Zipp 101 XPLR carbon gravel wheelset: less rattle, more miles in the legs
Long gravel days don't usually end because your fitness ran out. They end because your hands are numb, your shoulders ache, and every rock and rut has been hammering up through the bike for hours. That constant buzz is what wears you down. The Zipp 101 XPLR is built to take the edge off it, so you finish a big ride with something left rather than counting down the miles home.
This is Zipp's first wheelset made specifically for gravel, and the clever bit is the single-wall rim built on their MOTO Technology.
It's designed to flex and damp vibration where a stiffer rim would just pass every jolt straight to you. On rough, primitive roads, especially with wide tubeless tyres run at lower pressures, that turns a harsh, teeth-rattling ride into something far smoother.
Less fatigue means you can ride longer and hold a better pace when it counts.
Grip and confidence on rough ground
The 27mm wide internal rim profile lets you run big tyres at low pressure without the usual worry. You get more traction through loose, rocky corners, a smoother ride over broken surfaces, and a much lower chance of pinch-flatting when you clatter through a rut you didn't see coming.
On unpredictable British bridleways and byways, that steadiness is reassuring, you can commit to a line instead of tiptoeing round every obstacle.
The ZR1 hubset backs that up with a better seal design, so grit and winter slop stay out and the bearings last. With 66 points of engagement, the freehub picks up quickly when you stamp on the pedals out of a slow corner or a steep pinch, so there's no dead spot where you're waiting for the drive to catch.
Built to be lived with
Tubeless setup is designed to be straightforward rather than a garage-floor battle, which anyone who's fought a stubborn tyre will appreciate.
The hookless carbon rims are tubeless-only and disc-specific with Center Lock fitting, and Zipp back the wheelset with a lifetime warranty, so it's built for years of hard use, not one good season.
Who they suit
These make sense for gravel riders chasing adventure, long audax-style days or gravel racing, anyone who wants comfort and control over harsh terrain rather than the lightest possible race wheel.
If you've been looking at a carbon gravel wheelset for sale and want 700c gravel wheels that quietly make big rides more bearable, the Zipp 101 XPLR tubeless gravel wheelset is available in the UK now.
Features
- All-day comfort and a compliant ride
- 27mm wide internal profile
- Reduced chance of pinch-flatting
- More traction in rough corners
- Smoother ride in rocky terrain
- Ability to run lower tyre pressures
- Less fatigue, so you can ride longer and faster
- Frustration-free tyre installation
- ZR1 hubset with better seal design for durability and quick response, 66 points of engagement
- Lifetime warranty
Specifications
- Size: 700c, 12x100mm front, 12x142mm rear
- Freehub: SRAM/Shimano HG Road
- Rim construction: carbon, hookless
- Tyre compatibility: tubeless tyres only
- Brake compatibility: disc (Center Lock)
- Rim inside width: 27mm
- Rim profile: asymmetrical
- Rim finish: NCF carbon, adhesive decals
- Nipple material: aluminium
- Nipple anti-rotation: Sapim Secure-Loc
- Spoke type: CX-Sprint
- Spoke count: 28
- Hubs: ZR1 disc brake
- Driver mechanism: 6 pawls leaf spring, 66 POE
- Driver body material: aluminium
- Max tyre pressure: 73psi
- Max recommended rider weight: 250lbs