Decathlon's cycling brand Van Rysel launches first carbon wheelsets, starting from €799.99 and suitable for road or gravel riding

Van Rysel has introduced two carbon wheelsets, the VR 35 and VR 50, designed for both road and gravel riding with the hooked rims capable of taking tyres up to 55mm wide. Prices are set at a very competitive €799.99 (~£670) and €899.99 (~£750) respectively, with weights starting at a claimed 1,490g.

2025 Van Rysel VR 50 carbon wheels rim (credit: Van Rysel)

The French brand says the new wheels are "designed with the same precision" as its RCR road race bike, combining both performance and responsiveness. Previously the only other wheels in the Van Rysel range were some basic alloy options, all priced under £100. The VR 35 and VR 50 are its first carbon rims. 

The wheelsets are built for both road and gravel riding, are disc brake only and feature 35mm and 50mm rim profiles. The VR 35 wheels are geared towards climbers, while the VR 50 focuses on aerodynamics.

The rims are tubeless ready and have an internal rim width of 22mm, these wheels support tyre sizes ranging from 25mm up to a generous 55mm. For anyone still with reservations about hookless rims (it's fine if you use the correct tyre widths, promise) there's no need to fret, because these rims are hooked. That means you can use tubeless tyres or standard clinchers with inner tubes. 

> Best road bike wheels

Based on its wind tunnel testing, Van Rysel says the VR 35 and VR 50 offer their best performance when equipped with 28mm tyres to ensure an "optimal balance between aerodynamics, rolling efficiency, and comfort". 

2025 Van Rysel VR 50 carbon wheels rim (credit: Van Rysel)

> The bikes of the men's WorldTour 

WorldTour team Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale currently rides Van Rysel road bikes equipped with SwissSide Hadron2 wheels, but could these new wheels see them transition to a full Van Rysel setup? We haven't seen any evidence of that yet from early 2025 race shots, but we'll be keeping an eye in the coming months. 

Stiffness and weight  

Van Rysel also conducted tests to assess the stiffness of the wheels, claiming both the VR 35 and VR 50 offer a 5% increase in stiffness compared to other models they tested. However, they haven't specified which wheels they were tested against.

Now, let’s look at the weights. The VR 35 wheels are designed with climbing in mind, focusing on low weight and responsiveness. The front wheel weighs a claimed 670g, while the rear is 820g, bringing the total wheelset weight to 1,490g.

2025 Van Rysel VR 50 carbon wheels hub (credit: Van Rysel)

As for the VR 50, this wheelset is said to offer a 16% improvement in aerodynamics compared to the VR 35, coming in slightly heavier at 1,560g for the pair (710g for the front and 850g for the rear).

For comparison, the Velocite Hyperdrive Carbon 50mm Disc Wheelset weighs in at 1,449g on our scales, while the Giant SLR 2 50 Disc Wheelset is heavier at 1,686g. Currently topping our road bike wheels buyer's guide, the Hunt Sub50 Limitless Aero Disc Wheelset is 100g lighter at 1,430g.

Specs, pricing and availability 

2025 Van Rysel VR 50 carbon wheels (credit: Van Rysel)

Here are the full tech specs for the wheelsets according to Van Rysel, which appear to be identical apart from the rim depth: 

12x100/12x142 thru-axle
Rim height: 35mm/50mm
Carbon rim with hooks compatible with tubeless and tubetype tyres
Braking: Disc centerlock
Internal width: 22mm
External width: 30 mm
Hub: DT Swiss DT370 Classic
Cassette body: DT Swiss Ratchet LN: Shimano/Sram

The VR 35 and VR 50 wheels are already available in Europe, following a pattern similar to the Van Rysel RCR road bike and other kit releases, which often launch in Europe first before arriving in the UK. While there's no confirmed UK release date yet, we expect them to be available soon. We've contacted Van Rysel for further details on the UK launch.

In terms of pricing, the VR 35 wheels retail for €799.99, while the VR 50 wheels are priced at €899.99. This converts to approximately £670 and £750, but based on previous Van Rysel releases, it's likely that UK pricing will mirror the euro pricing closely - meaning we could see them listed at £799.99 and £899.99, respectively.

2025 Van Rysel VR 35 carbon wheels (credit: Van Rysel)

To compare again with the similarly-priced wheelsets mentioned above, the Velocite Hyperdrive Carbon 50mm Disc Wheelset is £799 and Giant's SLR 2 50 Disc Wheelset is priced similarly at £899.98. Priced higher is Hunt's Sub50 Limitless Aero Disc Wheelset at £1,479.00.

www.vanryselcycling.com