roots on the road and in triathlon but nowadays they offer a solid lineup of gravel and fatbike wheels. HED always has been and will always be one of the OGs of cool wheels. ๐Ÿ“ท: @ventumracing

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14. Hunt ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง

Since 2015, Hunt has been creating some lovely wheels from the UK. In 2020, they opened a US operation in Boulder, CO. Hunt has a set of wheels for pretty much anything you want to do including road, CX and MTB. They are the only company on this list that mentions bikepacking specific wheels and they specialize in Dynamo hubs too. A lot to love here.

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15. Industry 9 ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

This is what you've been looking for. Industry 9 is without a doubt one of the coolest brands out there and what they are doing blows us away. Their hubs have a sound you won't soon forget and some of the build / spoke color combos we see coming out of I9 make us drool all over our phones. Put these very high on your list.

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16. Knight Composites ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

Knight Composites from Boulder, CO, have a proprietary manufacturing system they call FusionFiber which apparently builds custom wheels stronger and with zero emissions. They have a range of options in sizes and width depending on your style of riding and also come with solid hub choices like DT Swiss, Industry 9 and Chris King.

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17. Light Bicycle ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ

Light Bicycle is a bit different from all the other companies on this list. Light Bicycle is headquartered here on Vancouver Island but they also have their own factory in China. Because they own the factory their process for creating and prototyping new wheels is vastly different. Light Bicycle believes in transparency and innovation and we likey.

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18. Mavic ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท

Only in Europe can you find a cycling company with the history of Mavic. Since the early 1900s Mavic has been one of the world's premier bike components and apparel manufacturers. They offer a full range of carbon wheels for any serious rider. Legit.

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19. NOBL ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ

By poking around this site, you may notice that we are fans of NOBL from Courtenay, Vancouver Island. Not only do NOBL have a wide range of carbon wheels for pretty much any two-wheel endeavor, they are also some of the nicest people we have dealt with in the cycling industry. NOBL are gold standard.

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20. Race Face ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ

Born and raised in the mountains of Vancouver's North Shore, Race Face is one of Canada's premier MTB stories. They are now owned by Fox Factory also but continue to put out solid wheels, components and apparel. They only offer one carbon wheelset called the Next SL but you can guarantee they are lush and ready to ride. ๐Ÿ“ธ: @davetrumporephoto

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21. Reserve Wheels ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

A subsidiary of Santa Cruz Bikes, Reserve makes some of the best engineered wheels and valves on the planet. With a decent range of road, mountain and gravel wheelsets, Reserve has everything you need to get rolling at a performance level. These are classy.

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22. Rolf Prima ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

Rolf Prima from Eugene, OR is an independent manufacturer that has been creating composite wheels and components for all disciplines of cycling since the late 90s. Rolf Prima uses a wheel build technique that pairs up spokes to make for a super clean, sharp and fast look. These are rad. ๐Ÿ“ธ @talesontyres

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23. Scribe Cycling ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช

From Belfast, Ireland, Scribe cycling was originally a triathlon and road focused company that now produces gravel rims and wheels. Their gravel carbon series comes in a variety of widths for 700c and 650b wheels. Personally, I appreciate the subtle logo on the wheels and always stop to take a gander when I find them in photos. Nice stuff.

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24. Syncros ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ โ†’ ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

Syncros started in 1986 as a niche gravity components company in Vancouver, British Columbia. Since then, the brand was acquired by GT, then Ritchey in 2003 and finally Scott Sports in 2012. Their flagship carbon wheel named the Silverton is a 29โ€ dream with carbon spokes and an integrated composite hub. What?! Wowza. Serious riders only.

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25. We Are One Composites ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ

From Kamloops, British Columbia, We Are One are among the top dogs of carbon MTB wheels. Over the past few years, We Are One has been branching into other composite components and even released a stellar full-suspension bike called the Arrival. All of We Are One's wheels are hand laid and built right here in B.C. It doesn't get any better than this.

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26. Wheel Science ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ

Since 2013, Wheel Science has been building some high-end composite wheels for road, time trial, gravel and mtb from Brisbane, Australia. For off-roaders they offer three distinct product lines called Cloud, Explorer and Adrenaline each intended for various levels of chonk. Wheel Science also offers their own brand hubs to build your new wheels around. Get some.

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27. Whisky Parts Co. ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

We aren't sure there is a radder company in the composite components game than Whisky. Their carbon wheel offering is super comprehensive with 5 models covering 700c/29โ€ and 650b/27.5โ€. All Whisky wheels are laced in Minnesota and we have a huge crush on them and their products. If you get a set of Whisky wheels, You will be very happy.

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28. WTB ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

For over 40 years, Wilderness Trail Bikes has been making pretty much everything a bike needs minus the frame. They currently offer two composite wheelsets that will get going off-road pretty much anywhere.

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