When I look for a pair of wheels, I want something that will setup tubeless easily, be pretty light for the intended use, with easy to service hubs and spokes/nipples, a fast engagement in the freehub, with easy changes for different axle configurations. Why all those things? That’s easy – you end up with a wheel you don’t even think about. You end up just riding your bike.
The SRAM Roam series
fits between the crosscountry oriented Rise and gravity oriented Rail. The Roam
30 and 40 are new for 2015, sitting below the 50 and 60.
I rode these wheels on
the Whyte T 130, and so when getting the bike ready I experienced how easily
they sealed up tubeless, being a UST rim. No worries there, with some FRM
sealant.
SRAM have designed
their own hubs for the Roam 30 and 40, and done a great job of it. I love fast
engagement, and the 40’s have 52 engagement points. That’s pretty snappy. The
hubs are designed to the use the same spoke length front and back, and each
side. The nipples are regular external ones so maintenance is easy, as is
stocking spares. The seals on the hubs didn’t need touching the whole test, but
SRAM have managed to combine stronger outer seals with lower friction inner
seals to keep the bearings running smoothly, but without too much drag. While
our bike was set up for 142x12 rear and QR15 front, there are adapters for
regular QR, 10x135, 12x135 and 20mm front as well. XD1 drivers and 10sp
freehubs are both available. And at 1615g, the weight is good for a trail wheel
too.
That’s just about
everything I want - the Roam 40’s tick every box for a quality mountain bike
wheel. But… I didn’t love them at first. I do wonder if SRAM should have made
the rim a bit wider. The Roam range uses a 21mm internal width and 25mm external
for stability. That’s not overly wide, but the carbon Roam 60 goes to 28mm
external although internal remains at 21mm. Some trail rims are 23-25mm.
It just meant I ran a
little higher pressure than expected, but the wheels were otherwise a dream to
ride. The build is very stiff, and they track really precisely. I did hit a few
rocks pretty hard and there were no flat spots and they didn’t come out of true
– a testament to the build quality. But it’s the fast engagement that I really
liked, being able to ratchet through technical sections, and get started again
easily on tech climbs. To me, it just makes power transfer that much smoother
when climbing on loose terrain, helping you maintain traction. They’re
available in all three wheel sizes and will work for anything from
cross-country racing through to all mountain riding. Best of all, they are the
kind of wheel you are unlikely to think about, letting you focus on the ride.
GOOD
- Easy maintenance
- Easy to setup
tubeless
- Strong, light, good
value
- Excellent hub
engagement
NO GOOD
- I would like a
slightly wider rim width
PRICE 470$ front, 540$ rear (for all sizes)
