Scribe Race-D Wide+ wheelset

Tell us what the wheel is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

They are aimed at those wanting a performance alloy wheelset that is suitable for racing. Scribe says that they are an excellent upgrade for those not interested in carbon, which I would agree with as they are very light for an aluminium wheelset (1,448g). Scribe also claims that the Ratchet Drive hubs mean these wheels respond fast, and they are noticeably fast when riding and accelerating from lower speeds. The extra width of the internal rims (21mm) gives you the option to fit wide tyres. Paired with 28mm tyres this wheelset was comfortable to ride, feeling both fast and smooth.

Scribe says: "The Scribe Race Wide+ wheels were designed to be race-ready! Our super wide, yet lightweight design places them amongst carbon alternatives and by using hardened alloys these hoops are robust. The Race-D's are an excellent performance alloy wheelset for those chasing a lightweight edge and with the Wide+ rim design (21mm internal), these wheels offer increased aero benefits, as well as increased comfort due to the increased width. An excellent upgrade for those not interested in carbon.

"At only 1,448g in weight, the Race wheels are exceptionally lightweight and pound-for-pound feature amongst the best performance alloy wheels out there. Partnered with lightning fast Ratchet Drive hubs, these wheels respond FAST, offering unrivalled levels of performance.

"The Wide 21mm internal profile gives you the option to fit wide tyres for increased stability when cornering, and increased speed due to improved rolling resistance - especially when ran as tubeless. With Centre lock disc as standard, you can ride with confidence knowing the stopping power is there when it's needed."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the wheel?

This wheelset is made of hardened, super-lightweight alloy featuring a 27mm deep aluminium rim that is clincher and tubeless-ready. The internal rim width is 21mm making them 2mm wider than the Scribe Race-D wheelset so suited for wider tyres. The external rim width is 25mm.

The front wheel has 21 spokes laced in a 1x pattern on the disc side and radially on the drive side, with 24 on the rear again laced with a 1x pattern on the disc side and 2x on the drive side.

Scribe lists this tech data:

Depth 27mm

Material Hardened, Super-Lightweight Alloy

Type Clincher - Tubeless Ready

Rim Width (external) 25mm

Rim Width (internal) 21mm

Spoke Pattern/Hole Count Front (2:1) 21H, Rear (2:1) 24H

Weight 1,448g

Weight Limit Total combined weight limit is 105kg

My first impressions when unboxing them was that they were built well.

The Ratchet Drive hub system is exclusive to Scribe, featuring a ratchet ring that has a 36t engagement as standard, although ours were fitted with Scribe's new 54t system which engages in 6.7° when you start to pedal. I found the wheels to be noticeably fast when riding and accelerating from lower speeds. Overall, it felt like a fast wheelset and could be mistaken for carbon wheels.

They are very light for an aluminium wheelset, weighing in at just 1,448g which is 31g lighter than the Scribe Race-D wheelset – the previous model with a narrower rim.

The weight of this wheelset places it among carbon alternatives.

There are cheaper aluminium wheelsets available, but the Scribes often come in the lightest even with an increased rim width, and you get lots of added goodies in the box to help convert this wheelset to tubeless, which would be an additional cost to most wheelsets.

Did the wheels stay true? Any issues with spoke tension?

The wheels ran true when they arrived and have stayed true for the duration. No issues with spoke tension.

How easy did you find it to fit tyres?

I opted for a clincher setup and the 28mm Hutchinson Challenger road tyres I fitted went on easily without the need for tyre levers. The whole process was quick and simple.

How did the wheel extras (eg skewers and rim tape) perform?

They arrive with tubeless tape installed, and tubeless valves are provided to easily convert these to a tubeless setup. I rode them as clinchers.

A big positive is that this wheelset comes with a lot of additional items – tubeless tap already installed, tubeless valves, six-bolt adapter (converts Center Lock to six-bolt), lockring for 15mm axles, slim-fit lockring for tight clearances, 10-speed spacer. This is more than you get with most wheelsets.

Tell us how the wheel performed overall when used for its designed purpose

This wheelset had no problems on multiple 100km+ rides, not in the best of riding conditions or road surfaces. They are designed to be race ready and definitely handle and ride well enough to be a performance wheelset, combined with being light.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the wheel

I was immediately impressed with their weight when I unboxed them, and the overall build quality was very good. They felt fast to ride and handled well even in mixed-weather conditions.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the wheel

The freehub dragged a bit but this is anticipated with a ratchet drive hub system with high engagement. The freehub is also very loud, which some people may find a problem.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The Wide+ option is £20 more than the Race-D wheelset, providing you with all the things we previously loved at a lower weight and with the option to run wider tyres.

What sets these Scribe wheels apart from other aluminium disc brake wheels is their low weight, but they have some tough competition against the Prime Baroudeur V2 Disc alloy wheelset which costs £249.99 with a claimed weight of 1,585g, and the Hunt 4 Season Disc wheelset at £359 but weighing 1,593g.

However, these cheaper but slightly heavier alternatives feature a narrower rim, with an internal rim width of 19mm rather than 21mm.

There are cheaper alternatives out there but I'd say this Scribe wheelset is priced competitively for its low weight and wider rim – they could be mistaken for a carbon wheelset – and for all the additional items you get in the box that you would have to buy separately with many other wheelsets.

Use this box to explain your overall score

Overall, the Scribe Race-D Wide+ wheelset features all the things we loved about the Scribe Race-D wheelset – durability, robustness, lightness and speed – while offering an increased rim width, making them a comfortable set when running wider tyres, all while managing to weigh less.