WTB Launch New Carbon Wheels

WTB have just announced the release of their new CZR carbon wheels. Available for both mountain and gravel, the wheelsets should be available in Europe late next month. The release includes CZR i23 gravel wheels, and CZR i30 mountain bike wheels. The i23 gravel wheels are available in 24-hole or 28-hole spoke configurations. Front wheels start at 620g and rear wheels at 775g. The i30 mountain bike wheels are 28-hole with front wheels weighing in at 878g and rear wheels starting at 1026g.

The current EU/UK prices are €655/£600 for front wheels, and €740/£650 for rear wheels. The wheels are offered with WTB’s ‘Ride with Confidence Guarantee’ so as long as you’re the original owner (and were the one riding) they will replace them for free if you break them.

Here’s what WTB say about the new wheels:

CZR i23 Gravel Wheels

CZR i23 wheels are designed to minimize weight while blending stiffness and compliance to maximize power transfer and increase comfort. Carbon thickness was fine-tuned throughout the CZR i23 rim to reduce weight, improve vertical compliance and reduce rider fatigue.

Additional carbon thickness around each spoke bed improves overall wheel strength and durability. It also minimizes weight in areas where less strength, and therefore material, is needed. CZR i23 rims feature a 24mm section depth to improve radial stiffness and maximize energy transfer without being affected by crosswinds like other wheels with deeper profiles.

All CZR i23 gravel wheels are built with winged Pillar racing spokes. They are cold forged into an aerodynamic shape to reduce drag at the trailing end of each spoke. As a result, winged spokes improve overall efficiency while still retaining the gram-conscious weights of traditional bladed spokes. CZR i23 wheels are available in 24-hole or 28-hole spoke configurations. Front wheels start at 620g and rears at 775g. All weights include TCS tubeless tape, Solid Strip and valve.

WTB

CZR i30 MTB Wheels

Carbon wheelsets are getting lighter by the day and there are plenty of ultralight mountain wheels out there to test those limits. CZR i30 wheels weren’t designed to be the lightest, they were designed to handle it all. This is why they feature a strategically fortified carbon layup, reinforced spoke beds. They are hand-built using double-butted spokes, brass nipples and our high-engagement Frequency hubs that use top-tier bearings and oversized freehub seals to establish themselves as wheels that simply won’t quit.

WTB CZR Carbon Wheels

While CZR i23 and CZR i30 wheels have different intended uses, they share some features that improve performance and durability. They both utilize WTB’s unique Solid Strip, which is a durable nylon strip between the rim and tubeless tape. This helps to prevent tubeless tape from pushing into the spoke holes and ensures a smooth interface between the tire and rim.

The smooth surface makes it easier to mount a tire by preventing air from escaping around the bead at each indent during inflation. Solid Strip also protects the airtight system from puncture in the case of a broken spoke. TCS tubeless dependability, asymmetrical rim offset, and Solid Strip all do their part in producing the most reliable carbon wheels on the market. 

CZR i23 and CZR i30

The rims are paired to our high-quality Frequency hubs. These are designed in-house to further improve the performance and dependability of our complete CZR wheels. Frequency hubs feature a low-drag, 6-pawl design that alternates contact between two sets of 3-pawl groupings to provide a responsive 5 degrees of freehub engagement. Designing a lightweight hub that provides quick engagement and spins away with a pleasing sound is relatively easy, but ensuring it survives through countless seasons of adverse conditions is the real challenge. Two years of testing and development through sloppy Pacific Northwest winters and dry California summers allowed us to fine-tune the design with oversized freehub seals that drastically improve weatherproofing.

CZR i23 and CZR i30 wheels are assembled with hub pawl springs of different strengths to tailor them towards gravel and mountain uses. Frequency hubs laced to CZR i23 wheels feature lightweight pawl springs that minimize drag. This improves efficiency for drop bar usage. CZR i30 wheels feature heavy-duty pawl springs that engage with greater force to counteract the additional torque of intermittent and steep mountain riding. Both spring options are compatible across all Frequency hubs. Light Pawl-Spring kits are available at WTB.com for CZR i30 riders who prefer a quieter hub with lighter pawl engagement.

WTB

For more, head to the WTB website.

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