Sector GCi Carbon Gravel Wheelset

Sector GCi Carbon Gravel Wheelset

Whether you're racing across the mud or simply exploring the countryside gravel roads, this wheelset is engineered for fast and smooth-rolling performance. It features a hard-wearing unidirectional carbon fibre rim construction, which allows you to benefit from its amazing strength without adding any unnecessary grams to your gravel bike. Engineered to excel in high impact environments, this model is equipped with revolutionary TeXtreme Innegra that's integrated into the layup of the rims. This special fibre delivers 75% high impact resistance when compared to standard carbon rims of the same profile. This means you can enjoy high energy rides with superior vibration damping and none of the harsh stiffness associated with carbon.

So what is Innegra?

Innegra is a fibre derived from polypropylene that exhibits some highly beneficial properties, including high strength-to-weight ratio, resistance to damage, vibration damping and energy dissipation. The TexTreme fabric used in the layup of GCi rim is a Spread Tow fabric built from a hybrid of Innegra and T700 carbon fibres. The Spread Tow layout is significant because it also contributes some positive attributes – the fibres are straighter (reduced crimp therefore higher strength) and it facilitates the use of less resin (lower weight).

In the GCi rim the Spread Tow fabric is used on the outer layer of the rim, giving it the unique checkerboard pattern.

Sounds good, but what does that mean for a rim?

• Significantly more compliance...

Under a lab test the GCi rim was 50% more vertically compliant than a unidirectional T700 carbon rim of the same profile. This test involves loading the rim with a 100kg weight, in which the GCi rim exhibited a deflection of 15.74mm compared to 10.55mm on the standard T700 rim.

It is widely acknowledged that vertical compliance is important for damage reduction (less likely to crack), a reduction of fatigue and to improve traction. Such an improvement in vertical compliance also brings a radically improved ride quality to the GCi wheelset.

The Innegra equipped rims do not have the associated harsh stiffness of regular carbon wheels.

• Significantly more impact resistance...

In the lab the GCi rim was able to handle impacts of almost double the standard required for MTB wheels by the UCI. The GCi rim withstood an impact of 140J compared the UCI stipulated requirement of an 80J impact, making it 75% stronger than the UCI requirements. In real world terms, the GCi rim can handle the equivalent of dropping a 15kg weight from a height of up to 1.08 metres onto the bare rim, thus making it 18% stronger than a recognised leading competitor who has published their data.

• Much less weight...

Despite offering strength and compliance advantages, the use of Innegra also allows the construction of an extremely lightweight rim. The Innegra equipped GCi rim weighs just 440g, and Sector's complete wheelset weighs just 1690g.

Features:

• Rim Material: T-700 Unidirectional Carbon Fibre; Outer layer: TeXtreme Plain Weave Spread Tow Carbon Fibre and Innegra S Hybrid
• Wheel Size: 700c
• Use: Gravel
• Spokes / Type: Pillar 1422 Bladed / Straight Pull
• Nipples: Pillar Black Brass DSN
• Hub Rotor Fitment: Centrelock
• Freehub: 6 Pawl (Shimano or SRAM XD options available to select)
• Hole Count: 24h
• ERD: 566mm
• Rim Width: (Internal) 24mm | (External) 31mm
• Rim Depth: 38mm
• Tubeless: Yes
• Single or Pair: Pair
• End Caps: (Front) 100x12mm / (Rear) 142x12mm
• Extras: Tubeless Sealant, valves, tape and 15mm end caps
• Weight: 1690g

Buy Sector Wheels & Tyres from Chain Reaction Cycles, the World's Largest Online Bike Store.