FSA Gradient i30 Carbon wheelset review

We get the feeling that these wheels are the item that FSA is most proud of in the revamped Gradient range.

• Brand: FSA
• Product: Gradient i30 Carbon Wheelset
• Price: £1,499.99
• From: WindWave
• Tested by: Ross for 4 months

There are plenty of carbon wheels out there that exist to win a scale contest. And that’s fine. The Gradients aren’t overly concerned about scale wars; these are carbon wheels that exist to be ridden hard, in all conditions, on the kind of trails where you’re more than likely to hear a rim ping.

FSA’s Gravity i30 Carbon wheels are a modern-width carbon wheelset built to support modern tyres, track accurately through rough turns, and keep the bike feeling direct when you need it to.

For FSA, as regards carbon rims for mountain bikes, the point isn’t ‘stiff’, it’s ‘consistent’. Whilst carbon rims are certainly less flexy than alloy rims, the better way to think about them is shape retention. Under load – compressions, berms, drops – the rim is part of the tyre’s structure and helps with traction predictability.

What else is useful with FSA’s carbon rims? Impact-oriented layup priorities (aimed at real trail hits, not just lab stiffness). Precise bead seat geometry for reliable tubeless setup. More immediate steering: when you change direction, the wheel responds now, not half a beat later.

A wheelset isn’t just a rim and a hub. The build is what determines whether it stays quiet, straight, and predictable after months of riding. The Gradient i30 wheels have appropriate spoke count for strength and longevity. Quality spokes and nipples (corrosion resistance matters in the UK). Less truing, fewer surprises: a well-built wheelset stays round and stays quiet.

Anyway. What do they ride like on the trail?

The Gradient i30 Carbon is FSA’s hard hitting wheelset, tested on properly demanding tracks and designed to be tough and reliable, but also versatile enough for everything from trail and all mountain, to enduro use. The carbon rims use a hookless design and feature a 30mm internal width making them compatible with all modern tyres. The outside of the rim features raised ‘turret’ sections around the spoke holes and the depth of the rim varies from 24mm to 27mm which has been engineered to improve ride quality.

Each rim is laced with 28 double butted straight pull spokes with brass nipples which are set in a 4mm asymmetric spoke bed for equal spoke tension and increased strength, and are available in 29” and 27.5”. And they are laced to FSA’s own PRS X-900 hubs which feature their ‘Power Ratchet System’ and offer that 5°/72 points of engagement.

The wheels are supplied un-taped from the factory but do include a roll of FSA’s own branded rim tape. Anyone that’s installed rim tape knows that for such a simple job it can also be one of the most frustrating. Thankfully the supplied tape went on fine first time, stuck where it needed to stick, and has remained there since.

The wheels were set up with an e*thirteen Grappler on the front and a Maxxis Minion DHR II EXO+ on the rear. Both tyres went on reasonably easily with just a little tyre lever persuasion and a tyre inflator pump. Since then, they’ve held pressure reasonably well, but have needed topping up fairly regularly. Difficult to say whether this is down to the rim (and my bad taping) or the tyres. 

So what do they ride like..? Well, like a modern day carbon wheel. That is, the overall feel is direct and precise but without any overriding harshness that you can get from some super stiff carbon hoops. Smashing through rocks and chunky roots they hold a good line, without getting pinged around, but also without any vagueness. You can slap turns or rail  berms and there’s no noticeable or unnerving flex. Very much point and shoot but with an air of compliance. 

The 5° degree hub engagement is fairly standard and is fast enough for me. Not the fastest, not the slowest but enough for my general riding and climbing. The hubs spin up well and deliver the power when you need it and combined with the decent weight, they roll well letting you eke the most out of flatter trails. 

Overall

Given that they’ve been designed to cover such a vast array of riding – trail to enduro – the Gradient Carbon i30 wheels tick a lot boxes. Light enough to happily pedal for long distances yet tough enough for when things get rowdy. Which is the sort of riding a lot of us (well, I) do. A few climbs, a bit of flowy singletrack, some fast and rough rocky tracks, with a few handcut loamers and steep ‘enduro’ tracks. The Gradient i30 Carbons are happy on all this and have been subject to some pretty unwise line choices and landings, and bar a few scuffs are still looking great and spinning free and true. Whilst £1.5k for wheels is not a small amount of money, it’s par for the course – if not slightly cheaper – compared to rival brands’ offerings.

Product specification

• New i30 variable height hookless carbon rim
• Asymmetric carbon rim, 24mm depth × 37mm width × 30mm ID
• 22-24mm height rim fro incresed ride quality
• 4mm asymmetric spoke bed for equal spoke tension and incresed strength
• 28h direct pull double butted spokes with brass nipples
• Available in 29″
• Artisan built, entirely by hand
• PRS x-900 hhubs with 72pt engagement
• Freehub: Shimano 12 speed or SRAM XD
• 15 × 110 and 12 × 148 Boost spacing
• ISO 6 bolt rotor mount
• Colour graphics: grey
• Weight: 1,869g per pair (29″) [with tape and valves we weighed them in at 1,900g]