ELITEWHEELS Drive G42 carbon gravel wheelset

The Drive G42 answers gravel's call for wider tyres and wider rims. The 42 mm deep carbon rim measures 28 mm in internal width and takes 40 to 60 mm tyres. It is aimed at long-haul gravel on wide tyres, at 1,380 g a pair.

The internal channel decides the tyre's shape. On a narrow rim, the beads sit close together and the inflated tyre takes on a light-bulb shape, with poorly supported sidewalls. At 28 mm between the walls, the beads spread apart. The sidewall rises straighter and supports the tread better in corners. The hook then holds the bead at low pressure, which keeps the tyre from coming off the rim when the riding gets rougher.

The gain is counted in air. With a roughly round cross-section, a tyre's volume grows with the square of its width. A 50 mm tyre therefore holds about 60% more air than a 40 mm. That volume lets you run lower pressure without bottoming out, and the wide rim keeps the tyre stable. The wheel only fits 12 × 100 and 12 × 142 mm thru-axles. On the road, the brand asks for at least a 32 mm tyre.

On its 2:1 lacing, Elitewheels keeps the tension difference between the two sides of the hub under 7 kgf. MAAKE offers it to cover wide-tyre gravel with a single wheelset.