SRAM fattens up Roam 60 wheelset

Wider carbon hoops and versatile hubs on the way this spring

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Published: February 25, 2016 at 3:00 pm

SRAM has made some subtle but significant changes to its carbon Roam 60 wheelset, making it wider and introducing a new hub system designed with broad compatibility in mind.

Wider and off the hook

The updated roam 60 wheelset uses carbon rims with a generous 30mm internal width:

The updated Roam 60 wheelset has carbon rims with a generous 30mm internal width

Our primary gripe with the original Roam 60 wheelset was its narrow profile.The meager 21mm internal width was out of step with industry trends toward wider rims. It appears that SRAM has taken this criticism to heart. This second-generation Roam 60 wheelset rolls on hookless carbon rims with an impressive internal width of 30mm.

Like the first-gen Roam 60, the new wheelset uses 24 straight-pull spokes in a two-cross lacing pattern. Two other welcome carry-overs are the use of symmetrical endcaps, so there’s never a need to worry about which end cap goes on the right or left side of the hub, and SRAM’s Solo Spoke system, which simplifies spoke replacement by using a single spoke length per wheel size for the front, rear, drive and non-drive sides of the wheel.

New for Roam 60 is a sticker pack in eight different colors to help riders get all matchy-matchy.

Claimed weight for the 27.5in version is 750g for the front and 875g for the rear wheel. Noticeably absent from this launch is a 29er version. According to SRAM, there will be no 29in Roam 60 wheelset.

The Roam 60 wheelset will retail for $1,900 / £1,520 when it becomes available in April.

One hub system for every bike

SRAM's 900 series hubs are intended to cover all disc brake-equipped bicycles:

SRAM's 900 series hubs are intended to cover all disc brake-equipped bicycles

At the heart of SRAM’s latest wheelset are new hubs intended to cover a wide range of uses including road, TT, cyclocross, gravel, cross-country, trail and enduro. The 900 series hubs are available in 24, 28 and 32-hole versions and cover pretty much every axle standard currently on the market.

The front hub is available in 100mm quick-release as well as 100x12, 100x15, 110x15 and 110x20mm thru-axle versions.

The rear hub can be had in 135 quick-release in addition to the 142x12 and 148x12mm thru-axle standards.

The 900 front hub also supports standard 21mm endcaps as well as the larger, 31mm 'Torque Caps' intended to bolster front-end stiffness.

The Double Time offset ratchet system employed on other SRAM hubs has been carried over to the 900 line. Double Time refers to the fact that one of the two pairs of pawls is in contact with the 26t ratchet ring at a time, resulting in 52 points of contact and 6.9 degrees of engagement. SRAM will offer the 900 hubs with XD as well as Shimano freehubs.

Claimed weight for the 900 hubs in the lightest configuration is 150g for the front and 275g for the rear hub.

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